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We have entered a fairly slow period of the NFL offseason. Our San Francisco 49ers are in the middle of the offseason workout program, with the rookie minicamp scheduled for this coming weekend. However, until then, things are relatively quiet around the league. Well, until today.
Super Bowl 52
The NFL announced the host of Super Bowl 52. Minneapolis beat out New Orleans and Indianapolis for the right to host the 2018 Super Bowl. It is worth noting the Vikings will be in their second season in a new stadium heading into that Super Bowl. The new stadium will feature a roof, so it will not be a Super Bowl played out in the elements. It'll be a pain dealing with the cold in the days leading up to the game, but Minneapolis does feature a skywalk that can help people remain in doors where possible.
This announcement comes a year after Super Bowl 50 was awards to the Bay Area, and Super Bowl 51 went to Houston. Super Bowl 50 is going to be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, and I believe media day will be down in Santa Clara as well (not positive on that). As I understand it, a majority of the bigger events will take place up in San Francisco, including the Super Bowl Boulevard set-up. I'd imagine a lot of the parties will take place up there. San Jose has options for parties, but San Francisco is the place to be seen in the Bay Area.
Playoff expansion
In other news, the NFL has tabled playoff expansion talks until the fall meetings. There has been talk of adding a playoff team in each conference, and adding one more playoff game. Some of the owners feel they can implement this without discussing with the players, but the CBA would seem to indicate this is something for which the owners would have to negotiate. In light of that, the players are reportedly prepared to make it a bargaining chip in their fight over workers compensation opportunities. There is legislation in Louisiana that would impact it, and the players are not pleased. We'll have more on that in the coming days, but for now, it looks to be a potential bargaining chip.
Bryant McKinnie & Trick Daddy's daddy
The only other bit of "NFL news", and probably my favorite, is word that free agent offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie recently settled a $150,000 tab at a strip club owned by the father of Trick Daddy. As someone asked, does that make him Trick Grand-daddy? SB Nation took a look at some strip club math. Welcome to the offseason!