There were rumblings of it all last season. But late last week the NFL submitted an official proposal to the NFLPA to implement an 18-game regular season.
Thomas goes on to break down how this is an obvious money play for the NFL, but Thomas also explains why it wouldn’t be so bad. If the 18-game season is approved, then a rule would be put in place that every player could only play 16 games in the regular season. So it wouldn’t put any extra strain on the players. Thomas also says it’s not a bad idea because instead of having four boring and meaningless preseason games that you might watch a half of.
You would add two more regular season games that actually mean something, even though two of those 18 games wouldn't feature your franchise QB and maybe even your star wide receiver, it would still be a game that counts, and that fact alone will automatically drive viewership because two games that count, but won’t feature a future Hall of Fame QB are still better than four games that mean absolutely nothing.
Finally, Thomas brought up another really interesting point. If this 18-game schedule is implemented, it would really make the backup quarterback position and market very important, interesting and valuable. Having a quarterback situation like the Philadelphia Eagles had when they won their Super Bowl would now not be a luxury, but a necessity.
Ultimately, Thomas reiterates that he is not for this change, but he realizes that it is a money grab for the NFL. However the way he breaks it all down does show that it could work and be effective for not only the NFL, but possibly even the players and the fans when you really boil it down.
