NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear he would prefer if the league played 18 regular season games and only play two preseason games. He considers that a zero sum swap that would benefit the NFL. And by benefit, he of course means it would make the league a lot of money.
But how do players feel about the idea of playing another meaningful game? The NFL just expanded from 16 to 17 regular season games in 2021 and now just three years later we are talking about adding another. The NFL expanded the regular season from 14 to 16 way back in 1978 and the league was fine with it for decades.
ESPN polled a variety of players around the NFL including Pittsburgh Steelers safeties Damontae Kazee and DeShon Elliott. The two had very different responses to the idea of an 18-game regular season.
“Whatever the league gives you, man, you just got to adjust to it,” Kazee. “I got to this point in my life, I’m an old head now, about to be 31. You just got to adjust to everything and go on from there. … Them giving us 18 games, I mean, I wouldn’t complain about it.”
Elliott adamantly disagreed. They don’t pay us enough,” Elliott said.
Money is exactly what it’s all about. There’s no way you could justify paying players the same but subbing out a meaningless preseason game with a regular season replacement. Plus there would have to be serious logistical changes including the potential of a second bye week for all 32 teams.
