An 18-game NFL season is all but inevitable, and it may arrive sooner than many expect.
George Atallah, former NFL Players Association executive and chief of external affairs for 15 years, believes that the change could happen well before 2029.
During an appearance on PFT PM, Atallah was asked whether an 18-game season would take effect before or after 2029. His response was clear: “I mean, before. My gut tells me before.”
Atallah explained that the NFL owners are pushing hard to make this change in order to align it with the expiration of current television and streaming contracts.
These broadcast deals, which the NFL can opt out of after the 2029 season, are seen as a prime opportunity to implement the 18-game format.
“I think there is a massive push by the owners to get to a place where they can time it with the last of the – you know, with the expiration of the TV deals, the upcoming broadcast deals,” Atallah said.
“And this 18-game thing, look, a little bit of history. [The NFL] wanted it in 2009. They directly stated that they wanted to lock players out in 2011 which was one of their goals was to get 18 games.
“The 2011 deal prevented them from doing that and the 2020 deal prevented them from going to 18 without collective bargaining and bargaining a new CBA.”
Atallah further explained that the current goal is to implement the 18-game season in time for the next round of media and broadcast rights deals, which could come even before 2029.
“When you look at the landscape of media and broadcast rights moving forward – and this ties in I think to the international opportunity, my gut tells me that they’re gonna want to time a new collective bargaining agreement with 18 games around the broadcast deals or before that so that they can get one last, potentially one last consolidated set of media deals before who knows when the next fracturing of media and streaming is gonna come. And that’s why I think it’s gonna be before,” Atallah added.
Atallah pointed out that the earliest an 18-game season could happen is 2027.
This is because the February 2028 Super Bowl in Atlanta has yet to be assigned an official date, meaning that if the 18-game season is to take effect before 2029, it would likely occur in either 2027 or 2028.
The push for an 18-game season is expected to be part of a broader strategy to capitalize on future media and streaming rights negotiations, potentially reshaping the landscape of professional football in the coming years.
What are your thoughts on the NFL expanding to an 18-game schedule? … Are you for it or against it???
