NFLPA bluntly addresses potential schedule expansion: ‘No one wants to play an 18th game’

NFLPA bluntly addresses potential schedule expansion: ‘No one wants to play an 18th game’

Just a little over three years after the NFL insтιтuted a 17-game regular season schedule, there’s been plenty of talk about adding an 18th game in the future.

And this week, commissioner Roger Goodell said an 18th game is a “possibility” and he understands fans want more football.

The NFL Players ᴀssociation, however, feels differently.

Executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. told reporters on Wednesday from New Orleans that the stance of the players is quite different, and that they don’t prefer adding more game action to the regular season.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell speaks during the NFLPA press conference in advance of Super Bowl LIX at the New Orleans Convention Center. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“No one wants to play an 18th game. No one,” Howell said. “Seventeen games is already, for many of the guys, too long. Seventeen games is also so lengthy that you’re still dealing with injuries going into the next season. So, there are a variety of issues that hang off of the length of the season before any formal negotiations.”

The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season, and changes — including tweaks to the current CBA — would need to be approved by both the league and players.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell poses with Vince Lombardi trophy and Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs helmets at a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Goodell’s comments in the lead-up to Super Bowl 2025 echo things he said in the spring about the possibility of adding an 18th game.

He said then that a potential change would mean less preseason football, which has already been reduced from four games to three.

“We would do it in the context of reducing the number of preseason games. We think that’s a good trade: less preseason games and more regular-season games,” Goodell said in May, adding that the league would continue to work with the players’ ᴀssociation.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) pose with the trophy during Super Bowl 59 Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. AP

Howell said Wednesday that any discussions the two sides have had have been informal and there are plenty of things that need to be hashed out, including safety concerns, international travel and bye weeks.

“No matter what Roger says, you open up that CBA and we’re going to get into field surfaces, we’re going to get into safety, we’re going to get into a lot of things,” Howell said.

The NFL first expanded the schedule in 1978 from 14 to 16 games, the number that held until 2021.

Related Posts

BREAKING NEWSTaylor Swift joins Travis Kelce in Nashville on the opening night of his NFL charity event

BREAKING NEWSTaylor Swift joins Travis Kelce in Nashville on the opening night of his NFL charity event

Taylor Swift made a surprise trip down to Nashville to join boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs тιԍнт end Travis Kelce in hosting a meeting of the football minds…

NFL star reveals he would never live in Kansas City in savage attack on the place Travis Kelce calls home

NFL star reveals he would never live in Kansas City in savage attack on the place Travis Kelce calls home

On the latest episode of the podcast he runs with his brother, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown threw some shade on the city of Kansas…

BREAKING NEWSLas Vegas Raiders in mourning as former player dies at age 60

BREAKING NEWSLas Vegas Raiders in mourning as former player dies at age 60

The Las Vegas Raiders are honoring a former player from their days when they took the field in Los Angeles and Oakland, California. The team released a…

Revealed: Tom Brady told the Raiders not to sign Sam Darnold before Geno Smith moved to Las Vegas

Revealed: Tom Brady told the Raiders not to sign Sam Darnold before Geno Smith moved to Las Vegas

Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for a huge 2025 campaign after an offseason of upheavel in Sin City. Maxx Crosby signed a…

Travis Kelce receives special award for ‘extraordinary’ achievement

Travis Kelce receives special award for ‘extraordinary’ achievement

Travis Kelce has been honored by the state of Ohio for his ‘extraordinary commitment, compᴀssion and service’ to charity work in his hometown of Cleveland. The Kansas…

NFL fans set for behind-the-scenes glimpse of Joe Burrow’s home burglary drama as new Netflix trailer drops

NFL fans set for behind-the-scenes glimpse of Joe Burrow’s home burglary drama as new Netflix trailer drops

The burglary of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s $7.5 million Ohio mansion is covered in the upcoming season of QUARTERBACKS, Netflix’s recurring behind-the-scenes documentary from NFL Films….