No one understands football’s toll on the human body better than NFL players. And with the league set to begin its third 17-game campaign for all 32 squads this fall, a big-name anchor thinks it’s time the powers that be start to recalibrate and think of players’ health over a four-month-plus grind.
How? By adding another bye week. It’s not a bad thought, really.
According to Pewter Report, Buccaneers’ offense tackle Tristan Wirfs — a First-Team All-Pro in 2021 and a Second-Team All-Pro in 2022 — thinks the league simply has to include another bye week if it’s going to subject players to 17 regular-season games for the foreseeable future.
Playing 16 games and subjecting oneself to contact against other superhuman athletes was already a challenge. Playing 17, per Wirfs, should necessitate that players get more time to recuperate accordingly.
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“Yes it does,” Wirfs said about if there’s a difference between going from 16 games to 17. “We need an extra bye week.”
After players and owners agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020, one of the provisions opened the door to an eventual 17-game season slate — which began in 2021. With just a two-year sample size, it’s unclear what playing another game means for long-term effects on players’ well-being. After all, it’s not as if everyone actually plays all 17 games, especially considering that Week 18 has now morphed into the de facto bye week that used to be Week 17 for many playoff squads.
That said, even while little can probably be done given the constraints of the CBA, it’s hard to disagree with Wirfs’ sentiment. The NFL cannot preach progressive and proactive action on safety without even considering the possibility of a second bye week. Logistically, this would also technically extend the overall NFL season, pushing events like the Super Bowl to late February.
But it’d give players ample time to recover when needed, given that more physical demands are now on their plate. Above all, that should take priority.
