Former MVP shares prediction about 18-game NFL season

One-time Most Valuable Player and current CBS Sports NFL analyst Boomer Esiason explained during Tuesday's edition of the WFAN "Boomer and Gio" program how the NFL eventually expanding to an 18-game regular season could result in future Super Bowl contests occurring on Presidents Day Sundays. 

"It’s more likely they’ll move it to Presidents [Day] weekend," Esiason said about the Super Bowl, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy. "When they go to 18 games and they want to get all these holiday games in, and the ratings keep proving NFL is king. You could see them moving the Super Bowl to Presidents weekend."

Esiason didn't necessarily break news, as it was thought as far back as 2021 that the NFL going to a 17-game format could result in Super Bowl matchups taking place over three-day weekends each February. 

While Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones made it known in December 2022 that he is "a big proponent" of an 18-game regular season, the NFL Players Association may only accept such a schedule if it includes two bye weeks for each team. 

The NFL starts every season after Labor Day weekend passes. Thus, a schedule with 18 regular season games and two byes could push Super Bowl contests into late February or even early March. 

"I know the NFLPA is gonna have a lot of pushback on that," Esiason added about an 18-game campaign. "I think they would expand the rosters, which is gonna be very important, especially for offensive and defensive linemen and running backs…if I had to predict it, that’s what I would think. Drop the preseason to two games, and the first six games of the season are our 'preseason.'"

Brad Adgate of Forbes mentioned on Jan. 5 that NFL games accounted for 93 of the country's 100 most-watched programs in 2023. Such data indicates viewers aren't experiencing so-called "football fatigue" and would likely welcome at least one additional week of meaningful NFL action each season. 

As for potential three-day weekends linked with the NFL, it's possible Super Bowl Monday could replace a certain holiday on the calendar by the time the league releases its first 18-game/two-bye schedule.