The NFL season will remain at 16 games, with four preseason contests, for at least the next two seasons.
Despite a push from commissioner Roger Goodell and owners throughout last season to expand the regular season to 18 games while reducing the preseason to two games, this change was never a major part of negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement.
Players felt an 18-game schedule would bring too many health risks. Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, a member of the players association executive committee, was especially outspoken about not wanting an expanded season.
Those concerns were heard, and the issue will not be revisited before 2013, the league said Thursday.
“We certainly recognize the health and safety issues,” Goodell said at a news conference Thursday night in Atlanta. “It was the judgment of the ownership that we should implement those health and safety changes now, continue to make our game safer and continue the dialogue about whether it makes sense to move to an 18-game schedule at some point in the future with the players’ concurrence.”
