Last month, the Commissioner suggested for the first time in a long time the possibility of 18 games in the regular season. On Wednesday, he addressed the possibility — while downplaying it.
“The main thing for us is to make sure we continue to do things that make our game safer,” Goodell told reporters at the end of the quarterly meetings in Nashville. “Seventeen games is a long season. That’s number one. Working with our players’ association is number two. We would come to an agreement with them if we continued at that level… Third, that’s not necessarily in order, it’s the quality of our game. We would do this in the context of reducing the number of preseason games.
Goodell referenced 18 games in a draft week appearance on Pat McAfee’s show. Goodell tried to say that the problem did not arise in the specific context of adding an 18th game.
“I wasn’t suggesting something we’re actively thinking about right now,” Goodell said. “It’s something we think about in the long-term context. Again, moving to quality and making sure we’re doing everything we can to bring our fans what they want. And they want, obviously, more football. But I’m not Of course they want more pre-season football.”
Regardless of whether it is an objective for the next year or the next decade, it is on the radar. And the question really arose in the specific context of adding an 18th game.
Here’s the question McAfee asked Goodell: “I have a question about games. We went from 16 to 17 games. . . . As soon as it happened, I thought, ‘OK, this is a clear opening to 18 games.’ And then if you add an extra bye week in there. . . now we have 20 weeks. Twenty games in prime time, not to mention the other days we will go. Now the NFLPA will always fight to not have more games. Is there a plan to continue the expansion, because 17 games is good now? . . . Is there an idea of adding another one, maybe adding another week off, so we can get more exposure, more TV business, or are we good at 17 now?
“I think we’re good at 17 now,” Goodell responded, “but listen, we’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason… But the reality is, you know, I think I’d rather replace a preseason game. season for one of the regular season [game] any day. That’s just choosing quality, right? So if we reached 18 [regular-season games] it’s two [preseason games]That’s not an irrational thing.”
Under this logic, 20 and zero are also not irrational. And that’s where it will eventually go, I believe.
Despite Goodell’s comments, the push for 18 is coming. The only question is whether the union accepts under the threat of a lockout when the current CBA expires or whether the league and union reach an agreement to expand to 18 games before then.
Goodell was pushing for 18 when the NFL hated gambling. Now that the NFL loves gambling (in part because the league and owners have aligned themselves with the house), they want more games because they are more things that people can bet on and collectively lose their money.
Think of it this way. The NFL is the hottest casino in Las Vegas, but the NFL doesn’t have enough craps tables to satisfy demand. More games are more tables.
So yes, 17 will become 18. Which will become 19. Which will become 20.
And 32 teams will become 34 teams. Which will become 36. Which will become 38. Which will become 40.
This may not happen in my lifetime. It may not happen in yours. But it will happen, sooner or later.
