PHOENIX — The prospect of the NFL migrating to an 18-game regular season might still be years away, but there has been no shortage of conversation about the idea at this week’s NFL annual league meeting.
With the recent installation of a new executive director at the NFL Players Association in JC Tretter, and with the continued expansion of the league’s international slate of games, momentum appears to be slowly building toward a push for an additional regular-season contest while scaling back to two preseason games.
“If we can make it work, I do think that it would be good,” Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said Sunday. “Preseason is, as far as the fan product goes, the commissioner has openly said that it’s not the best product that we have. It is, I would say, for development of our team. I don’t think we can get rid of it.
“But I think as long as the players want it — which I think they would, because it would mean more revenue — I think [it’s] ultimately a better product. I think it’s reasonable. It’s something we should work toward.”
That is not to say an 18-game regular season would be anything close to a guarantee for the NFL. The NFLPA has already taken a public stance stating its opposition to expanding the regular season. But the union took a similar position before the league moved to the current 17-game season in 2021. That didn’t prevent players from approving the new collective bargaining agreement, which included the increase in games but also more revenue for players, in a close vote in 2021.
Any expansion to the league’s season would require negotiation with the union. And doing so in the near term would mean reopening CBA talks before the scheduled expiration of the current deal after the 2030 season. It’s unclear how likely either side would be to agree to that particular detail.
The potential negotiation would likely require concessions from owners. Irsay-Gordon acknowledged as much when she suggested a shortened offseason program might make for a good incentive for players.
“We need to start thinking about working smarter,” she said.
Among the ranks of league owners and executives, however, support for expanding the season to 18 games appears to be growing.
“I like it for the long-term growth and development of the league,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Monday, “to keep our league healthy and grow revenue. I think preseason games have not been what it used to be.”
Kraft acknowledged the complexities of such an effort, adding: “Changing to 18 games, and having that real content, and being mindful of player safety, I personally would like to see us have a second bye week.”
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49ers’ Shanahan not pleased with international schedule
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan talks to reporters about his displeasure over a Week 1 match in Australia.
But some league owners and coaches pumped the brakes on the idea of 18 games. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, for instance, said the conversation is “a little premature.” New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore added, “If you do preseason and you go all the way to the Super Bowl, it’s whatever, 23, 24 games. So, there’s a lot of games on the calendar.”
But what makes a push for 18 games conceivable despite concerns is that it is likely to be packaged with the league’s effort to increase the number of games played internationally, another topic that has taken center stage at this week’s meetings at the Arizona Biltmore.
The NFL will play a record nine international games in 2026, adding the first regular-season games in Australia and France. That is a precursor to what the league seems to really want.
“It would allow us to also grow the game internationally,” Kraft said. “Every team in the league would play a game overseas. I think it would be a lot more exciting to the fans to have an extra game rather than the way our preseason games stack up.”
Having 18 games is seen by many as a vehicle to increasing the number of international contests.
“Growing the number of international games, that’s something we’re very supportive of,” Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “From a schedule dynamic, having 18 games would facilitate that.”
The combination of 18 regular-season games and an expanded international slate could be a boon for NFL revenues. The league could likely charge additional rights fees for the extra games from broadcast partners. And it could continue to build on the key revenue stream international games are providing.
“It’s been proven out in terms of the viewership,” said Minnesota Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf, whose team embraced international expansion by playing consecutive games in Dublin and London last season. “The engagement has grown dramatically in all the countries we’ve been in.”
The debate is still in its infancy, and many hurdles remain before an expansion of the regular season becomes reality.
But it’s clear the conversation among the league’s top brass is already underway.
ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, Kevin Seifert, Nate Taylor, Mike Reiss and Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.
