It feels inevitable that the NFL schedule will expand at some point, and Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson reported that the push for an 18-game regular season from Roger Goodell and NFL owners is going to start at the NFL’s Owner Meetings, which begin today. In response to that, former Steelers DL Breiden Fehoko said on Twitter the league should just go to a 20-game schedule, doing away with the preseason.
“Scratch all 3 Pre Season games. Go to 20 regular season games. 2 mandatory bye weeks. Go from 53-60 active roster spots. Scratch OTAs and mandatory mini[camp] have players report mid July do a 2-3 week workout ramp up. August training camp joint practices. September kick off,” Fehoko wrote on Twitter.
Scratch all 3 Pre Season games. Go to 20 regular season games. 2 mandatory bye weeks. Go from 53-60 active roster spots. Scratch OTAs and mandatory mini have players report mid July do a 2-3 week workout ramp up. August training camp joint practices. September kick off. https://t.co/oR8RTZZvXn
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) March 30, 2025
It’s an idea that wasn’t well-received by current Steelers LB Patrick Queen, who said Fehoko is “crazy” if he thinks players will be able to hold up. However, Queen agreed with the idea of two bye weeks and getting rid of OTAs.
“20??? You crazy if you think ppl will last through that! Pre season is how under the radar players make their cases! We play 17 games we should have 2 bye weeks as is.. Definitely scratch otas and mini camp start training camp back up around July 17,” Queen wrote in reply to Fehoko.
20??? You crazy if you think ppl will last through that! Pre season is how under the radar players make their cases! We play 17 games we should have 2 bye weeks as is.. Definitely scratch otas and mini camp start training camp back up around July 17 https://t.co/ZsOAnXL0hi
— 🦈 (@Patrickqueen_) March 30, 2025
Fehoko replied to that tweet, proposing a midseason Pro Bowl to serve as a bye week and one bye within each of the first 10 weeks. Queen argued back that 20 weeks is too demanding mentally and physically.
So you gone add more games in or out of division? Coaches still gone have you practicing so bye week really not even restful.. How you gone have pro bowlers after just 10 weeks? 20 regular season games is mentally and physically too demanding and takes away from what makes the… https://t.co/Qz0ixtHxcC
— 🦈 (@Patrickqueen_) March 30, 2025
It’s an interesting concept by Fehoko, but getting rid of the preseason entirely can lead to a number of issues. For one, it takes away a spot for some players to prove their worth, as Queen posited, and it’s a key part of getting a feel for a team’s roster. Secondly, even though Fehoko’s idea has a longer ramp-up time, the risk for more injuries without players having in-stadium experience and playing an actual game ahead of the regular season would likely be a lot higher.
The league going to 20 games isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but it was interesting that both Fehoko and Queen agreed on getting rid of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. The NFLPA has looked to get rid of voluntary on-field work, and if OTAs go away, teams would likely report to training camp a week or two earlier. It gives players more consistent time off, as they wouldn’t need to be in the building for organized team workouts in May or June.
While Fehoko’s idea doesn’t make much sense right now, the more the NFL can get their way with adding more games, the more likely it seems that something like that could happen in the future.
Right now, it would be too drastic of a change and detrimental to player health and well-being, but if the league can get up to 18 games, then years from now it wouldn’t seem as drastic as a push to get to 20. For the league, more games are more money in the pockets of the owners and the league itself, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see 18 games happen sooner rather than later.
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