Joe Flacco Calls Out Fears of 18-Game NFL Schedule and Highlights Impact on Salary Cap, Money

Add Joe Flacco to the list of NFL players skeptical of the league's desire to add an 18th game to the schedule, while also recognizing that it's probably going to happen because there's too much financial incentive for it not to.

Speaking to Baker Machado of Front Office Sports (starts at 10:05 mark), Flacco said the league's push for more games "has to stop" at some point.

"What happens when we go to 18? Are they going to want 20? Are they going to want 22? We used to play 14 games before I was born. At some point it has to stop," Flacco said.

Flacco also acknowledged players will "probably eventually" go along with an 18-game schedule knowing that it means more money they can make:

"If we're asked to play 18 games, I think you're not going to see much difference, and it looks like we're probably eventually going to play 18 games, and we'll just have to do it, and it is what it is. The revenue's going to go up, and the salary cap is going to go up, and over time you are going to be making more money."

Flacco's skepticism stemmed from how quickly the league continues to push for increased games, wondering when it will get a point when the owners think that's enough.

"What happens when we go to 18? Are they going to want 20? Are they going to want 22? We used to play 14 games before I was born. At some point it has to stop," he said.

One thing Flacco pointed out is that more regular-season games could impact the quality of play in the postseason:

"As a player I loved playing 16 games, and I think the NFL had an awesome formula for 16 games and four rounds of playoffs and it was super competitive. I don't think people realize when you put guys through an 18-game regular season schedule, I think what could happen is the playoffs start to suffer. Teams are so beat up by that point in the year that they're not at their best, so instead of getting top-level football you're getting a couple teams going against each other at 75 percent."

This is something that's come up in recent years in the NBA, as several superstar players have suffered serious injuries in the postseason in part because of the league's fast-paced style and miles they accumulate on their bodies during the regular season that make it more difficult to recover.

The NFL postseason was impacted by injuries. Bo Nix, George Kittle and Nico Collins were among the notable players who missed games in the playoffs.

NFLPA interim executive director David White told reporters in February there was "no appetite" from the union for an 18-game regular season, citing increased injury risk and what that can mean for potential future earnings for players.

"Those injuries, they cost players pay. They can shorten careers. They can diminish lifetime earnings. And when your average career is already three to four years, that becomes something that is existential," White said.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said it's "not a given" that the 18-game season happens, though some team owners, including Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, have made it clear they are in favor of increasing the schedule.

There is a feeling that even if the league does expand to 18 games, it is still several years away from happening.

The NFL went to the current 17-game regular-season schedule starting in 2021. It marked the first increase to the schedule since 1978 when the 16-game season was implemented.