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:
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Also Read: PHOTO: NFL Fans Are Loving The Dallas Cowboys’ New Uniforms Design
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.
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.
