Cory's Corner: More Isn't Always Better
The NFL has been chasing money at the risk of players' health. At what point do the players say no?
The NFL sold the 17-game schedule as progress. More football. More excitement. More opportunities for fans. It was marketed as a win for everyone.
It wasn't.
The addition of a 17th regular-season game was never about improving the quality of the sport. It was about increasing revenue. More games mean more television inventory, more advertising dollars, more betting opportunities, more fantasy football engagement and more money flowing into league coffers. The NFL has become a year-round content machine, and every additional game feeds that machine.
The problem is that the players are paying the price.
Medical science has never been better. Teams have nutritionists, sleep specialists, GPS tracking, recovery experts and training staffs that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago. Players are stronger, faster and better conditioned than ever before.
Yet they're also more physically exhausted.
The human body simply wasn't designed to absorb hundreds of collisions over an 18-week regular season before the playoffs even begin. No amount of cryotherapy, cold tubs or advanced rehabilitation can eliminate the cumulative punishment of an NFL season.
By December, almost every player is managing something. A sore shoulder. A sprained ankle. Damaged ribs. A lingering hamstring. The injury report grows longer while the margin for recovery disappears.
The NFL often points to advances in player safety, and to be fair, some changes have helped. Better helmets, improved concussion protocols and rules designed to reduce dangerous hits have all made the game safer than it once was.
Safer doesn't mean safe.
Adding another game simply creates another week for bodies to break down.
The expanded schedule has also diluted the history of the game. Passing records, receiving records and even rushing totals are becoming increasingly difficult to compare with previous generations. A quarterback throwing for 5,500 yards today isn't necessarily accomplishing more than one who threw for 5,000 in a 16-game season. Statistics lose some of their historical significance when players receive additional opportunities to accumulate them.
Of course, none of this should surprise anyone.
The league has shown repeatedly that its greatest priority is maximizing revenue. Every week of football creates another national television window. Another weekend of fantasy football. Another slate of prop bets, parlays and point spreads. Another opportunity for sportsbooks in places like Las Vegas to generate enormous wagering volume.
The NFL has become less concerned with protecting its greatest asset — the players — and more interested in creating enough content to satisfy television partners and sportsbooks hungry for inventory.
That's why an 18th regular-season game feels less like speculation and more like inevitability.
Owners will argue fans want more football. Television networks will gladly pay for another marquee weekend. Sportsbooks will celebrate another week of betting. Everyone involved stands to profit.
Everyone except the players.
An 18-game schedule would almost certainly require a second bye week, expanded rosters and additional safeguards simply to keep players functioning through January. Even then, the physical toll would be unprecedented.
The NFL remains America's most popular sport because of its intensity. Every game matters. Every collision carries consequences. But there is a point where chasing another dollar begins to diminish the very product that made the league successful in the first place.
The NFL has built a financial empire unlike any other sports league. No one should fault it for wanting to grow. But growth should never come at the expense of the people whose bodies make the game possible.
At some point, the league must decide whether enough is enough.
Unfortunately, history suggests the next decision won't be about protecting players.
It will be about finding room on the calendar for Week 18.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (16)
NickPerry
July 07, 2026 at 07:01 am
Once the owners get that 18th week they'll be happy for about a week, then they'll start pushing for a 19 game regular season. These owners could give a rats ass about player safety. The people who own these teams care about one thing...MORE MONEY!
For me, just to watch every Packers game, I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket, Peacock, Amazon Prime, You-Tube TV, and Netflix. I'm sure I left one off but you get the idea. It's become ridiculous AND expensive.
The Players will continue to pay the price with their bodies, the fans with their wallets, while the owners just sit back and get more and more $$$.
stockholder
July 07, 2026 at 08:25 am
The longer the season.
The better the chances a parsons can play.
No player, or owner, wants to lose money
do to recovery time.
Since'61
July 07, 2026 at 10:06 am
The owners don't lose any money. The NFL revenue sharing covers them. Thanks, Since '61
Cheezehead72
July 07, 2026 at 08:43 am
I can watch every Packer game and all I subscribe to is UZZU. Oh and all the Brewer games. There are cheaper options out there.
TarynsEyes
July 07, 2026 at 10:10 am
"For me, just to watch every Packers game, I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket, Peacock, Amazon Prime, You-Tube TV, and Netflix. I'm sure I left one off but you get the idea. It's become ridiculous AND expensive."
