It is almost certainly a matter of when, not if, the NFL will transition to an 18-game regular season format.
During a recent chat with Alex Sherman of CNBC Sports, Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared his thoughts on what appears to be an inevitable shift for the most popular professional sports league in North America.
“I think that you’d have to find a way to have more bye weeks, more time spread out,” Mahomes explained, as shared by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Because, I mean, you’ve seen the amount of injuries that have kind of piled up there at the end of seasons, and you want to have the best players playing in the biggest games. And so if there were a way to get to 18 games, I’m not — I’m not a big fan of it. But if there were a way, I think you’ve got to add some bye weeks in there to give more time for guys’ bodies.”
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid are among those in the NFL community who have campaigned for the league to add a second bye week for a 17-game or 18-game regular season schedule. Burrow previously said he thinks the NFL should at least consider essentially pausing for an entire week during seasons for an All-Star/Pro Bowl break, similar to what is done in the NBA, NHL and MLB.
According to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that expires after the 2030 campaign, the NFL Players Association must consent to the league adding an 18th regular-season game to future schedules. The NFLPA may ask for a second bye week, expanded rosters, larger practice squads, a different schedule for the offseason program and an increased share of league revenue to accept a proposal made by the NFL.
A report from earlier this month indicated that discussions between the parties regarding an 18-game season won’t truly get serious until “at least early next year.” Reporters, such as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, have suggested that the NFL wants at least one more regular-season contest for seasons before it can opt out of its broadcast deals following the 2029 campaign.
