Next 'logical step': NFL looking to add 18th game to schedule ahead of broadcasting rights review in 2029

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is likely to add another game to the NFL regular season but keep within a predetermined framework.

Goodell and league owners are looking to push more aggressively toward adding an 18th regular season game, with reports out of the annual owners meeting that the league would like to add the game before 2029, when the NFL has the ability to opt out of its current broadcasting rights contract.

League executives spoke to Yahoo Sports anonymously and pointed to talks about expanding the schedule at the Florida meetings.

"Everyone understands consensus-building time is coming for both [the league and NFL Players Association]," an executive said.

The unnamed source said the idea of the expanded schedule will start to "get some momentum in Florida" but could still take "a year or two" to hammer out the details.

In the 1960s, the NFL played 14-game seasons through the merger with the AFL in 1970, before expanding to 16 games in 1978. That format was kept all the way up to 2021, when the league announced the removal of one preseason game, adding a 17th game to the regular season. The next move to 18 games would be considered a rapid expansion of the schedule.

The only undefeated team in NFL history was the 1972 Miami Dolphins at 14-0.

Back in January, Goodell told Bloomberg's David Rubenstein that the league intends to "keep within the 20-game framework," which currently consists of three preseason games and 17 regular season games.

"We went to 16 and four, and now 17 and three. So 18 and two is a logical step," Goodell said.

Goodell boasted that there has not been an increase in player injuries since the schedule change and pointed to player safety being paramount in the discussions.

Another discussion at the owners meeting regarding player safety is around the kickoff format.

Owners are talking about making 2024's kickoff setup permanent, citing that injuries on kickoffs were cut in half last season.

In November 2024, President Trump criticized the kickoff format, as well as Guardian Caps, the pads on the exterior of player helmets.

"That thing looks weird!" Trump remarked.

Other adjustments included moving the starting position after touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line and adding the ability for a team to declare an onside kick at any point in the game — but only if they are behind in the score.

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