The NFL moving from a 17-game schedule to an 18-game schedule is “probably inevitable,” according to Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones.
Over the last few months, the idea of the NFL adding another regular-season game and pushing the Super Bowl to Presidents Day weekend has been talked about in spurts. Roger Goodell and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have been among those talking about it.
Jones believed the switch will happen eventually.
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Stephen Jones, Dallas Cowboys COO and director of player personnel, before an NFL preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers Aug. 20, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I’m on the competition committee. We’ve talked about this, knowing that it’s probably inevitable,” Jones, the son of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, told The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast.
“I do know, at the end of the day, the players enjoy the compensation that’s coming their way, and they get, for the most part, half of every revenue dollar that comes through the door. So, certainly getting paid well.
“We all know when we go to 18 games, our revenue’s gonna jump, and certainly should only help in terms of the money available to pay players and get players the compensation.”
Jones said, at a league level, the amount of wear and tear on players’ bodies and how general managers and coaches handle their 53-man rosters over the course of a possible 18-game season is something being looked at. It could mean an additional bye week.
Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones Jr. during a game at State Farm Stadium Sept. 24, 2023 in Glendale, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Burrow appeared on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” and theorized how an 18-game schedule could work.
“I think it would be cool to have the normal bye week schedule that it is now, have it spread out, but then, like Week 13, do like the Pro Bowl break where you’re doing the 7-on-7 and all the skills challenges like the NBA does,” he said.
“I think that would get more ratings for the Pro Bowl, and then it would also give everybody that bye week going into the last six games of the year.”
Goodell talked about an 18-game schedule earlier this year. He said taking away preseason games could help solidify that plan.
“I think we’re good at 17 now,” Goodell said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “But listen, we’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason. … The reality is, I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s just picking quality.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“If we get to 18 and two, that’s not an unreasonable thing. The other thing it does, [Super Bowl Sunday] ends on up Presidents Day weekend, which is a three-day weekend, which makes it Sunday night, and then you have Monday off.”
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Any increase in the number of games would have to be approved by the owners and players.
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