NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. said, “No one wants to play an 18th game” when asked about a potential 18-game NFL regular season.
Howell adamantly pushed back on commissioner Roger Goodell’s statements that recent safety data does not discourage an 18-game season. He said, “frankly, we’re not sure how he’s reaching that conclusion based on the data we’ve been given access to.” The 18-game season has been a topic of discussion ever since the NFL went to 17 games in 2020. The NFL and NFLPA have only had informal discussions on the issue and Howell mentioned there will be other considerations before even discussing 18 games, as 17 games “is also so lengthy that you’re still dealing with injuries going into the next season.” There will continue to be discussions around an extended regular season up until the current CBA expires after the 2030 season.
