The NFL and the NFLPA have discussed expanding the regular season to 17 games as part of the next CBA, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed today. Goodell argued that recent improvements to player safety and health may mitigate concerns about the added wear and tear players would endure with an extra game. He said, “We’ve had very fruitful discussion on it, discussing the positives and negatives, and the changes to the game that we’ve made over the last 10 years, which I think are really important as it relates to the safety of the game and how we’re preparing and practicing, and training our players. I think those changes have made a significant impact in a positive way, and so that is something we’ll continue to discuss.”
Players have opposed the league’s recent attempts to expand the season, including during the ‘11 CBA talks. No decisions have been made about certain key logistical questions raised by another game, including roster expansion, how schedulers would handle an odd number of games and how the extra home games would be allocated. Goodell characterized the ongoing talks as productive, but would not predict a timeline for completion. However, Goodell did say that the season would still start the week after Labor Day, and the extra game would push the Super Bowl one week further into February.
