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

The NFL offseason chatter has been all about one thing: should the league expand from 17 to 18 regular season games? Roger Goodell clearly wants it. The money is too good to pass up, and the league is already eyeing how to move the Super Bowl to Presidents' Day weekend while adding international games and potentially another streaming service. Reduce the preseason to two games, add a second bye week, and boom: everyone wins. Right? Not so fast.

Why the Money Grab Feels Good (But Isn't)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is all in. "I like it for the long-term growth and development of the league , to keep our league healthy and grow revenue," Kraft told reporters at the league meeting in March. The appeal is obvious. Every team would play a game overseas. Preseason games don't move the needle anymore anyway. So trading three preseason games for two, plus one regular season game, sounds like a no-brainer to the suits in the front office.

Here's the thing though: that math doesn't work.

More Football Isn't Always Better Football

The NFL already has the most meaningful regular season in sports because it plays the fewest games. That's the entire strength of the product. Every single game matters in a way that NBA, NHL, and MLB games don't. The league went from 16 to 17 games in 2021. Lengthening it further turns a scarce, premium thing into a saturated one.

And don't buy the argument that swapping a preseason game for a regular season game is an even trade. Key players barely see the field in preseason. That's apples to dump trucks, not a fair exchange.

Player Bodies Can't Take It

The real problem? The bodies wearing these uniforms are already maxed out. Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans played 16 games in his NFL career and knows what he's talking about. "It was a long season," Ryans said. "So to play 17 is long, 18 is just adding more games. It's definitely harder on the players. You think about the guys, and if you see what guys go through on a day-to-day basis, week-to-week basis, just to get ready for football games, adding another game is definitely going to be hard on the players."

The fear is real: add one more game and you'll start seeing NFL players take games off like NBA guys do with load management. That's the last thing this league needs.

An 18-game schedule might be what the front office wants, but it's too much of a good thing.

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