ORLANDO, FL — The NFL is officially knocking on the door of an 18-game regular season. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones turned up the heat at the annual owners meetings this week, throwing his full weight behind a schedule expansion that would fundamentally reshape the league calendar. While the move could send league revenue into the stratosphere, the NFL Players Association is already digging in for a massive legal and physical battle.
Jerry Jones didn’t mince words when asked about the league’s relentless expansion. The 83-year-old billionaire views the 18th game not as a burden, but as a mandatory response to a hungry market. Jones dismissed concerns about over-saturation, arguing that the $305 million salary cap projected for 2026 proves the current model works. He proposed a “18 and 2” format—adding a regular-season game while slicing the preseason down to just two exhibitions.
The logic is simple: more high-stakes games equal more television revenue. With the NFL scheduled to play a record 9 international games in 2026, owners see the 18th game as the key to a balanced schedule. Every team would finally play nine home games and nine road games, or a permanent neutral-site international slot. The stadium atmosphere during these discussions felt electric, with small-market owners reportedly nodding in agreement as the profit margins flashed on the big screens.
“When the ducks quack, feed them. We have that demand for our games, and because of the hard work of the great players we have, we have a great demand. We should address it, respond to it, and feed it.”— Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Owner
The players aren’t buying the “exposure” argument. NFLPA interim executive director David White made it clear that the rank-and-file members have “no appetite” for another week of 300-pound linemen crashing into each other. The union points to a 12% spike in late-season soft-tissue injuries since the move to 17 games in 2021 as proof that the human body has limits.
Beyond the physical toll, the timing of this proposal couldn’t be worse. The league is currently staring down a May 31 expiration of the referees’ collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations with the NFL Referees Association broke off last week, and the league has already started vetting replacement officials. Adding an 18th game to a season that might be called by “replacement refs” is a nightmare scenario for player safety and game integrity.
Do not expect a vote this week, but the breadcrumbs lead to a 2027 implementation. For this to happen, the NFL must convince the union to reopen the current CBA, which doesn’t expire until 2030. This gives the players massive leverage. They will likely demand a second bye week, an expanded active roster, and perhaps a leap in the revenue-sharing percentage. The road to 18 games isn’t just about football; it’s a high-stakes poker game where the players’ health is the ultimate chip on the table.
