On a Friday radio appearance in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested the NFL may not be far from an 18-game regular season, perhaps as early as 2027. The idea echoes a path the league has walked before, when it stretched from 16 games to 17 in 2021 and ambition has kept pulling at the schedule ever since. Every extra game asks a question about the bodies that play them, and the players' union, which must agree before anything changes, has made clear that those bodies come first.
Jerry Jones Says NFL 18-Game Season Could Arrive by 2027, Pending Players' Union Negotiations
"Next month, next year, maybe." Jones on when 18 games could arrive
Mark
Jerry Jones said an 18-game season could come as soon as 2027. How firm is that?
Mimi
Not very. He said "next month, next year, maybe," and then repeated "maybe." He also said it has to be negotiated with the players.
Luke
Right, so it's one owner's guess on a radio show. Nothing in the reporting shows a schedule, a proposal or an agreement.
Mark
Why does he think players would benefit?
Mimi
His argument is that the preseason shrinks. Teams would use early regular-season games to get sharp, instead of doing that in exhibition games.
Luke
That's his view, though, and he said "in my mind." The reporting doesn't say whether the union sees it that way, or what would happen to roster sizes or pay.
Mark
And the union's position?
Mimi
JC Tretter said in March that the CBA sets 17 games and that the league can't go past 10 international games. He talked about the toll of 16 going to 17 and of travel after international games.
Luke
Worth noting that comment is from March, and it's about defending players in bargaining. It isn't a flat no, and the article doesn't report any current talks.
Mark
So what's actually settled?
Mimi
That 17 games is in the CBA, and that a 10-game international slate is approved for 2027. The rest is open.
Il Polso
- Jerry Jones floated an 18-game season for as soon as 2027, and the idea lands like a stone in still water.
- The NFL Players Association is pushing back hard, insisting that health and safety are not negotiable side issues.
- Bargaining over roster sizes, salaries, preseason length and Super Bowl timing is now the arena where the fight will be decided.
- The league's growing international slate and Commissioner Goodell's backing give expansion momentum, but no deal is in place and the union holds the veto.
On a Friday radio appearance in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested the NFL may not be far from an 18-game regular season, perhaps as early as 2027. The idea echoes a path the league has walked before, when it stretched from 16 games to 17 in 2021 and ambition has kept pulling at the schedule ever since. Every extra game asks a question about the bodies that play them, and the players' union, which must agree before anything changes, has made clear that those bodies come first.
On Friday, Jerry Jones told a Dallas sports radio audience that the NFL is not far from an 18-game regular season. Pressed for a timeline, he offered a loose range: next month, next year, maybe. He was clear that any change would have to be negotiated with the players, but he framed it as something good for everyone, suggesting the preseason could shrink so teams could develop players in the regular season instead.
The league has already grown once, moving from 16 games to 17 in 2021, and the push for an 18th has never fully gone away. Momentum comes from the game's popularity and an expanding international schedule, with a record nine games played abroad this season and 10 approved for 2027.
The players' union is far less convinced. NFLPA executive director JC Tretter, a former offensive lineman who played eight seasons and last suited up for the Cleveland Browns in 2021, has spoken from experience about the physical toll of each added game and the grueling recovery from overseas trips. His position is that these questions are subjects of bargaining and that the union will defend its members' health.
While the debate continues, the games go on. The Commanders beat the Giants 24-21 in Week 10. What comes next is the bargaining over roster sizes, salaries, preseason length and Super Bowl timing, and whether Jones's 'maybe next year' survives the union's insistence on protecting its players.
On Friday, Jerry Jones went on Dallas sports radio station 105.3 FM and was asked how far off an 18-game NFL season might be. The Cowboys owner, one of the league's most visible and outspoken voices, answered loosely. "I don't think we're far away from it," he said. Pressed on what that meant, he offered a range: next month, next year, maybe. He added that it would have to be negotiated with the players.
The league has been here before. It moved from a 16-game schedule to 17 games in 2021, and speculation about an 18th game has not gone away since. Jones's comments point to 2027 as a possible start, which is an ambitious timeline for a change this large.
The change would not be simple. An 18-game schedule would require negotiation over roster sizes, player salaries, the preseason schedule and the timing of the Super Bowl. The NFL Players Association would also have to approve the plan before it could go forward.
Jones framed the idea as good for everyone, including players. He suggested the preseason could be cut back if the regular season grew. Teams, he said, would use the first few regular-season games to get developed, the work they now try to finish in preseason. "It's in everybody's interest, and it certainly is in the players' best interests, in my mind," he said.
Part of the momentum comes from the league's growing popularity and its expanded international schedule. This season includes a record nine games played outside the United States, and a 10-game international slate has been approved for 2027. Commissioner Roger Goodell has been a vocal supporter of many owners' push for an 18-game schedule.
The players' union is less enthusiastic. In March, NFLPA executive director JC Tretter told The Athletic the union was determined to defend its players and their health. He said some things are not good for players and that the union must protect them from them. As of now, he said, those are all subjects of bargaining. In his account, the league cannot expand past 10 international games, and the collective bargaining agreement sets the schedule at 17 games.
Tretter speaks from experience. A former offensive lineman, he spent eight seasons in the NFL and last played for the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He said he knows what it felt like to go from 16 games to 17 and understands the toll on the body. He said the same about international games. He played in one, and he described how hard it is to recover, board a flight home and prepare for the next week. "That is not easy," he said.
The football itself went on in the meantime. The Washington Commanders and New York Giants opened Week 10 of the 2026 season, and the Commanders won 24-21. What to watch now is the bargaining over roster sizes, salaries, preseason length and Super Bowl timing, and whether Jones's "maybe next year" holds up against the union's insistence on health and safety.
Citazioni salienti
I don't think we're far away from it.— Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, on 105.3 FM
The league's at 17 games in the CBA, and we're going to make sure we defend our players and their health and safety.— JC Tretter, NFLPA executive director, to The Athletic in March
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