The NFL would like to increase inventory, as evidenced by the expansion of the regular season from 16 to 17 games in 2021. At some point, 18 games will arrive. The next step would be expansion.
And that’s the step the league should not take, for one important reason. There aren’t enough good quarterbacks to go around for 32 teams.
There aren’t enough good quarterbacks to go around in part because there aren’t enough healthy quarterbacks. There aren’t enough healthy quarterbacks even though the league is bending over backwards to protect them, from aggressively flagging roughing the passer to not aggressively penalizing intentional grounding to not calling offensive holding as often as it happens, to allowing tackles to get a slight head start as they prepare to keep the quarterback from getting hit.
At some positions, there are more than enough players to support 34, 36, 38, 40 teams or more. Beyond having more than enough punters and kickers, there’s a surplus of competent running backs. That’s the biggest reason why the best ones can’t get paid a more fair rate.
The best quarterbacks get paid a lot more than anyone else, largely because of the scarcity of the commodity. There are a handful of true franchise quarterbacks. There is a small cluster of highly competent quarterbacks behind them. Beyond that, the quality plummets. Throw in injuries, and multiple teams end up with no real shot. Put one or two of those teams in prime time, and the ratings won’t be as large as they could be.
Yes, more teams will result in more inventory. Without more competent quarterbacks, it’ll be more ugly football and more inept teams.
Let’s remember that whenever anyone mentions the possibility of expanding the NFL beyond 32 teams.