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With talk growing about the NFL expanding to an 18-game regular season, “NFL RedZone” host Scott Hanson said he heard an interesting concept about bye weeks.
Hanson, 54, said he heard a concept about a possible league-wide bye week if the NFL expanded to 18 games.
“If you had an 18th game, do you add a second bye week? I’ve even heard a concept where maybe they add an extra game but they add an extra bye week that’s a full bye week for the entire league,” Hanson told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview while partnering with Lowe’s.
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NFL Network’s Scott Hanson speaks onstage during day three of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 26, 2025. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
“Maybe there’s an NFL weekend in mid-October, early November, somewhere in the middle of the season, where no one plays a game, let the players recover, get their bodies back, everyone can get away from football, just a little bit, and then come and play the second half of the season.”
Hanson said for an 18th game to be considered a possibility, many large entities must be on the same page.
“Well, look, the most important thing about this is that the league, the Players Union and all the partners within the NFL ecosphere have to be on the same page. And this is a big deal and a big change. Should it happen? So, they have a lot of conversations to have about it,” Hanson said.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with NFL Network’s Scott Hanson before Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13, 2022. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Hanson also pointed out how much later the Super Bowl would take place if the NFL implemented an 18-game regular season.
“But if you add that game, extend the season, maybe by two weeks, if there’s an extra break, meaning the Super Bowl is delayed maybe even past Valentine’s Day, there’s a lot of moving parts there,” Hanson said.
Super Bowl LVI was the furthest into a calendar year in which a Super Bowl was played, when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on February 13, 2022. Super Bowl LXI, next year’s big game, will push the date back even further as it is scheduled to be played on February 14, 2027, also known as Valentine’s Day.
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Host Scott Hanson speaks on stage during the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 30, 2022. (David Becker/Getty Images)
Hanson said he would personally be happy if they added more games, because he loves football.
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“More games means more action. It means more touchdowns for me in the NFL Red Zone,” Hanson said. “I’ll smile, you know, if it finally becomes a reality.”
