BleedGopher
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Per Eric:
An 18-game NFL regular season was not a major topic at this week’s annual meeting, but it’s increasingly looking like a foregone conclusion that team owners will pursue it—and perhaps soon.
Much of this week’s agenda involved pursuing growth in some fashion, whether it be flag football, international play, or media rights. The season itself looks quite likely to ultimately become part of that wave.
“Certainly it’s in the future,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “I know the potential. But there are several things that I can see in the future that are potential. I also know that … things can take time.”
League commissioner Roger Goodell was more measured in his comments late Tuesday on the 18-game season, but he also pointed to that being a topic of rising interest around the league.
“We continue to analyze and discuss this,” Goodell said. “We are thinking about a lot of things in the context of our season structure.”
The commissioner’s remarks on the potential season expansion followed a busy Tuesday morning with the adoption—and tabling—of several proposed rule changes.
Despite these sentiments, getting that 18th game will require a deal with the NFL Players Association, which has been increasingly opposed to the idea, largely due to health and safety concerns. At February’s Super Bowl LIX, union executive director Lloyd Howell said, “When I have talked to players over the last two seasons, no one wants to play an 18th game.”
The expanded regular season is also fundamentally intertwined with the near-certainty that the NFL will opt out of its current domestic media rights deals in 2029. Having more inventory to sell would strengthen a negotiating position that is already unrivaled in U.S. television.
“I’m more optimistic about how it grows here than I was when I first came into the NFL in 1989, and any period in between. I see a lot of positive growth,” Jones said about the league’s future media rights.
frontofficesports.com
Skol Vikes!!
An 18-game NFL regular season was not a major topic at this week’s annual meeting, but it’s increasingly looking like a foregone conclusion that team owners will pursue it—and perhaps soon.
Much of this week’s agenda involved pursuing growth in some fashion, whether it be flag football, international play, or media rights. The season itself looks quite likely to ultimately become part of that wave.
“Certainly it’s in the future,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “I know the potential. But there are several things that I can see in the future that are potential. I also know that … things can take time.”
League commissioner Roger Goodell was more measured in his comments late Tuesday on the 18-game season, but he also pointed to that being a topic of rising interest around the league.
“We continue to analyze and discuss this,” Goodell said. “We are thinking about a lot of things in the context of our season structure.”
The commissioner’s remarks on the potential season expansion followed a busy Tuesday morning with the adoption—and tabling—of several proposed rule changes.
Despite these sentiments, getting that 18th game will require a deal with the NFL Players Association, which has been increasingly opposed to the idea, largely due to health and safety concerns. At February’s Super Bowl LIX, union executive director Lloyd Howell said, “When I have talked to players over the last two seasons, no one wants to play an 18th game.”
The expanded regular season is also fundamentally intertwined with the near-certainty that the NFL will opt out of its current domestic media rights deals in 2029. Having more inventory to sell would strengthen a negotiating position that is already unrivaled in U.S. television.
“I’m more optimistic about how it grows here than I was when I first came into the NFL in 1989, and any period in between. I see a lot of positive growth,” Jones said about the league’s future media rights.
Goodell Signals 18-Game NFL Season Is Coming—Eventually
It’s increasingly looking like a foregone conclusion that NFL team owners will pursue an 18-game regular season—and perhaps soon.
frontofficesports.com
Skol Vikes!!
