NFL scheduling points to ‘inevitable’ 18th game despite Super Bowl champion voicing fears over extending season

May 3, 2026 - 17:15

The NFL’s failure to ‘lock in’ a date for the 2028 Super Bowl points to an ‘inevitable’ 18-game season, according to Mike Florio.

Momentum has long been building toward an additional contest, with many high-profile figures around the league said to be keen on the extension.

NFL insider Florio believes it’s ‘inevitable’ an 18-game schedule is coming

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Preseason could be scaled back to two games to make the adjustment viable.

The NFL added a 17th game in 2021 and commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed interest in the past about adding an 18th in place of one of the three exhibitions each team currently plays.

There was plenty of chatter around the idea at annual league meetings in March, with Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon keen on adding another game — as long as the players aren’t against it.

Now, with the 2026 draft in the rear-view, Florio believes the fact the NFL will likely lock in a date for the 2028 edition, before that year’s Super Bowl, suggests the big scheduling change is coming.

NFL trying to get 18-game regular season for 2027

“They may know in a matter of less than three weeks, where the draft will be and when it will be,” he told Pro Football Talk Live.

“The date will be locked in, the place will be locked in, for April of 2028.

“And we still won’t know when they’re playing the Super Bowl two months before that. Isn’t that peculiar?

“I say that because it underscores the fact they’re still going to try to get to 18.”

Florio went on to suggest the NFL has a ‘big summer’ ahead, with quiet discussions to work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will include an 18-game schedule.

He continued: “I think the next best opportunity to lock in a date for the Atlanta Super Bowl to be played in February of 2028 is this May 19-20 meeting in Orlando.

View of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on February 2, 2019. — The NFL has not yet locked in a date for Atlanta’s Super Bowl in February 2028

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — Goodell has been vocal in the past about expanding the regular season

“And the obvious date is February 13, 2028 — 17-1, 17 regular season games, one bye week — that’s when you do it.

“The fact that it’s not locked in tells you that they’re up to something.

“And if it’s not locked in after May 19 or 20, I think that the NFLPA and the NFL are going to be busy this summer trying to quietly work out a new CBA that has 18 games in it, starting in 2027.

“I think it’s inevitable.”

All signs appear to point to an 18th game, especially amid the continued expansion of the NFL’s international slate.

In 2026, nine games will be held outside of the US.

General view inside the stadium prior to the NFL match between Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 01, 2023 in London, England. — The expanded international slate could lead to an 18-game season

Six will be hosted in Europe — three in London, and one in Madrid, Munich and Paris — while another two will be held in South America, with games in Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

The NFL is also heading to Melbourne for its first-ever regular-season game in Australia come September.

Super Bowl champion hits out at expansion plans

With so many contests taking place overseas, it makes sense for an 18th game to soon be added.

But one veteran quarterback has already voiced a warning over it.

Full NFL international schedule

Check out the known details for all nine NFL international games in 2026:

September 11: Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers – Melbourne, Australia

September 27: Dallas Cowboys vs Baltimore Ravens – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Game 3: New Orleans Saints – Paris, France

Game 4: Detroit Lions – Munich, Germany

Game 5: Atlanta Falcons – Madrid, Spain

Game 6: Jacksonville Jaguars – London, United Kingdom

Game 7: Washington Commanders – London, United Kingdom

Game 8: Jacksonville Jaguars – London, United Kingdom

Game 9: San Francisco 49ers – Mexico City, Mexico

During a recent interview with Front Office Sports, Joe Flacco worried that adding an extra game could lead to more injuries, and water down the quality of the postseason.

“As a player, I loved playing 16 games, and I think the NFL had an awesome formula for 16 games and four rounds of playoffs and I think it was super competitive,” the Super Bowl XLVII champion said.

“I don’t think people realize that when you put guys through an 18-game regular season schedule, I think what could happen is the playoffs start to suffer and you get teams that are so beat up by that point in the year that they’re not really at their best.

“So, instead of getting top-level football, you’re getting a couple teams going against each other at 75 percent, and basically, it becomes a war of attrition.

Joe Flacco looks on in Bengals uniform — Veteran Flacco has sounded a warning over an 18-game schedule

“(Injuries are) part of football, but I think by the time we get to the playoffs in the NFL, it’s a one-game winner-take-all, you do want to see each team at top strength and see which team can battle it out and win.”

As an 18th game edges closer, more players like Flacco might well speak up against it.

But with the NFL apparently holding out on confirming important dates for the 2027 season, Florio is one insider certain it’ll soon come.

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