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Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady might have a career on one of those talking heads sports shows on cable TV. All you need are two hosts who take different sides on the same issue. This time, the subject was the NFL’s new 17-game schedule.
Tom Brady publicly disagreed with the NFL’s expanded schedule and felt that the team owners did not listen to the players. Brady also felt that adding games to the season affects players’ preparations both mentally and physically.
Aaron Rodgers views regarding the NFL’s 17-game schedule
Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, did not feel the same way. Instead, Rodgers thought one extra game was not a big deal. During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, he explained his stance:
"We're talking about one more game. You know, we've played 16 games for so many years. Rolling out one extra game, you know, that's 6.25 % increase in playing. Like I don't think anybody's actually really pacing themselves with the extra game."
Curiously, it’s a far departure from his previous stance on February 26, 2020, when he tweeted that talks of expanding the season by one game should not have even been on the negotiating table. He explained that as a player rep, he spoke for most players who felt the same way -- that the extra game adds additional risk to those putting their bodies on the line every Sunday.
Given the toll on the body after every physical game, Tom Brady (and Aaron Rodgers in 2020) may have a point about NFL players going through the grind of a different game. And for someone like Tom Brady, who is perennially in the playoffs every single season, those games start to add up, even if he is pushing 45 and close to the end of his career.
In the end, the money speaks loudest, and the previous collective bargaining agreement (CBA) gave the team owners the power to expand the season to 17 games. Brady also stated that it’s easier to get 32 team owners to agree on something than 1,500 players to agree on a change.
If the NFL’s ratings are any indication, more football is usually a good thing for everyone involved, from fans to team owners. For the players, it may not be so cut and dry. At least between two of the league’s most popular players, they don’t agree on the new 17-game schedule.
