During the NFL’s Spring League Meeting in May, Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that moving to an 18-game schedule was part of the league’s “long-range plans.”
When that shift will happen is unclear, and it may not be the last time games are added to the regular season.
During a recent interview with 93.7 The Fan, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio disclosed he believes the NFL will ultimately maximize its earning potential by expanding the number of regular season games beyond 18.
“Eventually, they’re going to have 20 games,” Florio said. “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 remarks were in response to a question he was asked about the pending “Sunday Ticket” litigation that will likely cost the NFL billions.
A U.S. District Court jury ordered the league had violated antitrust laws with its “Sunday Ticket” streaming package, and the NFL is on the hook for more than $4.7 billion in damages, per the Associated Press.
And because the ruling deals with federal antitrust laws, those damages can be tripled, which would cost the NFL $14.1 billion, which almost equates to one year of the league’s annual revenue ($19 billion.)
One of the quickest ways for the league’s 32 owners to make back the more than $440M fee each team would have to pay out in the “Sunday Ticket” case would be to eliminate the preseason, where tickets prices average out to roughly $45 per ticket, and tack those games onto the regular season, where ticket prices cost $350 on average.
Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NFL can’t go over a 20-game schedule between the preseason and regular season, excluding the playoffs.