Michael Thomas reacts to new CBA’s 17-game NFL season

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas commented on the NFL’s soon-to-be expanded regular season, which won’t take place until 2021

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The NFL Players Association voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement this weekend, which will run through the next decade and introduce several big changes to the game. Maybe the most significant new feature is the expansion of the regular season to 17 games, extending the regular season another week (the preseason, however, will be limited to just three exhibition games). This big shakeup will not come into play until the 2021 season at the soonest, but some players aren’t happy with the development.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas can be counted in that number. Thomas responded to the news of this change from his official Twitter account, joking that it’s “time to start load management,” referencing the popular NBA practice of resting key players during lengthy road trips. Thomas also shared a tweet from New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who noted that he’ll have to schedule six massages each week instead of just four during the new, extended regular season.

Professional football is one of the most physically-demanding sports in the world, and few of today’s players know that fact better than Thomas. He set a new NFL record for receptions in a single season last year (149), taking on punishing hits from defenders each week.

He ended up being limited in practice with a hand injury late in the season, which Thomas later revealed to include a fractured bone. Even if receivers and cornerbacks don’t take as many hits as, say, running backs and linebackers, they do experience the rigors of the game all the same. And it’s important to remember that an additional regular season game doesn’t just mean an extra work week for these athletes; it carries a real, physical cost that they must put in more effort to manage.

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