The idea of an 18-game NFL regular season has hovered over the league for years, feeling less like a possibility and more like an inevitability.
But according to a new report, fans should not expect that change to happen as quickly as many originally believed.
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, an NFL move to an 18-game regular season by the 2027 season is now considered “highly unlikely,” though the possibility has not been completely ruled out.
That is a significant development for a league that has continued aggressively expanding its calendar and television inventory over the past several years.
The NFL Is Still Leaving the Door Open
One interesting wrinkle in Florio’s report involves the scheduling of Super Bowl LXII.
The NFL has still not officially locked in a date for the game, which is scheduled to be played in Atlanta in February 2028.
Under the league’s current 17-game structure, the Super Bowl would naturally fall on February 13, 2028. However, an 18-game schedule would likely push the season further into February.
That is where things become interesting.
The NFL has long been interested in placing the Super Bowl on Presidents Day weekend because many fans would have the following Monday off work. In 2028, that weekend lands on February 20.
If the league eventually adds an 18th game along with a second bye week, the Super Bowl could potentially move all the way to February 27 unless other scheduling adjustments are made.
For now, the NFL’s hesitation to finalize the date appears intentional.
The NFLPA Remains a Massive Hurdle
One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of an 18-game season is the National Football League Players Association.
Adding another regular season game would require renegotiating portions of the current collective bargaining agreement, and player approval would ultimately be necessary.
That is not a small hurdle.
Players have consistently voiced concerns over workload, injuries, recovery time, and the physical toll of a longer season. Any future expansion would almost certainly need to include concessions from the league, including the possibility of a second bye week.
According to Florio, recent turmoil within the NFLPA may also be contributing to the delay in finalizing long term scheduling plans.
An 18-Game NFL Season Still Feels Inevitable
Even though a 2027 rollout now appears unlikely, very few people around the league believe the NFL will stop at 17 games permanently.
The financial incentive is simply too large.
An extra regular season game would create more national television inventory, additional streaming opportunities, larger advertising revenue, and even more leverage during future broadcast negotiations.
The current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2030 season, meaning the 2031 season feels like the latest realistic target for a transition to 18 games.
That timing would also align with future television contract negotiations, something the NFL undoubtedly has circled internally.
What Would an 18-Game Schedule Mean for Players?
For fans, more football sounds exciting.
For players, it is much more complicated.
The NFL season is already viewed by many around the league as a physical marathon. Adding another regular season game increases injury risk, recovery concerns, and roster management challenges across the board.
Teams like the Detroit Lions already prioritize depth heavily because of how difficult it is to survive a 17-game season healthy.
An 18-game schedule would only make roster depth, recovery science, and load management even more important moving forward.
At this point, the NFL still appears headed toward eventual expansion.
It just may not happen as quickly as many expected.
