NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has long been after an 18th regular season game for his league. Sports business analyst Joe Pompliano believes he’ll finally get his wish in 2025.
Advertisement
On Friday, Pompliano released a YouTube video titled, “The Future of Sports: 2025.” In it, he made seven predictions centered around the sports universe for the year ahead. His final guess involved Goodell getting his wish of 288 regular-season contests, which will ultimately lead to a massive surge in the league’s revenue.
“The NFL will add an 18th regular season game… nothing is ever certain when it comes to the [NFL], but it’s almost a certainty that commissioner Roger Goodell will add an additional regular season game into the league’s increasingly growing schedule.”
On The Pat McAfee Show at the 2024 NFL Draft, Goodell said, “I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular season game any day.” That, coupled with a second bye week, would put the Super Bowl on the Sunday preceding President’s Day – a federal holiday that most people don’t work on – every year. Fans have begged for an off day following the Super Bowl for years. This plan would make that happen.
While that is something fans can surely get behind, it becoming a reality in short order is complex. Pompliano noted that most analysts don’t think the 18th game will happen until the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires in 2029. However, he is confident Goodell and NFL owners will find a way to approve it this year.
Joe Pompliano thinks the NFL will “expand its international schedule”
Pompliano’s final prediction for 2025 is two-pronged. He thinks if the 18th game is instituted, the NFL will also widen its international reach with more out-of-country matchups.
Goodell has long opined that 16 games – one involving each of the league’s 32 franchises – taking place internationally would be his ideal scenario. Having an extra contest – and, perhaps more importantly, an extra bye week – would be immensely helpful to his mission. In Pompliano’s estimation, the 18th game and increased international footprint could lead to the league getting a massive payday.
“Adding more games would give [the NFL] more inventory to expand [its] international slate… with more games and expanded international presence, the NFL would likely opt out of its media rights deal in 2029 and negotiate a new deal spread across several cable and streaming platforms that could be worth more than $150 billion.”
For now, Goodell and Co. are focused on the upcoming postseason, where the Kansas City Chiefs’ pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl victory will take center stage. But behind the scenes, they’ll likely be doing all they can to make Pompliano’s prediction come true.