Robert Kraft Pushes for 18-Game NFL Season, Annual International Games - Players Weigh In
The NFL's push for global expansion and schedule evolution just got another high-profile backer - and he’s not just any owner. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, one of the league’s most influential voices, is once again championing the idea of an 18-game regular season. But this time, he’s adding a twist: every team would be required to play one international game per year.
Kraft shared his vision during a radio appearance in Boston, laying out a proposal that would reduce the preseason to two games and expand the regular season to 18. While the 18-game idea has been floating around league circles for years, the international mandate is a new wrinkle - and one that signals just how serious the NFL is about growing its global footprint.
“We’re going to push like the dickens now to make international more important with us,” Kraft said. “Every team will go to 18 and 2 and eliminate one of the preseason games.
Every team every year will play one game overseas. Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy.”
Translation: more games, more markets, more money - for everyone. Kraft emphasized that the added revenue would benefit players too, suggesting that any change would come with increased pay and additional rest, including a second bye week.
It’s a bold vision, but one that would need sign-off from the NFL Players Association. And that’s where things get interesting.
In Cincinnati, a few Bengals veterans didn’t shy away from weighing in on the proposal. Quarterback Joe Burrow acknowledged the financial upside, but made it clear - tacking on another regular-season game is no small thing.
“Eighteen games is definitely a big ask,” Burrow said. “That’s not easy, adding that extra game. Obviously it would be great for revenue, but adding that extra bye week if you’re going to have the 18-game schedule is pretty critical for our bodies.”
Burrow’s concern wasn’t just about the wear and tear - it was about the grind of the schedule. With Thursday night games already compressing recovery time, he floated a creative solution: keep the traditional bye week, but build in a league-wide break later in the season - something akin to the NBA’s All-Star Week.
“Maybe the first bye is kind of how we have it now, and the second bye everybody has it at once and you make it like the Pro Bowl week or something like the All-Star week for the NBA,” Burrow suggested.
That idea might not be on the league’s radar yet, but it speaks to a broader point: if the NFL wants more games, players are going to want more rest - and more money.
Bengals center Ted Karras, the team’s NFLPA rep, echoed that sentiment. For him, the issue isn’t just physical - it’s mental, emotional, and even spiritual.
“It’s mentally, emotionally and spiritually taxing,” Karras said. “Those weeks off not only help your physical aspect, but help you recharge your competitive stamina.”
Karras also made it clear that compensation has to match the commitment.
“My biggest argument is we signed our contracts based on 17 games,” he said. “I’ll take a pro-rated full game check. The cap better go up, everything better go up.”
And that’s the crux of the conversation. The NFL moved to a 17-game schedule in 2021, and the transition came with growing pains - both on the field and at the negotiating table. Now, with the league eyeing 18 games and a bigger international presence, it’s clear that another round of negotiations is on the horizon.
Kraft’s vision has momentum. Commissioner Roger Goodell has previously voiced support for an 18-game season and even floated the idea of moving the Super Bowl to the Sunday before Presidents’ Day. The pieces are lining up.
But as always in the NFL, progress comes at a price - and players are making it clear they expect to be paid accordingly. The next few years could reshape the league’s calendar in a big way. The question now is whether everyone - owners, players, and fans - will be ready for the new normal.