49ers star is OK with an 18-game schedule on one condition

It seems to be a matter of when, and not if, the NFL goes to an 18-game schedule in its quest to make as much money as possible and give football fans what they want — more football. Some players hate the idea of it due to the wear and tear it could put on their bodies.

San Francisco 49ers start tight end George Kittle is okay with the idea of 18 games, but he has one condition with that opinion.

He just wants a second bye week to go with the additional game.

Kittle talked about the idea of expanding the season during an appearance on the Rich Eisen show this week. He acknowledged the reality of an 18-game season at some point, and while admitting it would be difficult he just wants an extra week off to help recover. 

He also suggested easing up on the offseason schedule.

"If you play throughout the entire playoff, you’re playing in mid-February, and you’re supposed to show up April 15 for Phase I of OTAs, that’s pretty aggressive. Right? Like, that’s not a lot of time for your body to heal, regenerate, to let your mind and your body both rest. That’s not a lot of time. So, I’m a huge fan of, I’m totally OK to get rid of OTAs. Maybe not entirely or maybe it’s just the month of May. Or maybe it’s, hey, there’s a two-week rookie minicamp, or if you’re new to the team, you show up for a week or two in a current time period in May.”

Kittle is not the first star player to push for a second bye week if (and when) the NFL goes to 18 games. 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also suggested a second bye week, with one of them being a complete league-wide shut down in the middle of the season where it would then hold the Pro Bowl games, similar to how the other major North American sports handle their All-Star games.