NFL, NFLPA Discussed 18-Game Schedule

The NFL Players Association and the NFL have had discussions at a "very high level" over potentially adding an 18th regular-season game to the schedule, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell told The Washington Post.

Howell told the Post that talks between the NFLPA and the league have not reached the stage of formal negotiations, but he acknowledged that he plans to discuss the issue with players in the near future.

"We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognition ... about, 'Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decision-making process,'" Howell told the Post. "Where does the 18th game come from? I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be [preseason games] in August. You play it forward.

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"But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there's ever an agreement about an 18th game."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this year that he favored an 18-game season, adding that he envisions a lengthened schedule that would culminate in a Presidents Day weekend built around the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

Howell said the NFLPA would be open to potentially adding an 18th game before the league's current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season.

The NFLPA reluctantly agreed to the expansion from 16 to 17 games in 2021 -- a contentious issue among players that ultimately passed narrowly, with 51.5% of players voting in favor.

Several prominent players, including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, publicly opposed the idea of a 17-game schedule in 2021, and Howell acknowledged that he has work to do in order to gain widespread NFLPA support for an 18th game.