NFL fans were all saying the same thing following news that the league and NFLPA held talks over the possible expansion of an 18-game schedule down the road.
Three years ago, the NFL announced that it was expanding the regular season schedule from 16 to 17 games. NFL fans are now getting excited about the prospect of an 18-game expansion — on one condition.
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell told Mark Maske of The Washington Post on Monday that discussions between the NFL and NFLPA on an 18-game schedule “have not yet progressed to formal negotiations” but have “moved beyond the hypothetical stage.”
And football fans are fully on board with the possibility of an 18-game season, provided that the players are granted a second bye week:
nfl 18 game regular season is fine but MUST INCLUDE a second bye week.
MUST MUST MUST. Is the union strong enough to demand it?— Steve HomerTrue (@espnhomer) July 23, 2024
I like the Burrows plan. Two bye weeks with the Super Bowl played the day before President’s Day. The second bye week is league wide with Pro Bowl like activities like last year.
— Dan Conners (@philsfan34) July 23, 2024
I actually think this will create more potential for safety. No way this passes without a second bye week, right? More opportunity for players to return from an early-season injury. I used to hate the idea of 18 games but it feels like there’s far more upside.
— Barry (@ThumbsUpBarry) July 23, 2024
Bump it to 18 all you want, but you must also:
1) Put the Pro Bowl in the regular season. Week 10 or 11, let that be a second bye for much of the league.
2) Bring back two-a-days. Because if not, you will see injuries at rates like never before. #NFL https://t.co/jZiP3IcVpF— George J. Khouri (@GJK_III) July 23, 2024
Better add a second bye week if you’re going to 18 games. It’s just straight greed atp and has zero care for the health and well being of the players if this goes thru https://t.co/MKeHfTiOGw
— John Gugs (@jgugs40) July 23, 2024
if they do this, they need to add a second bye week
— Chris 🎲 (@ThereGoCupid) July 23, 2024
I’m for it as long as they get a second bye week
— Alisha Kelley (@tigerlilyc79) July 23, 2024
Though the current NFL CBA expires in 2030, Lloyd told The Washington Post that the expanded schedule could come before then.
2021 marked the first permanent expansion of the NFL regular season schedule since 1978, when the league jumped from 14 games to 16 games. A year earlier in 2020, the NFL expanded the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, adding an extra wild card team while awarding only a first-round bye to the top seed in each conference.
#Bengals QB Joe Burrow said on @PardonMyTake that if the NFL goes to 18 games, there should be two bye weeks. He suggests one of the byes should be around Week 13 for the entire NFL, with Pro Bowl festivities that week, similar to the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Burrow believes… pic.twitter.com/F6nDV1CT1W
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 8, 2024
The league decided to make the “17th game” a non-conference showdown between AFC and NFC teams who aren’t scheduled to play each other for another two years, giving NFL fans the excitement of another contest they otherwise would only get every four years.
For example, the NFC East and AFC South played each other in the 2022 season. So the same-place finisher in each division will play each other in 2024 (e.g. Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans), since the divisions won’t square off again until 2026.
18-Game Schedule Would Be A Win For NFL Fans
The 18-game schedule would be a welcoming development for football fans and owners (more games, more money) in their pockets). Of course, player health and safety is the main concern here.
The league will have to work extensively to make sure that the players are protected from the addition of another season. An additional bye week has to be on the table, and potentially the scrapping of preseason games altogether.
