Roger Goodell has sights set on 18-game regular season, no matter what NFL players think

One of the bigger topics surrounding the NFL for quite some time as of late has been player safety. The league has taken numerous steps in this regard. From concussion evaluation, to medical tents on the sidelines of a game for each team.

Still, there are players, both current and former, as well as other critics, who raise some excellent points. Starting in 2021, every team went from a 16-game schedule to a 17-game slate.

There are Thursday night games, making for a short week for the teams that play the previous Sunday. This season, there was a stretch where the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Pittsburgh Steelers all played three games in 11 days.

Roger Goodell steadfastly pursuing 18-game season despite player concerns

Earlier this month, in an interview on The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained the plan moving ahead. “We would keep within that 20-game framework. We went to 16 and four, and now 17 and three. So, 18 and two is a logical step.”

That 20-game format has been going on for quite some time. There was a time when teams played 14 regular-season games (starting in 1961), and eventually six preseason contests. In fact, there was a stretch where the defending NFL champions played the College All-Stars in the preseason.

Here’s an example of wear and tear. In 1975, the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers played a total of seven preseason games, including the tilt with the All-Stars at Soldier Field. They then suited up for 14 regular-season tilts. They finished 12-2, won a division title, then defeated the Baltimore Colts (AFC Divisional Playoffs), Oakland Raiders (AFC Championship Game, and Cowboys (Super Bowl X) in the postseason. Whether the games counted or not, that’s a total of 24 contests.

When the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, the preseason was slashed from six to four games (By the way, the college all-star tilt ended in the third quarter of the game in 1976 in a torrential rain storm). In any case, the league has maintained a 20-game window for just some time.

By the way, an 18-game regular season is hardly news when it comes to professional football. Check out the Canadian Football League. And the original USFL, which lasted from 1983-85, saw its teams suit up for 18 regular-season outings. Of course, there's also a lot of work to be done here and expanded rosters (and perhaps a second off-week?) may be on the bargaining table.