Ryan Kelly

Colts C Ryan Kelly, who is the team’s NFL Players Association representative, said an 18-game schedule would be “too many games.”

The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have been discussing an expansion to an 18-game schedule, an idea the NFL players will likely try to resist. There was already some resistance on the expansion to 17 games a few seasons ago and now Kelly explains fans “shouldn’t know all the injuries that we go through. But they don’t know what it takes to play on Sunday. I just think it’s too many games.” Kelly is hesitant on agreeing to an increased injury risk with more games taking a further toll on players’ bodies. He also explained that ideas like cutting preseason games and changing offseason workouts would give fringe roster players less of a shot to prove themselves. Kelly’s statements show a microcosm of the NFLPA’s sentiments and there is a long road for the NFL and NFLPA to discuss such changes.