NFL Exec: 18-Game Schedule 'Would Be a Bloodbath' amid Rumors of New Playoff Format

Change is inevitable in sports, and it could be coming to the NFL's schedule in the form of an 18th game and a new playoff format.

But that doesn't mean everyone is excited.

"That would be a bloodbath," a team executive said of an 18-game schedule amid rumors of changes to the playoff format in a Tuesday piece by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The tenor of the piece discusses how exclusive a first-round bye is in today's NFL. The current playoff format gives that bye to just the No. 1 overall seed in each conference, although the previous format rewarded it to the top two seeds.

Having two teams per conference with a bye also coincided with just 12 teams making the playoffs. Now, 14 teams make the playoffs with an additional Wild Card Round game per conference.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported there could be a future playoff change that would reward better records with home-field advantage for the Wild Card Round. In the current format, the division winners automatically receive a home game even if the wild-card team has a better record.

As for the 18-game schedule possibility, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last month the league is "doing analysis I would say, but we are not finalizing any plans at this point," per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Goodell also said the league would share its conclusions with the NFLPA, which would need to approve any schedule changes.

The current collective bargaining agreement with the players' union expires in March 2031. Expanding the schedule to 18 games would likely lead to some type of concessions from the league's perspective, whether it is further reducing the preseason, a higher revenue split for the players, an additional bye week or something else.

But it would create an even more physically grueling season amid the push for a Super Bowl, which seemed to worry at least one executive.