Jerry Jones explains benefits of proposed 18-game NFL season expansion
The NFL is seriously weighing a move to an 18-game regular season and the debate is only getting louder. No decision has been made yet but league executives and team owners have been warming up to the idea for a while now. The NFL Players Association is pushing back hard citing player health and the physical toll an extra game would bring.
It is the same tension the league has been navigating for years, revenue on one side and player welfare on the other. MORE: The real problem the NFL has with its refs Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not sitting on the fence. Jerry Jones sends message on 18-game schedule The 83-year-old has been one of the loudest voices in favor of expanding the schedule and he wants the union to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
His argument centers on the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement which already guarantees players a proportional share of any revenue growth the league generates. “My interpretation of the 18th game would be less preseason games. I like that,” Jones said per Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith .
“I think that’s great for the players — emphasize great for the players. It increases the viability of the financial aspect, more gate and more money for the players as well. ” “I think it’s a better application of their careers and talent.
Less preseason, more playing in games that have the right balance of the financial rewards as well as exposure,” he added per Ari Meirov. That said, players have consistently argued that adding even one game raises injury risk in a meaningful way affecting both availability during the season and health after careers end. MORE: Tom Brady issues honest life update following Flag Football Classic event Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks with referee Adrian Hill.