Tackling the 18-Game NFL Season: Players Resist Expansion

The NFL Players Association objects to expanding the regular season to 18 games due to increased risk of player injury and career shortening. Interim Director David White emphasizes players' concerns, pointing to the need for renegotiating the collective bargaining agreement, which currently has minimal support from players.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) voiced strong opposition on Tuesday to the idea of extending the regular football season to 18 games. The union underlined the lack of appeal and the substantial long-term risks that such an expansion could pose to players.

Interim NFLPA Director David White highlighted injuries sustained during the opening round of playoffs as evidence of potential threats from an added game. "Our members have no appetite for an 18-game regular season," White stated at the NFLPA's annual pre-Super Bowl press event, preceding the New England Patriots versus Seattle Seahawks matchup.

White stressed that the extension could impact players' incomes, career spans, and lifetime earnings, especially given the typical three to four-year careers in the league. Despite NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's comments about no formal talks with the players' union, White maintained that the majority of players face challenges tied to international travel and have little interest in renegotiating the collective bargaining agreement, set to expire in March 2031.