Yikes!
barutanseijin
July 07, 2026 at 10:15 am
Until they don’t. Nothing lasts forever.
When i was little, baseball was king and we talked about boxing matches. The newspapers were full of horse racing results and odds. Now there are hardly any horse racing tracks anymore. If they care about sports at all, the average kid is into the NBA and soccer.
LeotisHarris
July 07, 2026 at 10:42 am
You make a very important point that gets overlooked when the focus is on growth and quarterly profit alone. It will be interesting to see how much baseball owners will be willing to hurt the game to establish a salary cap. Will they be willing to make demons of the "greedy players" at the expense of turning a fanbase further against a declining sport.
The NFL is arrogant and greedy. Pride before the fall and so on. As you pointed out with horse racing and boxing, fans will lose interest. Now days there's a casino in your pocket and you don't need a sport to wager on. Amen.
stockholder
July 07, 2026 at 08:11 am
Cory - It is better.
The league utilizes several deliberate mechanisms
to ensure competitive equality across its franchises.
A teams schedule is part of it.
The NFL has trapped teams in mediocrity.
Because general managers often prioritize
"safe" picks with limited upside over high-risk,
game-changing talent.
The cap protects the teams and the owners.
And Those who want money, will get it!
PeteK
July 07, 2026 at 08:14 am
I fully agree, but we could stop it if 30 % of fans stopped watching, betting , and attending even for part of the season. Wait I have to cancel the NFL ticket?1?!
Cheezehead72
July 07, 2026 at 08:51 am
Cory I agree I was against the 17 game season. I would have rather them add an extra bye week to give me an extra week of football. Yes I watch other teams. One thing I hate about the added game is that it does not fit the schedule like 16 games did.
It is good if the NFL increases revenue. That allows the player to be paid more. The lowest paid player in the NFL makes $885,000 for one season. The average viewer would have to work 10 years to make that much money. Plus with increased revenue means that the NFL will remain successful.
When they go to an 18 game season the changes I would like to see is the first two weeks should be NFL v AFC games only being that most of the starters do not play preseason. I would also like to see the game day roster increased and also the extra bye week.
Since'61
July 07, 2026 at 08:52 am
The 16 game schedule was perfect for the NFL. Even then there was plenty of wear and tear on the players but now greed has completely taken over the league's decision making process. It's not just the number of games it's also the unnecessary additional travel of international games and the short weeks with TNF. Plus many of the playing surfaces around the league are dangerous.
The combination of all of these factors plus less practice time mandated by the CBA continue to dilute the quality of play and increase the risk for the players.
Fans are paying more than ever to watch an increasingly diluted product on the field. It's all greed and it's all unnecessary.
Bottom line is that the league doesn't care about its players or the fans. Thanks, Since '61
Leatherhead
July 07, 2026 at 10:06 am
My employers never gave a crap about my health or well being. Expose me to a bunch of sick kids. Put some violent ankle-monitoring kids in my class. They didn't care. If you have an employer who truly cares about you and your well-being, you are a lucky, lucky, individual.
Coldworld
July 07, 2026 at 10:14 am
18 games and more in season overseas games as well. It’s more than just a game addition. The problem with football is there aren’t enough players of quality to maintain quality in a squad based approach, particularly at key positions. Add the fact that the league refuses to have 2 genuine byes or to face up to the issue of artificial surfaces. More is likely to inevitably bring dilution of quality. The balance between profit maximization and long term attractiveness of the product is one we are perilously close to.
HawkPacker
July 07, 2026 at 10:24 am
This also means more CAP money which goes to the players. So they do get something with more games played.
The NFL needs to continue to evolve if they are adding games such as increasing rosters and changing how the practice squad works with 'call ups' etc. They have made some changes but need to continue to review.
I would like them to scrap going to Europe. That is too hard on a team and quite frankly, I do not see the reason for it. Do we really want some Europe football teams?
T7Steve
July 07, 2026 at 10:35 am
If the NFL expands to 18 games I'll have to look for a sponsorship to be able to afford the additional fees we know the various platforms will charge.
Anyone want an agreeable NIL deal for a 67 year old die hard Packer fan?
Savage57
July 07, 2026 at 10:49 am
All of this was covered in the children's book, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie".