An 18-game NFL regular season isn’t a slam dunk.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell pushed back on it Wednesday even though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly talked about it as if it’s inevitable.

The two sides haven’t had formal discussions about expanding the season, which would require renegotiating the collective bargaining agreement.

“It’s a players’ decision as to what they will agree to do or not,” Howell said. “Right now when I have talked to players over the last two seasons, no one wants to play an 18th game. No one. Seventeen games, for many of the guys, is too long.”

Of course, the players’ union would want the league to make several concessions in order to agree to an 18th game.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin, a linebacker for the Lions and NFLPA president, wouldn’t specify what the players may want in return.

Players are expected to want more money, another bye week, amendments to the offseason calendar, improvement of playing surfaces, a larger roster and much more. Time off between games, especially international games, is another issue. Distribution of revenue will be a major point, too.

Goodell said Monday there’s “a lot of work to be done” before the NFL possibly could expand to 18 games.

“If we do, 18 (games) and two (byes) might be a possibility,” he said. “We know fans love football and they want more football. But we have to be incredibly sensitive and smart with the balance and how we deal with that.”

Goodell said changes the league has made in terms of equipment, and training in the offseason and preseason have helped reduce the number of concussions and other injuries, making an additional game more palatable.

“I’d say even just the thought of 18 games makes me cringe, personally speaking,” Commanders running back Austin Ekeler said. “Like for me, my ankles as a running back, it takes a few months to heal up after the season.”

The current CBA runs through the 2030 season but the two sides could agree to amendments anytime.

NFL going Down Under >> The NFL is expanding its international footprint to Australia.

The league announced Wednesday that it will be playing a game in 2026 in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue that holds about 100,000 spectators. The Los Angeles Rams will be the home team for that game, part of a multi-year commitment to play in Melbourne.

As of the 2025 season, the NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated regular-season games internationally.

London will host three games next season — two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley Stadium. The Browns and the New York Jets are the home teams at Tottenham; and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley.

The Colts are the home team for a game in Berlin at Olympic Stadium, and the Miami Dolphins will be the hosts at Real Madrid ’s venue.

Conference dominance in the Super Bowl >> The battle between conferences has gone through ebbs and flows over the years with the AFC (or AFL) winning 11 of 13 titles from Super Bowl 3 through Super Bowl 15.

The NFC won 13 straight Super Bowls starting following the 1984 season when San Francisco beat Miami for its second title.

Now thanks to the recent runs by Kansas City and New England, the scorecard is tied up with 29 wins apiece.

The AFC can retake the lead for the first time since the 1980s with a Chiefs win on Sunday.