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Roger Goodell has once again foreshadowed the coming of an 18-game NFL season.
The NFL commissioner appeared on Bloomberg TV and made comments about further expansion of the regular season, while also noting that a preseason game would be eliminated in the process.
“We would keep within that 20-game framework,” Goodell said. “We went to 16 and four, and now 17 and three. So 18 and two is a logical step.”
The regular season shifted from 16 games to 17 between 2020 and 2021. Goodell’s goal for at least the past 15 years has been to expand to 18 games, so it’s not surprising he continues to bang the drum.
An extra game in the schedule per team would add 16 matchups of extra TV inventory, and the inevitable question becomes what happens with that from a rights perspective. It could lead either to an expansion of the existing rights deal—or the carve-out of a new package.
“It’s inevitable that the NFL will sell a Sunday morning package of international games. They could easily do it with a 17-game season,” ProFootballTalk founder Mike Florio told Front Office Sports. “They’ll absolutely do it with 18. Netflix makes the most sense, given the global reach and different time zones. The next question is how long until 18 becomes 19, and then how long until 19 becomes 20?”
Former Fox Sports executive Pat Crakes agreed that an additional package would likely be created out of an expanded season. “The most probable route is for the league to take the incremental games and create a near weekly package (something like 14 dates) played at international sites,” Crakes told FOS. “That package could be sold to a new partner who really could use the NFL and would pay the league’s asking price, which would be a lot. At the top of the list of potential partners would be companies such as Netflix and WBD, both of which would probably welcome a weekly slate of games and also have strong international distribution that would help rationalize paying some multiple above the current contract’s per game value.”
International growth is a big part of the NFL’s future plans. There have been NFL games staged in Brazil, Mexico, the U.K., and Germany in recent years. Next season, the Dolphins will play in Spain, and it has been rumored the Steelers and Packers could play in Ireland.
To expand to 18 games, the NFL would need cooperation from the players’ union. In an interview with The Washington Post last July, NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell called the idea “negotiable.”
“We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognition … about, ‘Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decision-making process,’” Howell said.
Howell noted there are “economic, health, and safety matters”—as well as determining what percent of players’ annual compensation is guaranteed—the league would need to address before any agreement to add more games to the schedule.
