Tag: 18-game season

NFL’s eventual switch to 18 games will likely include expanded rosters

The NFL wants to switch to an 18-game season. To get the NFLPA to agree, the league will have to grant several requests.

Six years before the current collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players expires, commissioner Roger Goodell has already started campaigning for an 18-game season.

The fact that Goodell has started the conversation this early might suggest that the league hopes to make a switch to 18 games before the CBA expires in 2030. To do that, the NFLPA would need to agree, and the NFL would have to grant multiple requests in tradeoff.

The players’ union wants “at least” 55 players on active rosters and 50 players in uniform on game days, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. That’s just two more than the current 53-man roster and 48-man game-day roster, so it’s not a big ask from the NFLPA.

The union will also seek “greater freedom for teams to make practice-squad elevations.” Currently, two players can be elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster each week, but players can’t be elevated more than three times during the same season.

The eventual switch to an 18-game season seems inevitable. We’ll see if the NFL manages to make it happen before 2031.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Roger Goodell wants the NFL to move to an 18-game season

Roger Goodell wants to take away a preseason game and add an 18th regular season game, bumping NFL’s Super Bowl to Presidents Day weekend.

When the NFL switched from a 16-game regular season to a 17-game season in 2021, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before an 18-game season would be implemented.

The current setup creates an unbalanced schedule, forcing the NFC and AFC to rotate between having eight and nine home games each season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants to change that.

During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” last week, Goodell suggested removing a preseason game and replacing it with another regular season game.

“I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day,” Goodell told McAfee, via ESPN. “That’s just picking quality. If we get to 18 and 2, that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

That would push the NFL’s calendar back, allowing the Super Bowl to be played on Presidents Day weekend. “And then you have Monday off,” Goodell said, knowing fans would love such a scenario.

The players don’t like the idea of an 18-game season, but the league will undoubtedly force it through eventually. The current collective bargaining agreement between league owners and players runs through 2030, so while inevitable, an 18-game season is not yet imminent.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Who could be the Broncos’ non-conference rival in a revised schedule format?

If the NFL switches to an 18-game season, a non-conference rival could be added as a yearly opponent. Who would be a good fit for Denver?

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

It seems inevitable that the NFL will eventually switch to an 18-game regular season. Once that happens, the schedule rotation will need to be adjusted.

One possible solution would be to add a non-conference rival as a yearly opponent. John Sigler of Saints Wire recently came up with a list of hypothetical non-conference rivals who could face off every year during an 18-game NFL season.

For the Denver Broncos, Sigler picked the Arizona Cardinals, a common preseason opponent due in large part to their proximity to Colorado. Despite their close proximity, the Cardinals have only faced the Broncos 12 times in the regular season. Only three other teams — Tampa Bay (10), Houston (9) and Carolina (7) — have had fewer matchups against Denver.

Under Sigler’s proposition, the Broncos and Cards would face off every season in addition to Denver facing every AFC West team each year.

Based solely on location, the Cardinals are a logical fit. Based on history, though, the Seattle Seahawks would be the best option. After the three current AFC West clubs, the team Denver has faced the most is the Seahawks (55 times). That’s because the Seahawks previously played in the AFC West from 1977-2001.

In addition to playing in the same division for 24 years, the Broncos and Seattle also have the history of having faced off in a Super Bowl. The Russell Wilson trade could also be marked as a key moment in the history of both franchises down the road.

Sigler did give a nod to the old AFC West affiliation by tabbing the Las Vegas Raiders as Seattle’s non-conference rival. Once again, a logical pick based on location, but we’d like to see them matched with the Broncos instead (and the Raiders matched with the San Francisco 49ers).

To view the full list of potential non-conference rivals, visit Saints Wire.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts