The 3 Tough Issues That Have To Be Solved If The NFL Wants An 18-Game Season
The 2024 NFL season is here, camps are open and we’re counting down the days until Chiefs-Ravens on September 5th.
Last season the National Football League's gross revenue was $13 billion, three times that of the NBA. Money is not an issue for pro football, but how that money is divided is.
The NFL wants to add an 18th game to the regular season. The league and the players' union will have to negotiate the details.
Friday morning, Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones said that expanding to 18 games is 'probably inevitable.' The expansion would create several big issues, none of which will be easily solved.
The NFL & NFLPA Will Fight Over The Money
The top issue will be the money; adding another game will bring much more money. How much will the players be able to get from the league to justify another week of work and the risk of injury? Adam Schefter discussed the process this week on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN.
"To me, it just seems like there is a momentum to this," Schefter said. "I don't think it is real right now, but it is only a matter of time before it does get real. And when you get to the 18 games, in my mind, it's going to be about money. It's always going to be about the money."
The players get 48.5% of the revenue to the owners 51.5%, and the union wants to increase that to 50% in the next collective bargaining agreement. The players only reached 48.5% when the league added the 17th game. An additional 1.5% increase would get the players another $250 million in the first year of a 50/50 split. This battle will be slow and difficult.
The players voted to accept the 17th regular season game in 2020. It passed by a very slim margin (1,019 to 959). The players will need more incentives to agree to an 18th game.
The NFL's Offseason Problem
One of the incentives the NFL is studying is giving players a more extended offseason break. This plan would eliminate organized team activities (OTAs) and allow rookie and full-team minicamps. Those gatherings would be on Zoom.
It sounds great if you're a player. For some, it may not be. Quarterbacks and receivers will have less time to work together before the season. It would also remove the team aspect of studying and classroom teaching.
"It's not a [tech] company," one NFL general manager told Yahoo Sports. "There isn't a 'work from home' culture. That's not what we're instilling in guys. You have to be here. You have to be accountable to each other. Nobody would ever take that s*** seriously."
The general manager said eliminating any off-season programs would severely damage the quality of play, which would not be good for players or coaches.
The NFL Has A Deadline To Get This Done
The clock is ticking for the National Football League. In 2029, it can opt out of its broadcast contracts with networks and streaming services, forcing broadcasters to renegotiate. The NFL wants the 18-game schedule in place before then to charge broadcasters more for the product.
The 18-game schedule also moves the league closer to its goal of 16 international games, or one game outside the United States for each team. The NFL's goal is to generate $1 billion each year internationally.
Roger Goodell Wants To Start Negotiations
It would also be hard to believe that the players don't ask for a more comprehensive health care program for retired players and possibly safer playing surfaces.
Commissioner Roger Goodell wants an 18-game season. In May, he said, "The wheels are already starting to turn toward opening those conversations" with the NFLPA.
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