The NFLPA has “no appetite” to add an 18th regular season game
There has been a lot of talk about it recently The NFL may add another regular season game. The extra game was discussed as a way to add more international games to the league schedule. The National Football League Players Association threw cold water on that idea on Tuesday.
“NFLPA Interim CEO David White said the union has no “appetite for Game 18,” Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins reported for X, formerly Twitter.
White made the comments ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, in which the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks. While the addition of another game will likely continue to be debated, the players’ union seems to be sticking to its position for now.
“The 18th game is not unusual for us,” White said.
NFL teams currently play 17 regular season games. It was established in 2021, after teams played 16 games the years before that.
The NFL says discussions about a possible schedule expansion must continue
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says we have a long way to go if the league expands its schedule once again. Goodell says some of the issues that must be addressed include the possible adding another bye week for each team.
“We haven’t had any formal discussions about it and, frankly, very few informal conversations,” Goodell said at his Super Bowl presser, according to NFL.com. “It’s not a given that we’re going to do that. It’s not something we assume will happen. It’s something we want to discuss with union leadership.”
Another wrinkle to iron out is whether to expand the list size. The commissioner says the league needs to protect the health and safety of players if another game is added to the roster.
One person pushing for one more regular season game is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft spoke to the radio station ahead of the Super Bowl about what Game 18 will be like allow each NFL team to play at least one international game per season.
2026-02-03 22:36:00
