It seems inevitable that the NFL will expand the regular season from 17 to 18 games. The momentum is strong enough, with at least one team explaining the potential for a recent player contract.
The Miles Garrett deal with the Browns, a copy obtained and reviewed by PFT, explicitly addresses the possibility of a regular season expansion.
On page 7 of the rules regarding roster bonuses per game, the contract explains that Garrett is entitled to up to $1 million a year, divided by the number of games on the active Gameday roster.
“If there is a change in the number of regular season games, the per game bonus will change by dividing the maximum total bonus amount by the number of regular season games for that particular season,” the contract explains. “For example, if 18 game seasons are 18, players will earn $55,555.55 per game.”
The Garrett deal also anticipates another potential change in the number of players on the Gameday roster. “If an active list number changes, we will use that active list number to determine whether a bonus is earned per game,” the contract states.
It is widely believed that the regular season additional games could potentially increase the maximum number of players in the total roster and uniforms.
It’s not the first time the Browns have predicted a final move into 18 games. Last year they proposed a two-week delay on the trading deadline. We anticipated a week of changing from 16 to 17 games, and another week to 18 games. (Owners adopted a one-week delay.)
There’s no doubt there’s another game coming. The question is whether the NFL and the NFL Players Association will begin trading before the current collective bargaining agreement expires, or whether the NFL will get what they want in their next labor contract under the threat of lockout.
