Goodell: 18-game regular season isn't 'unreasonable'

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is open to the idea of adding a game to the regular season.

"I think we're good at 17 now," Goodell said during an appearance on "Pat McAfee Show" on Friday. "But, listen, we're looking at how we continue. I'm not a fan of the preseason."

Goodell added: "The reality is, I'd rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That's just picking quality. If we get to 18 and two, that's not an unreasonable thing."

The current format of 17 regular-season games and three preseason contests was introduced in 2021.

Any changes to the length of the season would need to be collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association. The league and NFLPA agreed to increase the regular season from 16 to 17 games in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement runs through 2030.

The possible expansion of the NFL's global footprint is another point of priority for Goodell, who said that he envisions the league playing "at least 16 games" in an international market in the next 10 years. He didn't rule out the potential of a team or division overseas but doesn't see that scenario happening within the next decade.

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