It's no secret that Roger Goodell wants to expand the NFL schedule to 18 games. Now, we may see that agenda be set in motion this week.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Goodell and the owners plan to discuss the possibility of adding an 18th game to the schedule this week at the NFL annual meeting. Adding an 18th game would come with the removal of one preseason game, keeping the overall count at 20 total games before the playoffs.
Any possibility of negotiating additional games to the schedule would require NFLPA approval, which would open the current collective bargaining agreement. As of now, the CBA is not set to expire until 2029.
The NFLPA is expected to push back on any attempt to implement a longer schedule. At the bare minimum, they'll ask for a lot of concessions from the owners, with a second bye week as a expected demand. People such as Patrick Queen speak for a lot of players who feel the same way.
"Preseason is how under-the-radar players make their cases," Queen said in a post on X. "We play 17 games we should have two bye weeks as is. Definitely scratch OTAs and minicamp, start training camp back up around July 17."
I have a hard time seeing the league working this issue out this week. A push for an 18-game schedule is not on the agenda at the annual meeting this week. Even if it's discussed, I imagine it'll be at least tabled until the spring meeting in May.
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Chris Halicke
7:00 pm - 03.30.2025Palm Beach, Fla.Report: NFL to push for 18-game schedule
It's no secret that Roger Goodell wants to expand the NFL schedule to 18 games. Now, we may see that agenda be set in motion this week.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Goodell and the owners plan to discuss the possibility of adding an 18th game to the schedule this week at the NFL annual meeting. Adding an 18th game would come with the removal of one preseason game, keeping the overall count at 20 total games before the playoffs.
Any possibility of negotiating additional games to the schedule would require NFLPA approval, which would open the current collective bargaining agreement. As of now, the CBA is not set to expire until 2029.
The NFLPA is expected to push back on any attempt to implement a longer schedule. At the bare minimum, they'll ask for a lot of concessions from the owners, with a second bye week as a expected demand. People such as Patrick Queen speak for a lot of players who feel the same way.
"Preseason is how under-the-radar players make their cases," Queen said in a post on X. "We play 17 games we should have two bye weeks as is. Definitely scratch OTAs and minicamp, start training camp back up around July 17."
I have a hard time seeing the league working this issue out this week. A push for an 18-game schedule is not on the agenda at the annual meeting this week. Even if it's discussed, I imagine it'll be at least tabled until the spring meeting in May.
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