NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to expand the regular season by an 18th game. At the annual owners’ meeting, the league could now address the issue in concrete terms.

It seems that expanding the NFL regular season to 18 games is only a matter of time. As reported by Yahoo Sports, the topic is to be discussed in more detail at the upcoming owners’ meeting in Florida from March 30 to April 2.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been pushing for an expansion of the regular season for years. After the league introduced the 17th game week in 2021, an 18-game season has long been considered a long-term goal.

According to NBC Sports, there is also widespread agreement among team owners. The first concrete plans for implementation are to be developed at the next owners’ meeting.

However, the NFLPA remains an obstacle. The players’ union of NFL professionals has so far opposed the extension. Just recently, NFLPA chief Lloyd Howell was critical: even 17 games are already too much of a burden for many players.

However, just a year ago, Howell had a very different view of a possible season extension: “Who doesn’t want to see more football?” he said at the time.

A turnaround that many US media outlets see as a strategic maneuver in the ongoing negotiations with the league.

NFL: Expansion of the regular season by 2031 at the latest

In fact, the NFLPA still has a crucial bargaining chip at the moment: the current collective agreement, which runs until 2031. However, by then at the latest, the NFL could more or less force an extension of the season.

Roger Goodell and the owners have made their intentions clear: they want the season extended before 2030, ideally in the next two to three years.

Behind the scenes, talks with the NFLPA have apparently been going on for some time. According to NBC Sports, it is only a matter of time before the 18-game season becomes a reality. The upcoming owners’ meeting could already set the initial course.