NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell raised eyebrows during draft weekend when he floated the idea of an 18-game regular season and a shortened preseason — a change that would require a lot concessions from NFL owners to convince players to accept.
Such a change – increasing from 17 to 18 games and reducing three preseason games to two – is far from imminent due to the language of the current collective bargaining agreement, which runs through 2030, and because NFL owners and NFL Players Association leaders did it. I haven’t even engaged in discussions on the issue, according to two people briefed on the situation. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the premature nature of such discussions.
Goodell, in contrast, was speaking hypothetically when he commented on the program in the interview on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I think we’re good at 17 (games) now,” Goodell said. “But look, we’re thinking about how we continue. I’m not a fan of the pre-season. … The reality is, I’d rather trade a preseason game for a regular-season game any day. It’s just a question of quality. If we get to 18 and 2, that’s not unreasonable.
An NFL spokesperson said the league had no further comment on the matter.
However, it would be foolish to think that an 18-game season won’t happen at some point.
The fact that the commissioner and owners agreed to move to 18 games is no surprise. Since 2011, the owners wanted to extend the season from 16 to 18 games. But their efforts proved unsuccessful during the CBA negotiations. The NFL and players, during 2020 negotiations, agreed to a 17-game expansion and a reduction from four preseason games to three.
Free daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox. Register
Free daily NFL updates delivered straight to your inbox. Register
Buy
However, the current collective bargaining agreement contains strict language that would prevent an extended regular season before that agreement expires.
“The League and/or Clubs shall not increase the number of regular season games per Club to eighteen (18) games or more,” the CBA line states. So, to extend the season, NFL owners would need to request a meeting with NFLPA leadership to discuss scrapping the current CBA and reaching an agreement to allow the schedule to be changed.
It is believed that players share a strong hesitation towards such a decision, as there were large divisions among players over the extension from 16 to 17 games due to the additional wear and tear it would subject to their body. A number of prominent veterans opposed the move, but a slim majority of players – many of whom are younger and lower paid by NFL standards – voted in favor of moving to a regular season of 17 matches due to automatic base increase. wages that the change triggered.
In exchange for the increase to 17 games, the players got a 48.8 percent split of all revenue as well as other concessions, including a reduced training schedule during the offseason and relief from penalties for Substance abuse policy violations.
“I think we’re good through seventeen games at the moment, but we’re still figuring out how to continue.
I’m not a fan of the preseason and would replace a preseason game with a regular season game any day” ~ @nflcommish #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Tv8xdjkSXJ
– Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
It’s unclear exactly what the players would demand in exchange for an additional regular season game because, so far, there has been very little discussion among the players about such a change, according to a person briefed on the discussions between the leaders of the NFLPA.
It is expected that an increase in revenue sharing – an increase of at least 50 percent – and a second bye week, as well as a further shortening of the off-season program, would be among the demands of the players.
Although owners could contact players about a change before the current CBA expires, it is unlikely that players will readily agree, this source predicted. Since they don’t have to make such a decision, players could simply slow down the process until a year or months before the current CBA expires.
New NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell, who took office in June 2023, and new NFLPA President Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who was elected by players last March, are continually engaging with players on how to put pressure on owners to improve working conditions. So gauging player interest in an 18-game regular season and determining players’ best bargaining chips will likely be among their top priorities if the NFL approaches the union about expansion discussions over the next two years.
Required reading
(Photo: John Smolek/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)