New NFLPA executive director JC Tretter sends message to Roger Goodell, owners about 18-game season

Even before the NFL Players Association confirmed last week that JC Tretter had been elected as the union's next executive director, a story suggested the league would soon approach the NFLPA about expanding the regular season to 18 games in time for the 2027 campaign. 

During a recent conversation with Mike Jones of The Athletic, Tretter sent a message to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and to team owners about what many assume is an inevitable schedule change. 

NFLPA on 18-game season: "The answer is no"

"They could call me tomorrow and ask," Tretter explained. "The answer is no. We’re not in a position to do that." 

Per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that runs through the 2030 season, the NFLPA must agree to the league adding more regular-season games to the schedule. It's widely thought that the union will counter such a proposal with a list of demands that may or may not include the league adding a second bye week to the calendar. 

As recently as last week, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reiterated that the NFL hasn't picked a date for Super Bowl LXII in February 2028 because of the possibility that the season could be extended at some point before the 2027 schedule is released in May of next year.  

It sounds like Tretter wants owners to know that the union won't be in a rush to accept a deal it won't view as a win for at least a majority of players. 

NFLPA plans "to succeed" in possible negotiations for expanded season

"We’re not going to start (negotiating) until we’re ready to start, because if we start before we’re ready, we’re not going to succeed in our job," Tretter added about possibly speaking with league owners about an 18-game season. "...I’m sure they’ll ask. I’m sure they’ll poke around. That’s not surprising. They’ve been kind of poking around publicly, at least for a while, but that’s fine. It’s their job to ask. Our job is to be ready. Our job is to be prepared, and our job is to succeed. That’s what we’re focused on doing." 

Eventually, the NFL will likely look to replace all existing preseason games (other than the Hall of Fame Game) with regular-season contests. How far players are willing to go to fight against that idea could determine if negotiations between the sides turn ugly once the 2020s come to an end.