What if the NFL expanded to an 18-game schedule? What would it look like if it happens?

The NFL has been in early discussions of going to an 18-game schedule, which won’t happen for a few years. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even admitted the league was considering the possibility earlier this offseason. The push to eventually go to 18 games hasn’t been abandoned by the league, although the current CBA doesn’t expire until March of 2031. 

The league does eventually want to move to 18 games, but the CBA has a restriction of going past 17 games until it expires. The league wouldn’t see an 18-game schedule until 2031 at the earliest. The deal also limits the number of international games the league can hold to 10 in any season through 2025.

Why the talk of an 18-game schedule if it can’t happen for another seven years? With the NFL schedule release this week, let’s take a look at how the league could change in 2031 with an 18-game schedule — and some ideas floated around that could work. 

Labor Day weekend games

The NFL is going to have to add an extra week to the schedule somewhere with the 18th game. Playing a week deeper into January is feasible, but the best option would be to return to playing games on Labor Day weekend. The NFL hasn’t played on Labor Day weekend since 2000, opting to have the last “unofficial weekend of summer” off and start playing on the second Sunday of September. 

If the NFL would move to Labor Day weekend, the league could play on the first Friday of September with the probation of Friday and Saturday games not starting until the second week of September. The NFL could actually play games each day from Thursday through Monday. 

Labor Day football may be back as a result of an 18th game. 

Midseason bye (All-Star Week)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had a very interesting concept in regards an 18th game being added to the schedule. The entire league has a week off at some point during the season, making that week an “All-Star Week.”…

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Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2024-05-14 12:11:31

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