As soon as the NFL extended to a 17-game schedule, the clock started ticking on an 18th game. And in an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week, NBC Sports reporter Mike Florio said he believes the NFLPA’s recent approval of a new executive director likely will be the first step toward making that happen.
The union voted controversial retired offensive lineman JC Tretter to be its new top official this week.
Meanwhile, the NFL and Paramount are reportedly in the midst of talks to renegotiate their broadcast rights deal, and the league is expected to engage other networks throughout the year.
Tying these two stories together, Florio argued on The Rich Eisen Show that these will be the first dominoes toward adding another game to the schedule. But Florio also revealed a far more intriguing tidbit:
“One other wrinkle, because it could be hard to sell 18 to the rank-and-file,” Florio said. “There’s an idea floating around: 18 games, every player limited to 17 games. So we’re going to have an 18-game season, but hey, I don’t have to play more than 17.”
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Florio added that quarterbacks might be exempt from the rule (or simply play 18 by choice), along with kickers and punters.
“A lot of guys don’t play every game anyway because of injury,” Florio said. “So it’s not like you’re going to have to bench all your starters when you get down to … Week 20.”
On his own podcast PFT Live earlier in the week, Florio reported the idea first “came up years ago,” back when the league first went from 16 to 17 games. However, he clarified that it is merely a hypothetical, and not something he necessarily supports.
“If you’re trying to get enough votes to pass a new CBA, the idea of a limitation of 17 games per player, that has some basic appeal and maybe [could] get the players to vote yes,” Florio said. “I’m not saying I like it, I’m not saying I endorse it.”
While NFL players certainly deal with injuries most seasons, plenty also play the full season.
Take last year’s Seattle Seahawks. Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker played all 17 games, as did Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. On defense, sack leaders Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams also played the full slate.
Any idea that would result in teams resting healthy players, even in games they are paid for, would seem to run counter to the hyper-competitive, win-at-all-costs culture of the NFL.