If you thought an 18-game regular season was pushing the limits of player safety, a 20-game season might break the dam. Though there are no plans for the NFL to take that extreme, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes it’s inevitable. Joining 93.7 The Fan Wednesday afternoon, Florio thinks it will become a reality.
“Eventually, they’re going to have 20 games,” Florio told The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to get to 20. But I think eventually, there’s going to be no preseason and 20 [regular season] games. When they have threats to their revenue, let’s just give more. Because we can make more if we give more.”
Florio’s answer came in response to how the NFL could recoup revenue lost from the Sunday Ticket lawsuit that would leave them on the hook for over $14 billion if the jury verdict stands on appeal. Initial damages were assessed at $4.7 billion but triple under antitrust law violation. While that number won’t come out of the salary cap, each team will be responsible for paying their share, a cost of $450 million per club. Owners won’t want to take that hit without a way to cover their losses.
The CBA only mandates that the NFL doesn’t have longer than a 20-game season, excluding playoffs. That means the preseason and regular season can come in any configuration that adds up to that number. For years, it was a four preseason, 16 regular season system. Starting in 2021, it shifted to three preseason games and 17 regular season ones. And the NFL will eventually get an 18th game, Roger Goodell confirming that would come at the expense of an exhibition contest. Higher ticket sales, more butts in seats, more concession revenue, and more money from the networks.
To be clear, Mike Florio doesn’t think 20 games will happen soon. An 18-game season should begin no later than when the CBA expires in 2030, a top-ticket item the owners will push for. It could happen even earlier than that, with this lawsuit perhaps being a catalyst to greasing those wheels.
But someday, maybe two CBAs from now in, say, 2040, a 20-game regular season will become the norm. That would eliminate valuable preseason reps for those trying to make the roster. But if joint training camp practices continue to increase, the league will argue that’s a good enough substitute to get players ready.