For a chunk printed Thursday, NFL insider Mike Jones of The Athletic instructed the NFL and NFL Gamers Affiliation aren’t but within the pink zone relating to negotiations associated to the potential growth of the common season to 18 video games.
“Gamers won’t readily conform to an 18-game common season,” Jones defined. “And house owners won’t readily conform to incentives for which gamers ask. So [NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell] believes one of the simplest ways to keep away from a lockout in six years is to begin speaking now.”
NFL analyst Boomer Esiason hinted in January the league may make an 18-game season a big speaking level all through 2024. Commissioner Roger Goodell positioned an enormous highlight on the matter when he stated in April that transferring to a format of 18 significant contests and two preseason video games per workforce is “not an unreasonable factor” as a result of the NFL does not “want three preseason video games anymore.”
In June, Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated talked about that league house owners may attempt to get a deal performed with the union on an settlement for an 18-game season “perhaps a lot sooner” than some thought earlier this 12 months. Per the phrases of the collective bargaining settlement that expires in 2031, the NFLPA should conform to develop the common season.
Breer thinks the NFLPA may/ought to ask for concessions reminiscent of “reducing the time period of service wanted to get to free company and…altering the tag guidelines” to just accept an 18-game format. Noteworthy star gamers reminiscent of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and San Francisco 49ers tight finish George Kittle have repeatedly campaigned for a second bye week to be added to the schedule.
“I’m glad Roger stated 18,” Howell stated. “I’m glad that he’s leaning into worldwide [games]. I feel it offers our guys the chance to form of get their ideas collectively, get our place collectively, to say, ‘That is what and the way we’re enthusiastic about it.'”
Based on Myles Simmons of Professional Soccer Speak, Kittle acknowledged this week that NFL house owners “inevitably” will get their want of an 18-game season. Howell indicated he is open to discussing all concepts earlier than creating the 2025-26 schedule.
“All of it takes time, and we have now to strategy all of it with a wholesome quantity of study, a wholesome quantity of scrutiny,” Howell added. “However the North Star ought to undoubtedly be: How can we all get on the identical web page towards growing the worth of this already rising enterprise?”
