Steelers' DeShon Elliott: NFL Should Pay Players 'Way More' for 18-Game Schedule

It's safe to say Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott isn't a fan of moving the NFL regular season to 18 games.

"They're not paying us enough money already," Elliott said, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "They're stingy with their money, so they want to make us play 18 games, as a player union, we should get way more money than what we're getting—and not just the top guys.

"And the thing is, they're not out here playing football. They're not here running around putting their bodies on the line. They don't care. All they care about is making money, but if you're going to make money on the top end, the bottom end has to make money too."

The idea of moving the schedule to 18 games picked up plenty of steam in April when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed it during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

"I'd rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day," Goodell said. "… If we got to 18 and two, that's not an unreasonable thing."

He also suggested expanding the regular season would allow the league to push the Super Bowl back to Presidents' Day weekend ahead of a national holiday for the Monday after the game.

Pryor noted ESPN surveyed players on the issue, and 46 percent favored an 18-game schedule if there were some stipulations. Just eight percent voted yes without stipulations, while 19 percent were completely against the idea.

Elliott was one of the 19 percent.

The stipulations could mean players negotiating an increased share of the revenue they receive, which is currently set at 48.8 percent in a 17-game season. Any changes will require those types of discussions, as the current collective bargaining agreement is in place through the 2030.

Moving from 16 to 17 games was "a contentious issue among players during the most recent CBA negotiations, with the contract ultimately passing narrowly with 51.5% of players voting in favor," per ESPN's Stephen Holder.

Moving to 18 would likely generate even more debate.