Williams: Joe Burrow thoughtful on 18-game NFL schedule idea. Will Roger Goodell listen?

Jason Williams, Cincinnati Enquirer

Message: Joe Burrow had thoughtful and candid comments about the possibility of an 18-game NFL schedule. He said it’d be more money for the NFL, but raised concerns about players’ health. What do you think of expanding the schedule?

Reply: The NFL’s money-grubbing knows no bounds. Commissioner Roger Goodell has mentioned the idea of an 18-game schedule, meaning it’s probably inevitable. Then a few years after that, the NFL will look at a 19-game schedule. Then a 20-game schedule. Then …

Every time, Goodell and NFL officials will likely give lip service to player safety. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever.

An expanded schedule could lead to more injured and fatigued players. But to Goodell and team owners, watered down football on another fall weekend is better than no football. Cha-ching!

I like Burrow’s suggestion of adding a second bye week and making it like an NBA All-Star weekend – giving every team the weekend off. Good luck with that. You really think Goodell is going to go for a weekend off from games late in the season when playoff races are heating up?

Joe Burrow, here participating in an offseason workout Tuesday, had a good suggestion of a second bye to help players' health should the NFL go to an 18-game schedule. It's a good idea, but Commissioner Roger Goodell would never agree to a weekend without the NFL, Jason Williams writes.
Joe Burrow, here participating in an offseason workout Tuesday, had a good suggestion of a second bye to help players' health should the NFL go to an 18-game schedule. It's a good idea, but Commissioner Roger Goodell would never agree to a weekend without the NFL, Jason Williams writes.

The NFL added a game to the schedule starting in the 2021 season, expanding to 17 games. Surprise! Quarterback injuries have increased. In 2022, some 68 different quarterbacks started a game. Last season, when Burrow and several other high-profile quarterbacks suffered major injuries, 66 different players started at the position.

In 2022, the number of concussions across all positions increased by 18%, according to the NFL. Most of the increase could be attributed to quarterback concussions and head injuries, USA Today reported.

Isn’t this a quarterback-driven league? Don’t you want to see Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes in late December vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs?

But neither the NFL nor its diehard fans seem to care. More money! More beer! More hits (on the field and in the stands)! More football!

And the weak NFL players’ union will go right along with it. Whatever Roger says. More money for the players. More money for the owners. Good luck not getting hurt, fellas.

So, fans, clamor away for an 18th game. But don’t complain when Mitch Trubisky, Easton Stick, Tim Boyle and other backup quarterbacks become the face of Game 18 – especially when your team needs a win to make the playoffs.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Roger Goodell floats 18-game NFL season. Get ready for more backup QBs

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