NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pushed back on the notion that an 18-game regular season is inevitable.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made an expanded schedule sound unavoiable when recently discussing the league's efforts to add more international games. Goodell sought to rein in any assumptions about an 18-game slate during Monday's Super Bowl LX news conference.
"We have not had any formal discussions about it, and frankly, very little of any informal conversations," Goodell said. "I've heard people talk about it in the context -- it is not a given that we will do that. It is not something we assume will happen. It is something we want to talk about with the union leadership."
Goodell added that both sides are still weighing potential conflicts, such as player safety concerns.
"As (the NFLPA) determines their priorities, we are doing the same at the ownership level so that when we get together, we can address these issues together."
NFL could pursue 18-game season
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Goodell's insistence won't deter speculation that the NFL will extend the season from 17 to 18 games. After all, he said in September that removing one of three preseason games for another regular-season week could be "a really good move."
The NFL bumped the season up from 16 to 17 games in 2021, and the league could pursue another increase before the current college bargaining agreement ends in 2030. This boost could yield a larger international footprint.
Nine games will take place outside the United States in 2026, a new high from last season's seven. Goodell has discussed a desire to ultimately play 16 international games per year, creating one overseas matchup for each team.
"It's the ambition we have to be a global sport," Goodell said on Monday. "But it's also the demand we're having. We're hearing from cities that want to host these games and really want to get more American football."