Roger Goodell and the NFL want to increase the regular season to 18 games per team. It's no secret, and the boss of the league is starting to advance his pawns on the media level.
It remains to convince the players and their representatives. For the moment, this is not done.
Ryan Kelly represents the Colts in the players' union (NFLPA). Asked about his interest in an 18-game season, the Pro Bowler center couldn't be clearer.
“Absolutely not,” he told the press on Wednesday.
“18 games sounds good when Roger says it on the Pat McAfee show. But come talk to me again when you're the one on the field who has to put on a helmet for these 18 games. »
“If people knew how hard it is”
The NFL went from 16 to 17 regular season games in 2021. An odd number creates a schedule imbalance, since each team does not play the same number of home and away games. It was always clear that the long-term goal of the league was 18 games.
“If people knew how hard it is to play 16 games. And then they added another one,” Kelly recalls.
Goodell's idea is to replace one of the three preseason games with the 18th regular season game. Beyond the fact that the intensity and playing time of the starters are higher during the season, Ryan Kelly also recalls that reducing the preseason reduces the chances of new players.
“If they get rid of the preseason, who does it hurt? To the guys who don't have a chance, the undrafted or draft players who have to get on the field to progress. »
See you in 2031?
The idea of extending the regular season also conflicts with the NFL's stated desire to reduce the number of concussions or limit injuries.
A will and actions which are obviously facades of communication. Otherwise the league would not add matches in the middle of the week, thus limiting the rest periods, just to attract big audiences at Christmas.
The driving force behind NFL decisions remains money.
This is why Roger Goodell wants 18 games per season. The 76 billion dollar TV contract recently signed by the NBA can only make the NFL want to add more and more high-stakes matches, and therefore big audiences.
For now, Ryan Kelly and the players can breathe easy. The collective operating agreement for the league does not end until 2031. But it is difficult to imagine that the owners will not do everything to impose an 18th game in the next agreement.
