SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The ongoing debate regarding whether the NFL will expand the regular season seems to have reached a resolution, and now the focus is on when the league will introduce an 18th game.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly discussed the matter, and union chief Lloyd Howell recently stated to the Washington Post that the NFLPA is willing to consider it before the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season. Players appear to be accepting of the inevitability, regardless of their personal feelings on the matter.
“I mean, I feel like we really ain’t got no choice, to be honest,” remarked Seattle Seahawks veteran receiver Tyler Lockett, who expressed a preference for adding another bye week over an additional game to provide TV networks with more broadcast opportunities without overburdening the players.
The NFL has been looking to expand the number of games for some time, aiming to capitalize on the increase in lucrative national television slots. The league shifted from a 14-game to a 16-game regular season in 1978 and maintained that structure for decades.
However, Goodell and the team owners successfully implemented a 17th game during the latest CBA negotiations leading up to the 2021 season and are now looking to further expand to 18 games, with the condition that player safety is not significantly compromised.
The potential addition of another game could create more broadcast opportunities and may result in the Super Bowl being played on Presidents Day weekend, possibly coinciding with a federal holiday the day after the game. This scenario could necessitate foregoing a second bye week, which most players believe would be essential for accommodating an extra game, or moving the start of the season to Labor Day weekend, a move that the NFL has avoided since the 2000 season.
While the prospect of hosting the Super Bowl on a long holiday weekend may be appealing to many fans, transforming an NFL season into a seven-month marathon could present challenges from the start of training camp through the end of the season.
The NFL’s broadcast rights are valued at over $113 billion over an 11-year span, making it the most valuable television property. In 2023, 93 out of the 100 most-watched TV broadcasts were NFL games, up from 61 in 2018.
However, this increase in revenue comes at a cost to the players physically.
“The fans, and rightly so, are unaware of all the injuries we endure but they don’t understand what it takes to play on Sundays,” observed Colts center Ryan Kelly, the team’s player representative. “I think it’s just too many games.”
When the NFL introduced a 17th game in 2021, one preseason game was eliminated. Goodell indicated that a similar strategy would be employed if the league were to adopt an 18-game season.
However, this plan raises concerns among coaches about providing fewer opportunities for younger players to showcase their skills or develop, and does little to alleviate the worries of veterans, many of whom see limited or no action in preseason games.
Other concessions such as an additional bye week, adjustments to the offseason schedule, or a larger share of the revenue would hold greater significance for players. Under the previous CBA, players’ share of revenue increased from 47% to 48.5% when the season expanded to 17 games.
An 18th game would expand the revenue pool and possibly increase the players’ share. When the season grew to 17 games in 2021, some players received an extra game check.ESPN conducted a survey of players during the offseason and found that 46% supported the idea of expanding the season to 18 games with conditions, while an additional 8% were open to doing it without any concessions.
“That’s another check, right?” remarked 49ers defensive end Leonard Floyd regarding his opinion on an 18th game. “More games, more checks.”
AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi, Teresa Walker, Dennis Waszak Jr., and AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson, Tim Booth, David Brandt, Larry Lage, Steve Reed, Andy Seligman, Mitch Stacy contributed.
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