Roger Goodell all but confirmed on Friday that the NFL will increase the regular season schedule from 17 to 18 games sometime in the near. When that happens, Joe Burrow would like the NFL to add one other thing to the schedule.
"18 games? 2 bye weeks," Burrow wrote on X.
Will the Bengals' quarterback get his wish? In theory, a second bye week for an 18-game regular season makes sense. That would result in a 20 week season, meaning that football fans will be treated to five full months of regular season action.
While most players would likely be in favor of an extra bye, the issue is that would cut into their offseason. Because of this, along with Goodell stating that he wants the Super Bowl to be played on Presidents Day Weekend, the odds of a second bye week happening would be greatly increased if the NFL gets rid of the preseason, which Goodell is in favor of.
One obvious concern with an 18-game regular season is the increase in injuries to key players before the postseason. While adding an extra bye week to the schedule wouldn't totally solve that issue, it would give players an extra week to rest and recover before the playoffs start.
