Roger Goodell Wants 18 NFL Games and Player Health Is Already Screaming No

The NFL commissioner has his eyes set on expanding the regular season to 18 games, and it's not hard to figure out why: money. Lots of it. But before you get excited about more football, there's a massive problem nobody wants to talk about, and it's the bodies of the guys actually playing.

The push for an 18-game schedule was a hot topic at the league's annual March meeting. Goodell sees the revenue potential immediately: an extra regular season game for every team, international matchups, maybe even another streaming deal. Oh, and the Super Bowl moves to Presidents' Day weekend. Sounds great on paper, right? New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft bought in hard at the meeting, calling it essential for "long-term growth and development of the league" and saying the extra game would "grow the game internationally" more than preseason matchups ever could. The league would trim preseason games from three to two and (hopefully) add a second bye week to compensate.

More Football Isn't Always Better Football

Here's where the logic falls apart: the NFL already has the most meaningful regular season of the four major sports because it plays the fewest games. Each game matters more. Each loss stings harder. That's the whole secret sauce. The league jumped from 16 to 17 games back in 2021. Adding an 18th? That's saturation. Don't buy the argument that swapping a preseason game for a regular season game is an even trade either. Starters barely see the field in preseason anyway. That comparison is apples to dump trucks.

The Player Health Elephant in the Room

The real danger is what happens to player bodies when you keep pushing. Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, who played through 16-game seasons himself, laid it out plainly at the meeting: "So to play 17 is long, 18 is just adding more games. It's definitely harder on the players." He pointed out what guys go through "on a day-to-day basis, week-to-week basis, just to get ready for football games," and warned that "adding another game is definitely going to be hard on the players."

We've seen what happens in the NBA when load management becomes acceptable. The NFL doesn't need that infection spreading through the league. NFL bodies are already maxed out. Push them one inch further and you risk watching your star players start treating games like optional events. That's not growth. That's self-sabotage wrapped in a revenue report.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.