Brady criticizes NFL decision to extend season to 17 games

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady lamented the NFL’S decision to extend its regular season to 17 games on his weekly podcast, calling the decision “pointless” and describing it as a reflection of owners’ leverage over players.

“I think it’s pointless,” he said of the additional game on the latest episode of “Let’s GO!”“I thought it was a terrible decision. I think 16 is plenty.”

Brady, reflecting on the season at its midway point, described the 17th game as a “challenge” for players, adding “if you’re going from 16 to 17, I think it’s a significant deal.”

Co-host Jim Gray asked Brady if he foresaw coaches adopting similar load management tactics to those in the NBA, where players are given games off to better navigate the mental and physical challenges of a prolonged season.

“I think there’s definitely a threshold where there’s too much,” Brady said.

The NFL season stretched from 14 to 16 games in 1978. Owners have sought in recent years to raise that number to 18 with a shortened preseason as a revenue-boosting measure, but their efforts had been thwarted until last year’s labor negotiations with the NFL Players Association, which resulted in the 17-game regular season, an expanded playoff field and other trade-offs.

“Our union hasn’t proven that it’s strong enough to withstand the pressure from NFL owners. I would love to see a stronger union so that we can negotiate something that’s more fair, and what’s really right for the owners, for the coaches and the players, because all three groups need different things,” Brady said.