2022 marks the second season during which the NFL has played a 17-game regular season, a move which caused plenty of controversy during the latest round of CBA negotiations. An 18-game slate has been floated as a possibility, and at least one owner publicly supports further expansion. 
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, that he is in favor of adding one more game to the regular season and removing one from the preseason. The NFL did that in 2021, marking the first alteration to the length of the season since 1978 and dropping the preseason from four to three weeks in duration.
“One more I see, and I’m a big proponent of it,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “I think that’s the right level. That allows us to, as we go into the early games of the season, that allows us to have those games. You will get better if you play those games because you will play less preseason games. You know at one time they played six preseason games in the NFL… But still I like to play two or three preseason games and 18 regular season games and [I] have been a proponent of that.”
Such a setup would certainly not be unprecedented in pro football. The CFL has played an 18-game regular season for the past 36 years, and currently has just two preseason contests per campaign. Of note, though, is the fact that – in large part due to the odd number of teams in the league – each club receives three bye weeks over the course of the year. The fact that the most recent expansion of the NFL slate was not accompanied by an extra week off during the season has been met with criticism over player safety concerns.
That may become an increasingly contentious point if the league’s predicted expansion of international games continues in the near future. More travel time between contests, coupled with an 18th game, could lead to increased calls for a second bye week to be included in the season. From a financial perspective, though, the potential benefits would be self-evident.
Increased revenue was the driving factor in the decision to move to 17 games, and the league has seen consistent spikes in the salary cap (with the recent exception of the pandemic). That trend is expected to continue, but players were split in advance of the latest CBA talks which opened the door to the latest expansion. In any event, the idea of adding further to the regular season will likely be increasingly talked-about if it receives further support.
I’m shocked, SHOCKED that Jerry Jones supports both lining his own pockets and putting himself in the spotlight more.
The regular season game replaces a preseason game. Those preseason games are already bought and paid for (as part of the Season Ticket packages) at regular season prices, so how much lining of his pockets will there be? Maybe a bump in concession sales, what else?
How won’t it increase their revenue? Season ticket packages will go up with an additional regular season game. More tickets sold at higher prices with more concessions, more prized TV rights, and more viewership.
The STH packages already include all games, regular and preseason and all are priced the same. A STH package of 2 preseason + 8/9 regular season will not change is it goes to 1 + 9/10. No additional tickets would be sold.
Not all season ticket packages are full season. Turning a preseason game to a regular season game would be cause to raise prices at some point. It also creates more opportunities for neutral site games, like adding a 17th did. And again, a regular season game returns dramatically more revenue than a preseason game, for TV and other reasons.
That added revenue from tv gets split between the owners and players, so they are all making more from flipping a preseason game to a regular season game, not just Jerry Jones. The players earned a meager per diem from the pregame game while the 17th game replaced that and boosted their salaries 1/17th of their normal contract. Therefore Jerry is actually paying out more as well.
I said Jerry Jones would make more money by adding a regular season game. That is a true statement.
Jerry Jones is an idiot. Let him go play an 18 game schedule on the line and see how long he lasts.
He looks like he’s played 19.
If they do, they need to add another bye week in the schedule. Players need to recoup, and times should state no practices for a full week during bye weeks. Brains are going to turn into mush.
Yes, have the Super Bowl on Easter Sunday. No good.
When did Easter move to March? Does it depend on Puxatawney Phil seeing his shadow?
Well. I mean i dont know you personally and if you own an NFL team my apologies but if not its hard to call a guy an idiot who makes billions off people like me and you who make 6 figures. Whos the idiots?
Whoever tried to teach you English?
I think we all knew a 17 game schedule was just a stepping stone on the way to 18. The NFL is all about expansion. The concept that quality might be more beneficial than quantity never enters Goodell’s head.
How about an 18 week schedule and give teams a Second bye week to stay healthy?
Tried that in 93. Pretty sure I drank a lot that season so have no memory.
18 game season means expanded roster. There’s already enough mediocre players.
Also Thursday night games should only be played by teams coming off a bye.
And teams not having to travel cross country. Teams have played Sunday evening and then flown cross country to play Thursday night and that is wrong. Especially when the league tries to act like they’re concerned about player safety.
18 games is way too much. Players will be against it. Only reason why Jones is for it is because it’s more money in his pocket
If they go play 18 games. Dallas and Detroit will not be hosting Thanksgiving games every year. All teams get a chance to host Thanksgiving games. Also each team gets two bye weeks.
We don’t need 18 games. At what point are they going to start thinking about these players long-term health? Even if you take one from the preseason, it still increases the punishment these guys take. Playing a 60 minute game is a lot different than playing 10 minutes of an exhibition game.
Going to a 17 game schedule should have answered you question. Lol long term health. If the NFL cared about the players long term health they would have offered a 15 game schedule.
@Outlaw / Unless your playing both sides of the ball and special teams you won’t be seeing 60 minutes of action. If just one minute is shaved from each quarter of play, an 18 game schedule would be shorter in terms of playing time than what exists now.
who cares what Jerry Jones thinks…really.
I’m sure that will mean more rule changes for “player safety” that are more about preserving the product than about actually protecting players…
I would love more football. But the product is watered down enough as is, and the players put themselves through a lot to stay ready. It doesn’t seem fair to them-unless owners want to guarantee them more money to compensate. Also, the longer seasons will mean less practice and fewer contact drills. Taking away the preseason will make the early season sloppier, and more game time will likely mean even fewer mandatory conditioning sessions and practices (understandably so). Improper technique and being out of elite shape can injure, too.
If the NFL wants to continue to take on profits year round, perhaps they should reconsider the prospect of a separate developmental league during the regular offseason, or two summer exhibition games. More actual games means more prep time-or more injuries from ignoring that.
Players will get a cut. More money means a larger salary cap.
Lop off another exhibition game and they’ll not complain.
16 seemed like the right number. 17 is stupid and 18 just means more injuries and more bad play by backups.
32 week season. Everybody plays every other team once. Three bye weeks. Sixteen teams make the playoffs, which all move to best of three. Football 52 weeks a year.
Tom Brady: “And we’ll definitely need a seniors league for players 50 and older”.
Play 18 but no one can play more then 17