During one of the broadcasts of The Pat McAfee Show during the 2024 NFL Draft, Roger Goodell made some waves when he discussed his desire to continue the trend of lengthening the NFL season from 17 games to and 18-game season, just a few years after they switched from the 16-game schedule that had been in place since 1978.
“We’re looking at how to continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason, and I don’t think these guys like it either,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show, pointing to fans gathered nearby. “I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s just picking quality. If we get to 18 [regular] and 2 [preseason], that’s not an unreasonable thing.”
Washington Post NFL reporter Mark Maske posted on X that NFL owners are generally in favor of that change and could push for an agreement with the NFLPA prior to the expiration of the current CBA, which comes in March 2030.
The NFL moved off the 16-game schedule in 2021, and also changed the playoff format to allow one extra team in each conference as a third wild-card team. The economic impact of adding the two extra playoff games alone is estimated to generate about $150 million in additional revenue each year, per Fortune Magazine. When looking at these decisions, you just have to follow the money.
“The league and owners have not initiated a new set of formal discussions with the NFL Players Association,” Maske wrote via the Washington Post. “But some owners and league leaders have been contemplating such an effort for months.”
It will be interesting to see what the NFL has to give up to achieve this goal, as the NFLPA could push back with player safety concerns. There would also likely need to be another bye week to accommodate an 18-game schedule, and as Goodell said during his McAfee interview, that would land the Super Bowl on Presidents’ Day weekend. There is nothing forcing the conversation until 2030 when the CBA expires, so it could happen in the next few years, or we could have to wait six more until the normal negotiating period.
“I strongly believe they will bring something to [the NFLPA] in the next 12 to 18 months,” a representative on the players’ side told Maske.
While the NFL continues to implement safety measures, like allowing the Guardian Helmets and banning the hip-drop tackle, it is contemplating putting players’ bodies through an extra game per season of wear and tear.
