If the NFL wants to add an 18th game and keep the players happy, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said the league must meet two demands.
The league moved from a 16-game schedule to a 17-game slate in 2021.
Now, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the NFL is eyeing adding yet another game to the schedule, and that could happen as early as 2027.
But before the NFL does that, Kittle says the league has to do two things: bump up player pay and add in an extra bye week.
“You got to have an extra bye regardless. This season is too long as it is. I think 16 games was perfect. They add an extra game for more TV stuff, which, hey I get it makes everyone more money. If you’re gonna add an 18th game you gotta add an extra bye,” Kittle said to Front Office Sports.
“The one thing that didn’t really make sense to me is, so you sign a contract to play 16 games, they added the 17th game and you don’t get paid any more money, your paycheck just gets cut an extra time. So you’re making 17 paychecks instead of 16. So, in my opinion, I’m just like, well, if you just bumped up the payment a little bit for that last game instead of just cutting it again, I think guys would be more interested in that as well,” Kittle added.
Even if the NFL meets those demands, Kittle still has concerns about adding another game because of how much punishment players take already.
“But, for me, it’s like you can’t keep doing this because the game is hard enough as it is,” Kittle said. “If you look back at the last year, the amount of players who were hurt, it was actually insane. Let’s take care of the guys a little bit here.”
What NFL owners are saying about 18th game
As you’d expect, because it would mean more revenue for them, NFL owners are on board with adding an extra game to the schedule. There also appears to be momentum to at least shorten the preseason, which currently consists of three games. “If we can make it work, I do think that it would be good,” Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said. “Preseason is, as far as the fan product goes, the commissioner has openly said that it’s not the best product that we have. It is, I would say, for development of our team. I don’t think we can get rid of it.” “But I think as long as the players want it — which I think they would, because it would mean more revenue — I think [it’s] ultimately a better product. I think it’s reasonable,” she added. “It’s something we should work toward.” MORE: NFL should do this instead of adding 18th game “I like it for the long-term growth and development of the league, to keep our league healthy and grow revenue. I think preseason games have not been what it used to be,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. Another common argument from owners is an extra game would allow every team to play at least one international contest, which will further help the NFL grow its brand across the globe. While that’s all well and good, the league has to make sure it’s taking care of its most important assets: the players. Kittle’s demands are more than reasonable and should be met if the NFL wants to expand its schedule to an 18th game.
