Patriots' Robert Kraft Talks Potential 18-Game NFL Season, Future of International Games

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft outlined a plan to increase the NFL's regular season to 18 games.

Under the idea pitched by Kraft, the preseason would shrink from three weeks to two. An 18th game would also allow every team to play abroad at least once a year:

From the moment a 17-game season was approved in 2021, it felt like a matter of time before the NFL and its owners pursued an 18th game.

As Kraft laid out, the league has almost reached a saturation point domestically. There's only so much more revenue that can be mined within the United States.

An extra week of the season is more television inventory to sell to network partners. More than that, widening its international footprint and breaking into new markets are cornerstones of the NFL's long-term future.

Back in September, commissioner Roger Goodell expressed his hope for staging 16 games in the International Series, which would allow for all 32 teams to be involved:

In general, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio posited that 20 is the magic number with the schedule rather than 17 or 18.

Twenty is how many total games teams have played going back multiple decades. The split between the preseason and regular season is what has shifted. Kraft's pitch would be a continuation of that.

An 18th game would need to be collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association. The league can't act unilaterally.

Considering the NFLPA approved of a 17-game regular season, it stands to reason the union will be willing to acquiesce again if it gets certain concessions from team owners.