Nothing will inspire more aggressive efforts to boost revenue than a looming $14.1 billion debt burden.
To the surprise of everyone following the situation, the NFL and the NFL Players Association began discussions about expanding the regular season from 17 to 18 games.
NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell has kept a low profile in his first year on the job. The Washington Post.
“we Very, very, very high level On the surface, it was a recognition of, ‘Oh, this is something we should be talking about,'” Howell said. post“And we really need to kick the tires and figure out what else is involved in that decision-making process. Where is the 18th game coming from? I think the foregone conclusion is, well, if it’s not, [preseason games] “It will be in August. We will look at it positively. But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But again, we also need to be clear with our members on other economic, health and safety issues before we agree on an 18th game.”
Yes, there are. Any effort to expand the regular season presents the NFLPA with a number of potential concessions. Howell mentioned issues such as stadiums, offseason schedules, roster sizes and practice squad sizes, among others.
Still, it all comes down to money. Even if the NFL doesn’t try to push some of its $14.1 billion Sunday ticket debt onto players, the changes to the out-of-market package could have a negative impact on revenue. One way to combat this is to add more big-time games.
The NFL had wanted to increase to 18 games for years, but the league ultimately settled on 17 games after it became difficult to balance player health and safety with the increased opportunity for injuries to starters who play little or no time in preseason games that replace regular-season games.
The current CBA is valid until 2030. There is nothing preventing the two sides from reaching a new agreement at any time, on any topic.
It’s only a matter of time before the NFL and NFLPA agree to 18 games.
And then, 19.
The final number is 20.
