Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick among latest NFL stars pushing back on potential 18-game season

For now, the NFL will play a 17-game regular season schedule, although commissioner Roger Goodell recently discussed extending the season by one game. It appears, based on recent comments made by several NFL players, that Goodell and Co. will face some resistance when they decide to try to extend the season.

Steelers All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was one of the players recently surveyed by ESPN about the possibility of an 18-game regular season. Fitzpatrick was also part of the 19% of respondents who are completely against increasing the season.

“Why do we keep adding games?” Fitzpatrick asked.. “I think 17 is more than enough, another playoff. … The guys who play a hundred percent of the snaps in the regular season are probably barely playing in the regular season. [removed] preseason game, so it doesn’t do much.”

Teammate and veteran forward James Daniels pointed to the hypocrisy of adding an extra game to the schedule when the league says it cares about improving player safety.

“You’re talking about player safety, but how do you ensure player safety when adding a game?” Daniels said. “If they were worried about player safety, it would take away games, but it’s not about player safety, it’s about money and extra games – an extra game in prime time – that brings millions of dollars into the NFL, millions of dollars to cities around the world. I understand that from both sides.”

As expected, there are a number of different opinions from players when it comes to extending the regular season. While some players are vehemently against it, others feel it is the league’s decision and will follow whatever they decide. The Raiders’ perennial Pro Bowl player Davante Adams largely falls into this category.

“I’m always willing to play more football,” Adams. “But it makes more sense when you’re fighting for something too.”

Adams was likely referring to the NFLPA’s struggle to get something in exchange for a longer season. Money, it seems, may be the biggest thing players want in return.

“They’re still not paying us enough money,” Steelers safety DeShon Elliott said. “They are stingy with their money, so they want to make us play 18 games. As a players union, we should be getting a lot more money than we are getting – and not just the big guys. they are not here playing football. They’re not out here running around putting their bodies at risk. They don’t just care about making money, but whether you’re going to make money at the top. , whoever is at the base also needs to make money.”

Along with the money, an extra week off is something players will likely also lobby for if the season is, in fact, extended. Joe Burrow recently alluded to this, and fellow quarterback Brock Purdy did the same.

“It’s a long season, man,” Purdy said. “You go through so much physical and mental and everything. But if we’re going to extend this to another game, I think another goodbye would be really nice. I still feel 100% in it.”

In fact, a move to an 18-game season is inevitable if that’s what the NFL the owners want. That said, it’s becoming clear that the league will have to give some things back to its players to make an 18-game season a reality.