An 18-game NFL regular season isn’t a guaranteed change.
NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive director Lloyd Howell pushed back against the idea on Wednesday, even though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has talked about it as if it’s bound to happen.
The two sides haven’t officially discussed expanding the season, which would require renegotiating the current collective bargaining agreement.
“Their side hasn’t raised it, we certainly haven’t raised it. … Any commentary outside of a formal negotiation is just commentary,” Howell said. “It’s a players’ decision as to what they will agree to do or not. Right now when I have talked to players over the last two seasons, no one wants to play an 18th game. No one. Seventeen games, for many of the guys, is too long.”
Naturally, the players’ union would want the league to make several changes before agreeing to an 18-game season.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions and NFLPA president, didn’t say what specific concessions players might want in return.
“It wouldn’t be fair for us to speak for everyone,” Reeves-Maybin said. “There’s thousands of guys and we haven’t been deep enough into the conversation.”
Players are likely to push for more money, another bye week, adjustments to the offseason calendar, better playing surfaces, larger rosters, and more. The amount of time off between games, especially for international games, would also be a key issue.
“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 way revenue is shared will be a big discussion point.
“If I’m asking my workforce to work more, it’s not as simple as I’m gonna fall back on the revenue split that already exists,” Howell said. “There are so many dimensions that hang off the length of the season.”
Many players felt the NFLPA should have pushed harder for more concessions in the recent labor talks, which led to the 2020 CBA passing by a narrow vote of 1,019 to 959.
Under the current CBA, players’ share of league revenue went from 47% to 48% starting in 2021. A “media kicker” tied to the new TV contracts raised that share to 48.5% with the 17-game schedule. The maximum share players could have reached was 48.8%. They will likely want at least 50% if another game is added.
“This time of year, the training room is pretty full,” Texans quarterback Case Keenum said. “A lot of us are struggling to get our bodies right. I know most of my teammates don’t feel normal until July when it’s time for another season.”
Goodell said Monday that there’s still “a lot of work to be done” before the NFL could expand to 18 games.
“If we do, 18 and 2 might be a possibility,” he said. “We know fans love football and they want more football. But we have to be incredibly sensitive and smart with the balance and how we deal with that.”
Goodell pointed to changes the league has made to equipment and offseason training, which have helped reduce concussions and other injuries, making the idea of adding another game easier to consider.
“I’d say even just the thought of 18 games makes me cringe, personally speaking,” Commanders running back Austin Ekeler said. “Like for me, my ankles as a running back, it takes a few months to heal up after the season.”
The current CBA runs until the 2030 season, but the two sides could make changes to it at any time.
