[Snorlax94]

My belief that in the absence of legislation the NFL will adopt a D league is based on the assertion that some form of chaos will ensue while the colleges try to figure out what they can do and how they can do it. If the chaos is relatively slow motion the NFL may attempt to wait to see what happens, but if any real uncertainty about the future ensues the NFL will chose to act. If college football is going to shrink to the SEC alone, I don't think the NFL is going to like that. Too limited a footprint to attract enough players. We all know how big businesses hate uncertainty. The NFL may also fear some kind of legal contagion spreading to them from the NCAA issues. The may believe a D league will help allow them to continue to be an illegal monopoly with everybody winking at it. They can say they aren't contributing to the chaos. Naturally, I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL doesn't go this way, but I think it more probable than not. It would also give them an opportunity to locate relocation/expansion sites relatively cheaply.

This assumes an NFL farm league has to look like the D-league, or even like minor league baseball with additional teams in other towns. The lowest risk -- and immediately most lucrative -- way for the NFL to create a quasi D-league would be for them to expand the pre-season to a 10 game pre-season with special rosters of pre-season players, where pre-season league players could come straight from high school. You could even have a pre-season league playoff bracket. 

It would mean screwing the NCAA and ending their longstanding, mutually-profitable collusion, but I think SCOTUS has forced the issue. One way or another, there must now be a direct-to-paid salary path for high school seniors.

[Snorlax94]

My belief that in the absence of legislation the NFL will adopt a D league is based on the assertion that some form of chaos will ensue while the colleges try to figure out what they can do and how they can do it. If the chaos is relatively slow motion the NFL may attempt to wait to see what happens, but if any real uncertainty about the future ensues the NFL will chose to act. If college football is going to shrink to the SEC alone, I don't think the NFL is going to like that. Too limited a footprint to attract enough players. We all know how big businesses hate uncertainty. The NFL may also fear some kind of legal contagion spreading to them from the NCAA issues. The may believe a D league will help allow them to continue to be an illegal monopoly with everybody winking at it. They can say they aren't contributing to the chaos. Naturally, I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL doesn't go this way, but I think it more probable than not. It would also give them an opportunity to locate relocation/expansion sites relatively cheaply.

This assumes an NFL farm league has to look like the D-league, or even like minor league baseball with additional teams in other towns. The lowest risk -- and immediately most lucrative -- way for the NFL to create a quasi D-league would be for them to expand the pre-season to a 10 game pre-season with special rosters of pre-season players, where pre-season league players could come straight from high school. You could even have a pre-season league playoff bracket. 

It would mean screwing the NCAA and ending their longstanding, mutually-profitable collusion, but I think SCOTUS has forced the issue. One way or another, there must now be a direct-to-paid salary path for high school seniors.