In recent years, the NFL has made a number of tweaks to its schedule. By now, we’ve all grown accustomed to the 18-week regular-season schedule, with each team playing 17 games. However, that change didn’t just impact the regular season — it also affected the preseason schedule.
The NFL Reduced the Number of Preseason Games
In 2021, the NFL reduced the number of preseason games. Now, each team plays three preseason games rather than four. The only exception is the Hall of Fame Game participants — the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans in 2024 — who play four contests.
While this results in fewer injuries, it also means executives and coaches have fewer opportunities to evaluate their players before roster cutdown day. It also adds more importance to the joint practices and practice reps.
Previously, the third preseason game was typically considered the “dress rehearsal” that featured the starters, including star players. This is when they would get their most extensive work before the regular season, with some teams playing their starters a full half.
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Now, with only three preseason games, most teams either don’t play their stars at all or they play them sparingly throughout the exhibition games. This means the fringe players have more opportunities to prove themselves and put together positive game tape. However, it also means the stars may enter the season a bit rusty.
Even though the preseason no longer features the kind of star power it used to, there are still plenty of interesting storylines to follow throughout the three NFL preseason games. From top rookies making their debuts to less-established players making the most of their opportunities, the NFL’s next big stars may be discovered during the preseason.
Will the NFL Get Rid of the Preseason?
The NFL is seriously considering an 18-game regular season, so that begs the question: will the preseason eventually be eliminated altogether?
Getting rid of the preseason is the easy answer to lessen the burden on the players, who already have mixed feelings about an 18-game season. As the league continues to express interest in expanding the regular season, the future of the preseason is uncertain.
During the 2024 NFL Draft, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the possibility of swapping one preseason game for another regular-season game.
“I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day,” Goodell said. “That’s just picking quality. If we got to 18 [regular season games] and two [preseason games], that’s not an unreasonable thing.”
How do players feel about this? Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly, who serves on the NFLPA’s executive committee, had a strong reaction.
“Eighteen games sounds great when Roger’s on the ‘Pat McAfee [Show].’ Until you’re the one that’s going out there and putting the helmet on for 18 of those games, then come talk to me,” Kelly told ESPN, adding that it’s “up to the players to decide.”
“If they said, ‘Hey, you guys get 70% of revenue, and we’ll take 30 as owners,’ a lot of guys would sign up for that if you make $100 million playing quarterback. So I think everybody’s got a line they draw in the sand, and we’ll see where that is,” Kelly added.
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It’s worth noting that the current revenue split is approximately 52% to 48% in favor of owners.
It remains to be seen if the NFLPA will support an 18-game schedule, but Goodell clearly wants to implement it. Based on his comments, he envisions an 18-game schedule that culminates in a Presidents’ Day weekend built around the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
A Presidents’ Day Super Bowl extravaganza might be exactly what NFL fans need in order to accept that the preseason could eventually be no more.