Cowboys owner Jerry Jones updates timeline for NFL's 18-game schedule, floats preseason reduction
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested the NFL could expand to an 18-game regular season as soon as 2027, while proposing to reduce preseason games to accommodate the change.
The NFL expanded from a 16-game schedule to 17 games in 2021, and speculation has persisted about whether the league will eventually add an 18th regular-season game. Such a change would require negotiations over roster sizes, player salaries, the preseason schedule, and the timing of the Super Bowl, with the NFL Players Association needing to approve the plan before it could move forward.
Jones's ambitious timeline
Jerry Jones, one of the NFL's most high-profile owners, offered a timeline Friday for when the league could add another regular-season game. "I don't think we're far away from it," Jones told Dallas sports radio station 105.3 FM, suggesting the league could move to an expanded regular season as soon as 2027.
I don't know what is far away — next month, next year, maybe. Next year, maybe. That has to be negotiated with the players. But it's in everybody's best interest.
International expansion driving change
Interest in adding another game has been fueled by the league's growing popularity and expanded international schedule. This season features a record nine games played outside the U.S., with a 10-game international slate already approved for 2027. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been a vocal supporter of many owners' push for an 18-game schedule.
Jones suggested the preseason could be shortened if the change becomes reality, with teams using the early weeks of the regular season to develop. "You'd cut back on the preseason games, you'd have teams more developed in the first few games, the type of thing you were trying to get done in the preseason," Jones said.
Player health concerns
The NFL Players Association has expressed mixed feelings about expanding the regular season. In March, NFLPA executive director JC Tretter told The Athletic that the union was determined to "defend our players and their health." Tretter, a former offensive lineman, spent eight seasons in the NFL and last played for the Cleveland Browns in 2021.
Tretter added, I understand what it felt like when I played 16 (games) and then moved to 17. I understand the toll that takes on the body … I understand the same thing with international. I played an international game. I understand the timeline and how tough it is to recover, how tough it is to turn around and get on the flight on the way back and then get ready for the next week. That is not easy.
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