Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn't in favor of the NFL potentially expanding to a 18-game regular season, suggesting that additional bye weeks would be necessary if the league's schedule gets longer.
"I always say the more games, it's a little bit more taxing on the guys that play the game," Mahomes said Friday on CNBC. "If there was a way that they were to get 18 games in the schedule ... I think that you'd have to find a way to have more bye weeks, more time spread out. I mean, you've seen the amount of injuries that have kind of piled up there at the end of seasons and you want to have the best players playing in the biggest games.
"So, if there were a way to get to 18 games, I'm not a big fan of it. But if there were a way, I think you got to add some bye weeks in there to give more time for guys' bodies."
Adding an 18th game to the NFL schedule has been a topic of discussion since the league moved to a 17-game slate in 2021. Commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier in 2025 that 18 games would be a "logical" next step.
After this year's league meetings, an eventual move to 18 games feels inevitable, reports Jonathan Jones of CBS. However, formal negotiations about adding games aren't expected to start before next year, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said in February that "no one wants to play an 18th game" in the regular season.
