Overview
- On a Boston radio show, the Patriots owner outlined a plan for 18 regular-season games, two preseason games, and one international game per team each year.
- Kraft framed the push as an owner-driven initiative to expand the schedule and formalize international matchups, not as a finalized league policy.
- He suggested owners could resort to a 2031 lockout as leverage if the NFLPA does not agree to a CBA built around the expanded format.
- Kraft argued the move would grow revenue and the salary cap, citing dominant NFL TV rankings and an Amazon-streamed playoff game that drew about 31 million viewers.
- The proposal aligns with ongoing league interest in global expansion, with recent high-attendance games abroad and Commissioner Roger Goodell’s openness to more international fixtures, including postseason sites.