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The National Football League has moved closer and closer to an 18-game season, and if it were up to Robert Kraft, it would happen as soon as possible.
The New England Patriots owner sounded like he was predicting the change could come sooner rather than later, while also saying more international games could be on the horizon.
“We will push like Dickens now to make international more important with us. Every team will go to 18. [regular season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games. Every team every year will play a game overseas,” Kraft told Boston radio’s “The Sports Hub.”
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft looks on prior to the NFL game between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on October 5, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Kraft said the changes would be “so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our workforce happy.”
“Because we’re kind of nearing the top here with the coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 shows on TV are NFL games. Think about that. That’s really amazing,” Kraft said. “And you look at the size of our audience versus the other sports, and it’s really, you know, we had that Amazon game on Thursday a couple of weeks ago. 31 million people streamed. So as long as we can continue to grow revenue, we can maintain long-term peace of mind.”
A broad overview of the first half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
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All 32 teams have played at least one game during the season, with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way at 14 contests.
The push for an 18-game season came on the realization that adding a game to the end of the regular season would extend the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, meaning the following day would be a day off for the majority of the workforce.
There have been numerous arguments to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, but there has never been a legitimate movement.
A detailed view of the Super Bowl LX logo on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl 60 is held in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
The teams played 14-game seasons from 1961 to 1977 and then 16 games until the 2020 season, implementing a 17th game in 2021.
