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The National Football League is inching closer and closer to an 18-game season, and if it were up to Robert Kraft, it would happen sooner rather than later.
The New England Patriots owner seemed to predict the change could come sooner rather than later, while also saying more international games could be on the horizon.
“We will push like the Dickens now to make the international bigger with us. Every team will go to 18 [regular season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preparatory matches. Every year, each team will play a game on the road,” Kraft told “The Sports Hub” on Boston radio.
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Owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots looks on before the NFL game between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on October 5, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Kraft said the changes would be “so we can continue to increase the cap and keep our workers happy.”
“Because we’re kind of getting close to the top in terms of coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 shows on TV are NFL games. Think about that. It’s really amazing,” Kraft said. “And you look at our crowd sizes compared to other sports and it’s really, you know, we had that Amazon game on Thursday a few weeks ago. 31 million people watched on stream. So as long as we can continue to grow our revenue, we can keep labor peace long term.”
A wide view of play in the first half during an NFL International Series match at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
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All 32 teams have played at least one road game, with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way with 14 games.
The idea of an 18-game season came after the realization that adding a game at the end of the regular season would extend the Super Bowl into Presidents Day weekend, meaning the next day would be an off day for the majority of the roster.
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A detailed view of the Super Bowl LX logo on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl 60 will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
The teams played 14-game seasons from 1961 to 1977, then 16 games until the 2020 season, implementing a 17th game in 2021.
