Giants Country

Giants Owner John Mara "Not Crazy" About a Possible 18-game Schedule

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to have visions of an 18-game schedule.

Andrew Parsaud

Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The NFL added one more game to the regular season in 2021, increasing the regular season from 16 to 17 games while shortening the preseason from four to three games.

However, the league might not be done yet with expanding the season. While NFL games, the league is also looking into further shortening the preseason slate from three games to two and replacing that game with a regular-season game, which would then make it an 18-game season.

“I think we’re good at 17 now,” Goodell told ESPN during the draft. “But listen, we’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason. I don’t think we need three [preseason games]. I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s just picking quality, right?

“If we got to 18 and two, that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

But don’t expect the change for a while, as such a change would require approval by the NFLPA during the next CBA negotiations, which are still several years away.

While Goodell seems to think there would be overwhelming support for an expanded regular season, New York Giants co-owner John Mara doesn’t seem to favor the idea.  

"I can't say I'm necessarily crazy about extending the season," Mara said, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. "I worry more about player fatigue and wear and tear on the players moving forward. That's one of the reasons why we have to have the discussion with (the players union)."

Since adding a 17th game, the Giants have gone 19-31-1 in that span, the outlier year coming in 2022 when they went 9-7-1.

For years, the NFL has lobbied for player safety. At the same time, it has expanded the weekly schedule to include games played on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, with Friday and Saturday games usually popping up later in the year when fatigue really starts to kick in for the players.

The league also intends to expand its global reach, staging games this year in the UK, Germany, and Brazil. 

"The key to us is looking at making sure we continue to do the things that make our game safer," Goodell said during the recent league meeting. "We're going to continue to do that. ... Again, moving to quality and making sure that we're doing everything possible to give what the fans want. And they want, obviously, more football." 


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Andrew Parsaud

ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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