Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowler Puts NFL on Blast for Possible 18-Game Season

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has floated the idea of swapping a preseason game for an additional regular-season game, which would be a tremendous benefit to owners given the revenue difference in terms of gate and television ad revenue for a regular season game compared to an exhibition game.

“The key thing for us is looking at making sure we continue to do the things that make our game safer,” Goodell told reporters during the league’s annual meeting. “Seventeen games is a long season, so we want to make sure we look at that and make sure that we continue the safety efforts.

“Working with our players association is No. 2. We would reach an agreement with them if we’re going to proceed on that. But also, third, and this is not necessarily in order, is the quality of our game. We would do it in the context of reducing the number of preseason games. We think that’s a good trade: less preseason games and more regular-season games. I think most anybody would think that was beneficial. But again those other two factors are important.”

Selling an 18th regular season game could prove to be a much more difficult sell to players, for Goodell, than getting owners to buy in.

Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowler, NFLPA Rep Blasts 18-Game Plan

Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl offensive lineman Ryan Kelly is the team’s NFLPA representative and did not hold back in his criticism of any plans to add an additional regular season game to the schedule in the future.

“Eighteen games sounds great when Roger’s saying it on Pat McAfee,” Kelly said, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “But until you’re the one that’s going out there and putting the helmet on for 18 of those games, then come talk to me.”

If the NFL eventually makes the move to add one more regular season game, player safety is going to need to be paramount in any conversations, not the least of which is the possibility of pairing an additional game with a second bye week.

It might take more than that, to satisfy Kelly and other top players.

“I [wish] people understood how hard it was to play 16, then they [added] another one?” Kelly said. “And they get rid of preseason games, well, OK, who’s that going to hurt? The guys that don’t have a shot, the guys that are the undrafted guys or late-round [picks] that need to go out there and improve themselves. I think that the fans see it like they don’t watch the preseason games, but they have no idea what goes on inside the building.”