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As the NFL continues to expand its reach and capitalize on the sport’s ever-growing popularity both domestically and globally, talk of adding an 18th regular season game has become more apparent.
The NFL Players’ Association has said players “don’t have the appetite for an 18th regular-season game,” while owners like the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft believe “every team will go 18” sooner rather than later.
For former MVP quarterback Cam Newton, he takes a step back and sees an 18th regular-season game from both sides. That assessment leads him to believe that preseason games, which each team plays three before Week 1 of the regular season, will be even more diluted.
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Cam Newton of Team J Balvin looks on against Team Druski during the Super Bowl LX Celebrity Flag Football Game on YouTube at Moscone Center South on February 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
“Man, it’s a lot on the body,” he told Pakinomist Digital of another regular season game being added to the schedule while discussing his Iconic Saga Productions partnership with Offscript Worldwide. “If you really look at it, what’s happening is they’re devaluing preseason games as we know it to be, and they’re trying to put it on the back burner.
“Because, one thing we all know — and I say this with all due respect — America’s new game has for some time been American football. It’s just good business. The Super Bowl brings together a global audience that no sporting event can witness, especially domestically in the United States. So they know the more they give, the more they’re able to get from different audiences.”
So seeing this as “good business” for the NFL, Newton suggests the league will once again drop a preseason game from a team’s schedule to add the 18th game. That’s what happened when the 17th regular season game was added in 2021 when the preseason schedule was reduced from four to three games.
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“I think when you talk about the 18th game, it really comes down to whether teams really want to focus on the preseason, or completely negate the preseason, just to get right into the regular season. It’s going to be interesting to see,” Newton added.
While the NFLPA has pushed back on the potential of an 18th game, citing player safety as one of the main reasons for keeping the schedule as it is, others like Buffalo Bills’ left tackle Dion Dawkins see it as inevitable.
“It’s going to go both ways,” he told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
“So, 20 years later, guess what? We’re talking about a 19th, then we’re talking about a 20th. … Then it’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re year-round combat athletes.’ But who knows,” Dawkins added.
ESPN analyst Cam Newton is on the set of “First Take” on February 6, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
For now, 17 games is what the NFL schedule will read in 2026. But, as Dawkins noted, who really knows?
To Newton’s point, it’s simply good business as demand continues to skyrocket for the league as each season passes.
EXPANDING CONTENT SCOPE WITH OFFSCRIPT
Newton may not be on the field anymore, but he’s still tuned in to the NFL and all other sports moments through his content creation, most notably his “Funky Friday” and “4th & 1 with Cam Newton” shows as part of his Iconic Saga Productions.
Newton and his production team announced a major partnership with Offscript Worldwide, a creator-owned ecosystem that connects culture-shaping brands and platforms under one roof, which includes REVOLT Sports and 3BlackDot.
Offscript unveiled this new partnership at the 2026 IAB NewFronts, where they will begin collaborating with Newton’s independent production powerhouse, integrating his hit shows and amplifying the reach of athlete-driven storytelling for global brands.
Cam Newton on the radio row in the Super Bowl LIX media center on February 7, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“When you really think about Offscript, it’s like the ecosystem that bridges so many different facets of our lives, from sports, to culture, to lifestyle, and so many different things,” explained Newton. “That transition for me was not foreign. Instead of training to be the best soccer player or the best athlete. Now I’m just training to be the best content creator that I can possibly be.
“I just always want to be a beacon for that person, in many ways, who was figuring it out as I went along. I’m just so excited that Offscript gives me and Iconic Saga the opportunity to continue to believe in our vision, and we’re not able to do these things without great partners like this.”
As this partnership kicks off, Newton will also hit the road for the “4th & 1 College Tailgate Experience,” visiting HBCUs across the United States to celebrate their legacy and shine a national spotlight on student-athletes, academic programs and the unique game-day culture that defines what it means to be an HBCU.
