The NFL has wanted to move to an 18-game schedule for a number of years, going about it incrementally. In 2021, as part of the prior year’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league made the jump from 16 to 17 games. While there has been speculation the NFL could expand the season before the current CBA expires, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed such a timeline.
“Well, we haven’t had any formal negotiating sessions about an extension. I’m certain it’ll come up in the context of that in some fashion. It is something that [NFLPA executive director] Lloyd [Howell] and I have had informal conversations about”, Goodell said of the NFL’s status on 18 games, “but there’s a lot of work to be done”.