An expanded 18-game NFL season will have to wait a bit longer.
Despite NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s many overtures about the 18-game schedule in recent years, it seems the players are not willing to talk about it. At least not yet.
According to a report by Mark Maske in the Washington Post, the NFLPA “is not expected to engage in formal negotiations with the NFL and its team owners on a potential 18-game regular season and other issues related to the sport’s labor agreement until at least early next year.”
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, “there had been a belief that the talks would intensify this summer. The reason for the delay isn’t clear.”
An 18-game regular season would greatly benefit the league from a media rights perspective. Goodell has made clear that the NFL intends to expand its international schedule to 16 games and likely sell that package to a separate broadcast partner. A 16-game international slate becomes much more viable after an expansion to an 18-game regular season.
The latest an expansion to 18 games would likely occur is following the 2030 season, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires. The matter of adding one extra game to the schedule is unlikely to have players willing to sacrifice game checks over.
But Florio suggests there’s another key date prior to the CBA’s expiration: whenever the NFL sets a date for the 2028 Super Bowl in Atlanta. “Currently, there’s no date for it. If/when [the NFL] locks in based on the current 17-game formula, the league will essentially be conceding that 18 will wait until at least the 2028 season,” Florio writes.
Of course, considering there’s an entirely new media package on the line, an 18th game would provide a huge financial windfall for both the players and ownership. However, there’s obvious player safety concerns with adding the additional game.
But an 18-game schedule seems to be a “when” not “if” type of situation. The “when” seems to be getting delayed, at least for now, with the NFLPA not engaging in negotiations.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.