SAN JOSE, Calif. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said there have been no discussions with the union about adding an 18th game to the season and said lengthening the season again was not inevitable.
The NFL added a 17th game in 2021 and Goodell has expressed interest in the past about adding an 18th game in place of one of the three exhibition games each team plays every season.
Goodell said a number of issues would have to be discussed with the union before an 18th game was added, including whether a second bye week was needed and the size of rosters to make sure it doesn’t have a negative impact on player safety and competitiveness.
“We have not had any formal discussions about it and frankly very little of any informal conversations,” Goodell said at his Super Bowl LX news conference. “It is not a given that we will do that. It’s not something we assume will happen. It’s something we want to talk about with the union leadership.”
Goodell: NFL must re-evaluate minority hiring
Goodell said the league needs to re-evaluate its approach to minority hiring after an offseason coaching cycle that saw only one of 10 head coaching jobs go to a minority and none to Black candidates.
“We need to continue to make progress,” Goodell said Monday. “I believe that and I believe diversity is good for us. … I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform, including coaching. But we still have more work to do.”
