NFL Eyes 18-Game Season, but Many Players Don’t Want It

The NFL may be years away from expanding its schedule yet again, but growing the regular season from 17 games to 18 appears to be only a matter of time.

As the 2024 season enters its second quarter, the physical tolls of playing football start piling up for stars, veteran journeymen, and rookies across the league. Injuries—from concussions and torn ACLs to ruptured Achilles’ heels—serve as a sobering reminder about the cost of competing in the NFL.

Viewership is soaring, though, and the NFL continues to find its way onto more non-traditional spots of the calendar—potentially all the more reason for the league to make its season even bigger.

How We Got Here

Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell once again alluded to an 18-game season—a common theme for him this year—saying it could be tied to playing as many as 16 international games per season. Around the NFL draft back in May, Goodell made several public comments about wanting to turn one of the league’s three annual preseason games into a regular-season contest.

Achieving that goal won’t be easy, though. Many players, like Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, have suggested growing the season to 18 games, but only if teams get a second bye week. 

That bargaining sentiment was echoed by anonymous players in a recent poll conducted by The Athletic. When asked whether they were in favor of the NFL adding an 18th regular-season game, 59.3% of the 106 players who responded said no, 26.9% said yes, and 13.9% were undecided. Many respondents pointed to adding a second bye week as a nice exchange for a theoretical 18th game.

The NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement expires in March of 2031 at the end of the league year. Any changes now or in the future would require high-level negotiations.