The Courier-Journal (Louisville)

NFL, NFLPA talking expanded regular season

An 18-game regular season could be closer to reality than initially thought with NFL commission­er Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell in the early stages of setting the groundwork for expanding the current season schedule.

Goodell said before the Super Bowl that he envisioned a shorter preseason of two games, an 18-game regular season and the Super Bowl being played later in February, potentiall­y around Presidents Day, to set up the chance for the NFL to play its annual championsh­ip game the day before a widely recognized holiday. But at NFL owners meetings in April, Goodell said there was nothing imminent with schedule expansion and each team would play 17 regular-season games for the forseeable future.

Howell told The Washington Post the two sides had surface-level discussion­s to get the ball rolling. Any change to the season schedule must be collective­ly bargained – meaning the league needs the players union’s permission – before it can be implemente­d.

“We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognitio­n … about, ‘Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decisionma­king process,’” Howell told the Post. “Where does the 18th game come from?

I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be [preseason games] in August. You play it forward.

“But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there’s ever an agreement about an 18th game.”