Joe Burrow has a peculiar take on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s comments on 18 regular season games

Just three years after increasing the number of games to 17, Roger Goodell expressed his desire to add one more game while decreasing the number of preseason matches.

Joe Burrow has a peculiar take on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s comments on 18 regular season games

(L) Roger Goodell and (R) Joe Burrow (Image via IMAGO)

Joe Burrow is ready to accept Roger Goodell‘s proposed 18 regular-game season theory. However, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has his own demands.

As recently as the 2020 season, the NFL had 16 games, which was increased to 17 just a year later. Roger Goodell greenlit, decreasing the number of preseason games teams play before the real business kicks off in August.

The NFL commissioner is happy with the 17-game season format, but he is not opposed to further adding another game. Joe Burrow, after not posting anything on his X (formerly Twitter) since March 13, gave his honest opinion on an extended regular season.

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Burrow implied that he is on board with the idea, but he wants a slight tweak. If the league wants a longer regular season, then they should also provide an extra bye.

18 games? 2 bye weeks.
Joe Burrow tweeted during the 2nd day of the 2024 NFL draft

He hasn’t added much since then to this discussion.

Roger Goodell’s reason behind increasing regular-season games

While arriving on the set of ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show before the third-round picks, Roger Goodell spoke on several subjects. One of them was the number of games that the league might see an increase shortly.

Joe Burrow has a peculiar take on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's comments on 18 regular season games
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (Image via IMAGO)
If we got to 18 [regular-season] and two pre-season games, that’s not an unreasonable thing.
Goodell told McAfee

Going by Burrow’s words, an extra bye week does make sense for the athletes. However, this will take 18 games a season to 20 weeks. The league might even think about eliminating the preseason altogether. This would allow the season to end on Sunday during President’s Day week. Meaning fans will have Monday off.

I’m not a fan of the pre-season. I’d rather replace a pre-season game with a regular-season game any day.
Goodell said

That’s not a framing thought, and if the player association agrees to the terms, then perhaps fans can enjoy more games. The last time it happened, Goodell called it per Spectrum News, “monumental moment in NFL history [which will] continue to grow our game around the world.“

More games mean more TV revenue. Last year’s viewership skyrocketed before the 2022 season. Both the AFC and NFC Championship games broke previous records. Super Bowl LVIII became the most-watched event on American TV, only losing out to the Apollo moon landing broadcast in July 1969.

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