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The 2026 NFL owners meetings in Phoenix are underway, and among the discussions will surely be whether an 18th regular season game should be added to the schedule at some point.
Two owners, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots and Carlie Irsay-Gordon of the Indianapolis Colts, are strongly in favor.
However, there is a key caveat: Kraft would be in your shoes.
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Robert Kraft and Carlie Irsay-Gordon are two NFL owners who believe an 18th game could be added, but with caveats. (Getty Images)
Kraft reportedly told media in Phoenix that he favors an 18th game of the regular season, but wants there to be a second bye week for teams instead of the standard week.
Additionally, Kraft’s “conditions,” according to Ari Meirov of The33rdTeam, were to eliminate one preseason game, bringing the total to two per season, and have each NFL team play at least one international game each season.
As for Irsay-Gordon, he pointed out the fact that not all teams have an even number of home games in today’s NFL under a 17-game schedule. But he also agrees with Kraft that the preseason should be shortened.
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“Preseason, as far as the product for the fans, I know the commissioner has been clear that it’s not the best product we have,” he explained, according to the Indianapolis Star. “I would say, for the development of our team, I don’t think we can get rid of that.”
While the owners want it, the NFL Players Association noted at the Super Bowl earlier this year that its team has “no appetite” for an 18th regular-season game.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft smiles before the 2025 NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 19. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Now that JC Tretter has been elected executive director of the AP, negotiations could continue on an 18th game, as well as a new media rights deal. While the television deal could be changed before the start of the 2026 season, Pro Football Talk reported that some support for the league to implement an 18th game could come as early as the 2027 campaign.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has noted in the past that Game 18 is “not a given,” though owners like Kraft, Irsay and likely others see it coming sooner rather than later.
Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital that he feels like it’s “going to 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 perspective.
Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills enters the field before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on November 2, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
“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.”
