NFL players know they need to give their 100% each day they step on the gridiron, knowing it’s a matter of keeping their job, or seeing it taken by the next man up. As a result, the average NFL career is around just three seasons, both from the elite talent pool and the injury risk that comes with a high-octane contact sport. The NFL, though, couldn’t be doing better from a business perspective, as football fans crave more action on any given night throughout the season. The 2026 season will be kicking off on a Wednesday night this year in large part due to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers playing in Melbourne, Australia at 10:35 a.m. local time on Friday morning, which will be Thursday night at 8:35 p.m. ET back in the States. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNo matter where or when, the games will be watched, which is why the 18th regular-season game conversation remains pertinent as the league continues to expand its reach.Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins knows how grueling a 17-game season can be already as someone who’s in the trenches when the ball is snapped. “I think the world that we live in is just a different type of world, right? Production, entertainment, sports. We’re a part of that world where people want to see football more — they want to see it. So, the 18th game is a beautiful business choice as the league,” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview, where he also touched on his partnership with Oral-B and Crest to impact families in need of dental cleaning. SUPER BOWL CHAMPION SEAHAWKS TO OPEN 2026 NFL SEASON ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTBut, while he understands the business aspect of why the NFL would want to introduce an 18th game to the regular-season schedule, he thinks a player’s perspective needs to be listened to as well.”The only counter that I see to it is guys’ careers are only getting shorter,” Dawkins explained. “Not to say that one game is going to make it drastically shorter, but one game can change somebody’s entire trajectory of life. Like, if you make it through a 17-game season healthy, and you get to 18 and your body is ready to break down, something happens. Then, the course of your life is totally different.”Of course, Dawkins understands better than others being a part of successful Bills teams in recent seasons means playoff football, which comes right after Week 18 in the Wild Card Round. However, teams will rest key starters like Dawkins if they have their playoff seed clinched, though not all are so lucky during the year. No matter the case, Dawkins believes “it’s going to happen either way.” He just wants to make sure players like himself are taken care of properly if that is the case, especially from a financial lense.”Our contracts aren’t fully guaranteed. There’s good players, there’s average players, there’s players that are just making it by. As long as guys are taken care of the way they’re supposed to, this is our life. We’re athletes, and not th
Bills star Dion Dawkins explains his ‘counter’ to potential NFL 18th game: ‘Careers are only getting shorter’
