Joe Flacco: What happens when we go to 18 games? Are they going to want 20, then 22?
Flacco recognizes that more games will mean more money, but he thinks there are drawbacks to a longer season.
Joe Flacco has played 209 games in his career, and he's back with the Bengals this year at the age of 41. He has managed to keep going despite the wear and tear of 18 NFL seasons, but he has concerns about the season getting longer. Flacco said that with NFL owners wanting to add a game to the regular season, he questions whether the 18-game season will turn into 20, and then 22, and whether the constant desire for more money will hurt the players, and the product on the field.
"It's got to stop at some point," Flacco told Front Office Sports . "What happens when we go to 18? Are they going to want 20?
Are they going to want 22? We used to play 14 games before I was born. At some point it has to stop.
" Flacco said that he thinks players will eventually go along with the longer season and the more money that will come with it. "If we're asked to play 18 games, I think you're not going to see much difference, and it looks like we're probably eventually going to play 18 games, and we'll just have to do it, and it is what it is," Flacco said. "The revenue's going to go up, and the salary cap is going to go up, and over time you are going to be making more money.