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3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The debate about whether the NFL will expand the regular season once again seems to have been resolved and now it’s a matter of how soon the league adds an 18th game.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has talked openly about it, union chief Lloyd Howell recently told the Washington Post that the NFLPA is open to doing it before the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season and players seem resigned to the inevitability no matter how they might personally feel.

“I mean, I feel like we really ain’t got no choice, to be honest,” said Seattle Seahawks veteran receiver Tyler Lockett, who said he’d prefer adding another bye week instead of another game to give TV networks more broadcast windows without taxing the players with another game.