Report: NFL owners pitching 18-game regular season, 16-game limit per player

As collective bargaining negotiations are set to begin between the NFL and the players' union, team owners are broaching the idea of an 18-game regular season, according to Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal.

In search of new revenue streams, owners have long been believed to be interested in expanding the regular season. This time around, owners have reportedly attached a 16-game limit for individual players to their proposal in order to assuage fears about the player-safety implications of two extra games. Expanding rosters is also part of the discussion, reports Beaton.

There are drawbacks to such a proposal. Healthy star players could be forced to miss late-season games with playoff implications if they've already reached their 16-game limit. The financial benefits, however, are obvious. Two extra games could generate roughly $2.5 billion in league revenue, Beaton reports, citing an NFLPA analysis.

The NFL and the NFLPA have scheduled three negotiating sessions for July 17-19, ESPN's Josina Anderson reports, citing a source. It was reported in June the NFL wants to reach a new collective bargaining agreement by September.

- With h/t to ProFootballTalk