An 18-game regular season may be on the horizon. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the NFL and NFLPA recently discussed the potential schedule adjustment.
This comes on the heels of a recent Roger Goodell interview. The commissioner cited the NFL’s continued “focus on the safety” aspect of the game as a stepping stone for a potential 18-game season. Goodell continued to point to the league’s “20-game framework” and the understanding that an added regular season contest would only come at the expense of a preseason exhibition.
As Florio notes, the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement lasts through the 2030 season, and it’s believed an 18-game schedule could be apart of the next CBA. When the two sides last agreed on a new CBA in 2020, they expanded the regular-season schedule to 17 games.
Florio believes “it’s possible (if not likely)” that the NFL and the NFLPA are currently refining details for an 18-game schedule, and their recent discussion indicates that the change could be coming sooner than later. Mark Maske of The Washington Post cautions that an agreement is not imminent, although he adds that NFL owners remain hopeful that the NFLPA will agree to expand the regular-season slate. If the two sides continue to move in the right direction, some owners believe the change could be implemented in the “next two to three years.”
There have been previous rumblings of an 18-game campaign, and NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell already hinted at some possible concessions surrounding the addition of an 18th game. While overall compensation is the obvious one, other points of negotiation would include additional bye weeks, improved playing surfaces, and decreased travel.
While these concessions represent some possible hurdles during negotiations, it seems the two sides are at least heading towards an eventual solution. While an 18-game schedule was once discussed as possible, it’s seeming more and more likely that an 18-game schedule is truly inevitable.
If they want more games then they should have expansion. 17 is too many games as is. The only safe way to add more games is to add more teams.
It’s a joke for the league to say on one hand we value player safety above all else only to then say that we need more money, guys you gotta play just a little bit more.
How is adding expansion teams going to help? They are already talking increased salary, adding more players limit travel and add bye week. I think you would find majority of players would accept more salary.
More teams=more games. If it’s two new teams it’s 34 more events (not including preseason). If they add an 18th game to the regular schedule without expansion it’s 32 new events.
I know they don’t want to expand, but you can’t make these guys keep playing Russian roulette while also adding rounds into the chamber…
Oh, the math is wrong! If they add an 18th game it’s only 16 new events
If you were a rookie making nfl mininum salary of 795k last year. The idea of another paid game would be tough to turn down. More games doesn’t help the teams wanting anther home game.
I hear ya, it’s complicated. Don’t discount the value of the expansion fee to each owner. What, $5 bill per new team? 10 bill divided by 32 is pretty attractive.
18 games
2 off weeks each
half week 7
half week 8
half week 13
half week 14
0 pre season games
I agree have to give more byes and time off. We did see a let down in quality of play early in season without the longer preseason. Other than practice and game speed are meaningless games and not worth risking injury.
Goddell saying that “safety is a priority” is laughable.
This is a case where “apart” and “a part” lend different meanings to a sentence… Although, both could be true in this case…
Simple solution. 18 game schedule but no team player can be active then 17.
That ends up scr&wing over fans. It’s fine for regular position players, but not the qbs. Someone forks over $500 for decent tickets to see Josh Allen play only to find out they have to go watch Mitch Trubisky? That makes it essentially a preseason game.
No different then nba having these games off for players. Owners still charge same price for tix whether stars are playing or not. In baseball you pay same price whether ace is pitching or #5 starter. You think NFL is going to worry about sticking it to the fans yet again.
What they REALLY discussed was a 38 game season !!
This is insane and greedy. The NFL already has a short career standard for non QBs and the player pay is lower than other sports, but work them to death with more games/contact and rake in the cash, huh owners?
18 Regular Games
1 Pre Season Game
Games held ONCE every 2 weeks.
38 week season.