NFL, NFLPA DIscussing Possible 18-Game Regular Season
Expect Adding Another Game To Schedule To Happen
Are you ready for some more NFL regular-season football? Hope so because in football news, the Washington Post reports that the league and its players union have started discussions about adding an extra game to the season, signaling an NFL season expansion.
The league bumped the regular season to 17 games in 2021. That offered another item on the sports betting menu, increasing the total regular season games from 256 to 272. Adding one more game would bring the total to 288, marking a significant NFL season expansion.
However, the process involves more than just addition. The players will demand serious consideration for playing another game. Will there be more players on rosters? Will there be added revenue – salaries – for the extra game? The preseason will likely be reduced again, this time to two meaningless games.
“Our membership is interested in a myriad of things before we even get to the number of games: health and safety, field surface, OTA makeup, compensation, what percent of their annual compensation is guaranteed” NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell told the Washington Post. “So there are many things before we get to [the] 18th game. … It’s a negotiable point. …”
The NFLPA will push the league to add a second bye week to the schedule for each of the 32 teams. This move would give players a chance to heal from bumps, bruises, and the overall battering they endure during the regular season.
Super Bowl Sunday Presidents’ Day Weekend?
While not addressed in the Post piece, this change could push the Super Bowl to the Sunday of Presidents’ Day weekend. This shift would thrill everyone, not just the sports betting public. Many people already want the day after the Super Bowl – call it a Super Hangover – to become a national day of rest. Moving the game to the February Sunday after Presidents’ Day would accomplish that mission.
NFL and NFLPA are having ‘high-level discussions’ about adding an 18th game https://t.co/KKNnOvqrur pic.twitter.com/PF3dHQD58K
— Niners Nation (@NinersNation) July 23, 2024
But we are getting way ahead of the chains
Per the report:
“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.
Where does the 18th game come from? I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be [preseason games] in August. You play it forward. But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But, again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there’s ever an agreement about an 18th game.”
This development feels more like a matter of when rather than if. The NFL keeps growing. International fan interest booms. The league will do whatever it can to keep moving forward. An 18-game regular season is the next step, ensuring an NFL season expansion. This change will boost sports fans, those who follow sports betting odds, and NFL interest in many ways. Get ready for some more regular-season football.
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