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NFL players know they need to give 100% every day they step on the field, knowing it’s a matter of keeping their job or having the next man take it.
As a result, the average NFL career is just three seasons, both because of the elite talent pool and the risk of injury that comes with a high-octane contact sport.
The NFL, however, couldn’t be doing better from a business perspective, as football fans crave more action on any given night of the season. The 2026 season will begin on a Wednesday night this year largely because the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play in Melbourne, Australia, at 10:35 a.m. local time on Friday morning, which will be Thursday night at 8:35 p.m. ET in the United States.
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Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills enters the field before the Kansas City Chiefs game at Highmark Stadium on November 2, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
No matter where or when, the games will be watched, which is why the conversation about the 18th game of the regular season remains pertinent as the league continues to expand its reach.
Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins knows how grueling a 17-game season can be since someone is in the trenches when the ball is snapped.
“I think the world we live in is just a different type of world, right? Production, entertainment, sports. We’re part of that world where people want to see more football, they want to see it. So the 18th game is a beautiful business choice as a league,” he told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview, where he also touched on his partnership with Oral-B and Crest to impact families who need teeth cleaning.
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But while he understands the business aspect of why the NFL would want to introduce an 18th game to the regular-season schedule, he believes the player’s perspective must also be heard.
“The only answer I see is that guys’ careers are getting shorter,” Dawkins explained. “I don’t want to say that one game is going to shorten it drastically, but one game can change the entire trajectory of someone’s life. For example, if you get through a 17-game season healthy, you get to 18 and your body is ready to break down, something happens. Then the course of your life is totally different.”
Of course, Dawkins understands better than others that being a part of successful Bills teams in recent seasons means playoff football, which comes right after Week 18 in the wild-card round. However, teams will rest key starters like Dawkins if they can clinch a playoff spot, although not everyone is so lucky during the year.
Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills before Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
No matter the case, Dawkins believes “it will happen either way.” He just wants to make sure players like him are taken care of properly if that’s the case, especially from a financial standpoint.
“Our contracts are not completely guaranteed. There are good players, there are average players, there are players who are just getting by. As long as the guys are taken care of like they’re supposed to, this is our life. We’re athletes, and it’s not like I’m here for that, it’s going to happen either way. [an] 18th game. And then 20 years later, guess what? We’re talking about a 19, then we’ll talk about a 20… Then it’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re combat athletes all year round.’ But who knows.”
Dawkins added that perhaps NFL teams use workload games like NBA players do, but that’s probably not the case considering basketball players have 82 games during the regular season. They can avoid a loss or two if that’s what happens on the court.
The NFL is different, as each game becomes more crucial than the next, even if the league considers adding another to the regular season.
David White, who served as interim executive director of the NFL Players Association before JC Tretter’s election, said during Super Bowl LX week that players “have no appetite for an 18th regular-season game” despite the league’s push for it.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted then that an 18th game was “not a given,” but owners, such as Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, say “each team will play 18.”
“Each team will have 18 [regular-season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games, and each team each year will play one game abroad,” he said on 98.5 The Sports Hub in January.
Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills participates during the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge at the NFL Pro Bowl Games at Moscone Center South on February 2, 2026 in San Francisco. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
CLOSE THE SMILE GAP IN THE UNITED STATES
While rest and relaxation are key for NFL players during the offseason, Dawkins also makes sure to impact the community.
It partnered with Crest and Oral-B on its “Closing America’s Smile Gap” initiative, which aims to donate a free dental cleaning to families in need through “America’s ToothFairy.”
As someone who is always looking for ways to impact underserved youth through her Dion’s Dreamers foundation, Dawkins discussed the importance of improving access to oral health for children and families, especially considering that 50% of low-income parents will skip or delay their own dental care to give their children the care they need.
“It’s a no-brainer, a layup,” he said of the partnership with Crest and Oral-B. “For people who are doing the right thing to help, everything aligns.
“At the end of the day, one of the first things people see is your mouth, your teeth, the image of your smile…Sometimes some people are in the category of, ‘Okay, I just need to brush my teeth, then I’ll be fine.’ Sometimes you need to go to the dentist, get a cleaning, and the dentist needs to be prepared and needs to prepare you for the course of life to be able to have a smile. For Crest and Oral-B, this is what the world is: teeth.”
