FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Robert Kraft isn’t letting a 29-13 loss in Super Bowl LX slow his vision for the NFL’s future. The Patriots owner has formally signaled his support for an 18-game regular season, provided the league adopts a second bye week and a mandatory international slate for all 32 franchises. While the sting of the Seahawks’ victory at Levi’s Stadium still lingers in New England, Kraft is already pivoting to the logistical hurdles of the 2026-27 campaign.
The Three Pillars of Kraft’s Expansion
The league has buzzed about an 18-game expansion for years, but Kraft’s recent comments provide the clearest roadmap yet from a high-ranking owner. His proposal focuses on balancing massive revenue growth with player durability. Kraft wants to slash the preseason from three games to two, effectively swapping a meaningless exhibition for a high-stakes regular-season matchup.
To offset the physical toll of a nearly five-month season, the proposal mandates a second bye week for every roster. This would likely push the Super Bowl deep into mid-February, potentially aligning with Presidents’ Day weekend—a long-held dream for league marketers. Perhaps most aggressive is Kraft’s global demand: every team must play one international game annually. This would turn the NFL into a truly global circus, moving beyond occasional London or Munich trips to a consistent 16-game international calendar.
Critics of the 2025 Patriots often pointed to their historically light schedule as the reason for their surprising Super Bowl run. New England feasted on a rebuilding AFC East, but they won’t have that luxury next year. The 2026-27 schedule, which will be announced this May, projects to be one of the league’s most grueling. Adding an 18th game under Kraft’s conditions would fundamentally change how Bill Belichick’s successor—and the rest of the league—manages roster depth.
“I want to tell you guys that we’re going to push like the dickens now to make international games more important with us. Every team will go to 18 regular season games and two preseason games, and every team every year will play one game overseas.”
— Robert Kraft, New England Patriots Owner
Playoff Implications and the Road Ahead
If the 18-game model takes hold, the NFL would likely overhaul its current playoff structure. Rumors from the league office suggest a return to the “dual-bye” system for the top two seeds in each conference. Under the current 14-team format, only the No. 1 seed receives a week of rest, a massive advantage that defined the 2025 postseason. Expanding the schedule forces the league to reconsider how it rewards regular-season excellence without causing a total physical breakdown of its stars before the Wild Card round.
For New England, the immediate focus remains the draft and the upcoming schedule release. After falling just short of a seventh ring, the front office is looking to add explosive talent to a roster that many experts believe overachieved. Whether they do so facing 17 games or 18, the era of “easy” Sundays in Foxborough is officially over.
