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The National Football League has inched closer to an 18-game season, and if it were up to Robert Kraft, it would happen as soon as possible.
The New England Patriots owner sounded like he was predicting the change could come sooner rather than later, while also saying more international games could be on the horizon.
“Now we are going to work like Dickens to make the international team more important to us. Each team will reach 18 [regular season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games. Each team will play one game abroad each year,” Kraft told Boston radio’s “The Sports Hub.”
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft watches before the NFL game between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Kraft said the changes would be “so we can continue to raise the limit and keep our workers happy.”
“Because we’re getting close to the top here with coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 shows on television are NFL games. Think about that. It’s really amazing,” Kraft said. “And if you look at the size of our crowds compared to other sports, you really know we had that Amazon game on Thursday a couple of weeks ago. 31 million people streamed it. So as long as we can continue to grow revenue, we can maintain labor peace in the long run.”
A wide view of the game in the first half during an NFL International Series match at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
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All 32 teams have played at least one game abroad, with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way in 14 games.
The push for an 18-game season came from the realization that adding a game at the end of the regular season would extend the Super Bowl into Presidents’ Day weekend, meaning the following day would be a day off for most of the workforce.
There have been numerous arguments to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, but there has never been a legitimate movement.
A detailed view of the Super Bowl LX logo on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl 60 will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
Teams played 14-game seasons from 1961 to 1977 and then 16 games through the 2020 season, implementing a 17th game in 2021.
