The NFL’s announcement of hosting Super Bowl LXII on February 13, 2028, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has sparked all the fuss around the 18-game season. Before announcing the date, there was a buzz that the league might add an 18th regular-season game in 2027. But the NFL commissioner has made it clear that they are sticking with the current 17-game schedule for at least one more season.

The date shows the NFL will keep its current 17-game regular season in 2027. If the league had added an 18th regular-season game, it would have needed an extra week, so the Super Bowl would have been played later.

Even Roger Goodell gave hints back in April addressing the possibility of an 18-game season on The Pat McAfee Show.

“One, safety has to be the primary concern, right?” Goodell said. “If you can’t do it safely for our players, we’re not gonna do it. And that’s why I would say it’s not inevitable. Second, I think this is the same issue when we went from 16 [regular-season games] and four [preseason games] to 17 and 3; we did it successfully because we did it with the players. We had taken out a lot of initiatives to make our game safer, and I think we did.”

For almost two years, the NFL did not announce the exact date of Super Bowl LXII because it was still thinking about adding an 18th regular-season game. During that time, the league had already chosen Las Vegas to host the 2029 Super Bowl and Nashville to host the 2030 Super Bowl. Now that the NFL has confirmed February 13, 2028, as the date for Super Bowl LXII, an extra regular-season game appears unlikely. 

On top of it, the NFL is also deciding what to do with its future TV broadcast deals, so there are still some big decisions to make. Because of this, the league is taking its time and waiting before making any changes to the regular-season schedule.

Many NFL team owners still want an 18-game regular season. One of the biggest supporters is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who believes one more game would help the NFL earn more money and grow its popularity around the world. However, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) does not support the idea because players worry that playing an extra game would increase the risk of injuries and put more physical stress on them.

The NFLPA is also adjusting to new leadership after JC Tretter became its executive director in March. Because of this leadership change, the NFL and the players’ union have not yet started official talks about adding an 18th regular-season game. Until those discussions begin and both sides reach an agreement, the future of an 18-game season remains uncertain.