NFL Eyes 18 games, two preseason games, one international game per week

PHOENIX – Robert Kraft, the visionary who bought the New England Patriots in the 1990s and turned them into an NFL dynasty, was imagining the future of the NFL when he spoke with reporters Monday.

Kraft, who certainly gets it, would like to see a future NFL that plays 18 regular-season games, plays only two preseason games, includes two bye weeks and, oh yes, has every team play one of its games internationally.

And there you have it… the NFL’s dream scenario for the 2030s.

Robert Kraft eyes change in NFL

“I like it in the long run for the growth and development of the league because, in terms of keeping our league healthy and increasing revenue, I think the preseason games haven’t been what they were when we owned the team,” Kraft told reporters in the New England region during a break at the NFL’s annual meeting. “And going to 18 games and having that real content and being mindful of player safety, I personally would like to see us have a second bye week.

“But it would also allow us to develop the game internationally. Every team in the league would play a match abroad…I think it would be much more exciting for the fans to have an extra match rather than the way our pre-season matches are played.”

This is not a daydream. This is a league hungry for growth and money to build a penthouse on its already lofty perch atop American sports.

And we know this because Commissioner Roger Goodell has divulged a somewhat similar view of Kraft’s broad outlines over the past couple of years – usually before offering the moderation required to lower expectations.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Photo by: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL’s vision is for tomorrow, not today

“We’re not there yet,” Goodell said before Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara. “There is still work to be done.”

NFL owners apparently do some of this work in ongoing meetings. This is why the subject has spread in the media.

Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon wants an 18-game regular season and has made that clear while speaking to local reporters in the Indianapolis area as well as during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

She has complained in the past that 17 games doesn’t give teams financial certainty from year to year, because some years teams play eight home games and some years they play nine and some years one of those home games is overseas at an international venue.

“I think as long as the players want it — which they would, because it would mean more revenue and, ultimately, a better product — I think it’s reasonable and we would work toward that,” Irsay-Gordon told the Indianapolis Star.

The addition of an 18th game would have to be collectively negotiated with the NFL Players Association. And the NFLPA has vehemently opposed in recent years the addition of an 18th game.

But the same NFLPA has never vehemently opposed more money and benefits for players. And he never voiced a complaint when the idea of ​​expanded rosters, meaning more jobs for more players, was floated.

Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon of the Indianapolis Colts. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

International Games: a work in progress

So, does this smell like a negotiation in progress?

Speaking hypothetically, one agent told OutKick that a negotiation could begin with the idea that the NFL wants one more game. And then players would get an extra week off, expanded rosters, a higher minimum salary, bigger post-retirement benefits and more time off during the offseason.

Beyond the extra game, placing 18 overseas – twice as many as planned for 2026 – seems easier than it actually is.

“We’re early in this process,” NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said. “We grow every year, we learn every year. We move into new markets and we make sure that every move we take, every new market we enter is successful.

“Obviously, there’s a lot more to do to get to the point that you’ve described. I think the work we’re doing is to ensure that the foundation is ready if that opportunity presents itself.”