It seems Americans just can’t get enough of their gridiron football. That insatiable appetite is beginning to appear across the globe, too. The NFL has been steadily attempting to grow its presence outside of the U.S. for quite some time now.
Advertisement
There has been a considerable push made by the league to reach the international audience. Both the regular season and the scope of its international series have been expanded in the past few years.
But there is scope for more. The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, believes that the league is ready to take the next step forward in its plan for global domination.
“We’re going to push like the dickens now to make international more important with us,” Kraft said in a recent interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy.”
According to the 84-year-old owner, the NFL is responsible for “93 of the top 100 programs on television.” This statistic signifies that the league has essentially reached the height of its powers in the States. In other words, there’s no more capital left for them to squeeze.
So, a move into the international arena appears to be the only way for owners to maintain their dreams of exponential growth and “long-term labor peace.” Kraft also confirmed what many had come to suspect ever since the league first announced its transition to 17-game seasons back in 2021. An 18-game season is now inevitable.
Suggesting that it’s no longer a matter of if but rather when, the Patriots’ owner explained that there is already a rough plan in place for how the NFL will go about that proposal. “Every team will go to 18 and two and eliminate one of the preseason games,” he stated.
In reality, however, that may be much easier said than done. In February 2025, the executive director of the NFL’s Players Association, Lloyd Howell Jr., challenged the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell‘s claim that the NFL’s safety data promoted the idea of extending the regular season. “No one wants to play an 18th game. No one,” he began.
“Seventeen games is already, for many of the guys, too long. Seventeen games are also so lengthy that you’re still dealing with injuries going into the next season. So, there are a variety of issues that hang off of the length of the season before any formal negotiations,” added Howell Jr, who also suggested that “any commentary outside of a formal negotiation is just commentary.”
Even though Kraft’s comments come a year after Howell Jr.’s take on expansion, the NFLPA will likely continue to adhere to that policy. It’s also worth noting that the league’s collective bargaining agreement, which was initially ratified in 2020, doesn’t expire until 2030. So, unless it is voted on and agreed to by both the owners and the players, things will remain as they are for the next several years.
