49ers TE George Kittle Pushes for Player Safety Amid 18-Game Expansion Talk

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) reacts after a play against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

49ers TE George Kittle Pushes for Player Safety Amid 18-Game Expansion Talk

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Henry Cheal | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 9:00 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is pushing for prioritizing player safety amid the possibility of expanding the regular season to 18 games.

Since the NFL expanded each franchise's schedule to 17 games in 2021, it has been widely expected that the league will eventually move to an 18-game season.

While there is no clear timeline for when that could happen, player workloads are already increasing, particularly with the addition of new international games as part of the league’s global expansion.

A key example of this is San Francisco, who will return to Mexico City for the first time since 2022 and start their season against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

On the topic of an 18-game regular season, Kittle expressed his concerns, emphasizing the physical toll on players and the lack of additional financial incentive, while also offering an alternative aimed at improving player welfare.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"I'm not a huge fan of that," expressed Kittle to CNBC's Alex Sherman. "We added a game already, and pay wasn't increased. And you're going to add an 18th game and not increase pay again."

"I think that there should be two byes already for 17 games because when all of your star players are getting hurt, I don't think it's very good for the brand," Kittle said.

"What you could do, instead of adding an 18th [game], you just add another bye, and then, the season is 19 weeks regardless, because then everybody gets two byes.

"So, let's just do that, and it makes it easier on the players just a little bit, lets their bodies rest a little bit, and you get higher quality football for longer."

It was last reported by CBS Sports that the introduction of an 18th regular-season game is at least two years away, with 2028 the earliest and 2031 the latest, though pushback is expected due to the obvious repercussions for player safety.

A minimum safety measure imposed should be a second bye week for teams, though it would likely mean reducing the preseason from three games to two.

Realistically, everyone understands what is driving the push for 18 games - revenue growth, increased broadcast value, and the league’s continued global expansion ambitions, which San Francisco will feel as the new season takes shape.

Their added travel demands create tighter recovery windows, and the growing injury toll seen in recent years only increases the risk. This raises further concerns among players about long-term health and career longevity, particularly for an already aging San Francisco roster.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: