The NFL inevitably will expand the regular season to 18 games. It’s a matter of “when” not “if.”
As to the when, it could still happen the season after next.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the lingering absence of a specific date for Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta is tied directly to the possibility of the season expanding for the 2027 season. With 17 games, the game would be played most likely on Sunday, February 13. With 18 games, it would slide to Sunday, February 20.
And if 18 games comes with a second bye, the NFL likely would have to start the 2027 season on Labor Day weekend. That hasn’t happened since 2001.
Last Monday, Commissioner Roger Goodell said it’s “not a given” that the regular-season will expand. The next day, interim NFL Players Association executive director David White said the players have “no appetite” for adding another game.
Once the NFLPA hires a permanent executive director, the league apparently plans to make a move on moving the season to 18. And the door for 18 by 2027 will remain open until Super Bowl LXII locks into February 13, 2028.
