The 2026 NFL owners meetings in Phoenix are underway, and among the discussions is bound to be whether an 18th regular-season game should be added to the schedule at some point. 

Two owners, New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft and Indianapolis Colts’ Carlie Irsay-Gordon, are all for it. 

However, there is a key caveat Kraft would be in place. 

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Kraft reportedly told media in Phoenix that he is in favor of an 18th regular-season game, but he wants there to be a second bye week for teams instead of the standard one week. 

Also, Kraft’s “conditions,” according to The33rdTeam’s Ari Meirov was removing one preseason game, which brings the total to two per season, and making every single NFL team play at least one international game each season. 

As for Irsay-Gordon, she pointed to the fact that not every team gets an even number of home games in today’s NFL under a 17-game schedule. But she also agrees with Kraft that preseason should be shortened. 

BILLS STAR DION DAWKINS EXPLAINS HIS ‘COUNTER’ TO POTENTIAL NFL 18TH GAME: ‘CAREERS ARE ONLY GETTING SHORTER’

“Preseason, is, as far as the fan product goes, I know the commissioner’s been open that it’s not the best product that we have,” she explained, per the Indianapolis Star. “I would say, for development of our team, I don’t think we can get rid of it.”

While owners want it, the NFL Players’ Association noted at the Super Bowl earlier this year that their side has “no appetite” for an 18th regular-season game. 

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft smiles before the NFL 2025 game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 19. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

Now that JC Tretter was elected the PA’s executive director, negotiations about an 18th game, as well as a new media rights contract, could be ongoing. While the TV deal could be changed before the start of the 2026 season, Pro Football Talk reported that some support for the league to implement an 18th game could come as soon as the 2027 campaign. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has noted in the past that the 18th game is “not a given,” though owners like Kraft, Irsay, and likely others see it coming sooner than later. 

Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said in a recent interview to Fox News Digital that he feels “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 lens.

Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills runs onto the field prior to an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on Nov. 2, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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“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 that I’m here for it, it’s going to happen either way – [an] 18th game. And then 20 years later, guess what? We’re talking about a 19th, then we’ll be talking about a 20th.… Then it’s like, ‘Yeah, we are combat athletes all year long.’ But who knows.”

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PHOENIX — When the Washington Commanders sold for $6.05 billion in 2023, it was not only the highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise, it also signaled to the NFL that franchises were rising in value at a breakneck pace.

Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon and her sisters took note. They even discussed the prospect of opening their franchise to private-equity investment, which the NFL now permits after an affirmative vote by owners in 2024.

But ultimately, the Irsay sisters intend to retain full ownership of the Colts, even in light of the death of their father Jim Irsay last year.

“We certainly looked at [private equity],” Irsay-Gordon told ESPN at the NFL annual meeting Sunday. “We don’t have any intention of doing it now.”

The Colts have undergone significant transition since Jim Irsay died last May, the biggest example being the transfer of ownership to his daughters: Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson.

But the Colts have been in the Irsay family since Bob Irsay — Jim’s father — acquired the team in 1972. And it was always Jim Irsay’s dream that his grandchildren would one day own the team, long after he was gone. Given how his daughters have operated, that possibility seems just as likely today as it did when Irsay said it years ago.

Because their family’s wealth is almost entirely constituted by the ownership of the team, there was always an undercurrent of questions about how things might play out after Jim Irsay’s passing. But nothing has indicated a change in course. And the sisters’ decision to forgo the involvement of private equity, for now, signals as much.

However, Irsay-Gordon did not rule out the idea in future years, specifically as it relates to anticipated upgrades to Lucas Oil Stadium. The building will need many millions of dollars in upgrades in the years to come. The stadium is nearly 20 years old, and Irsay-Gordon is already bracing for expensive renovations.

“We have a beautiful building that has amazing bones, but we’re going to need to renovate it,” she said. “It’s already almost 20 years old. It’s insane. But a lot’s changed since then… I think it’s a good thing to be able to have another avenue to diversify your business, get some source of funding if you want to renovate. It’s just another tool.”

Irsay-Gordon also discussed the state of her team’s roster, specifically the decision by the club to re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a massive contract on March 11 after his season-ending Achilles tear on Dec. 7.

She said an important factor was the synergy between Jones and coach Shane Steichen. Together, the pair teamed up to create an offense that led the NFL in numerous categories before injuries to Jones derailed the season.

“If your head coach doesn’t believe in your quarterback, you’re kind of screwed,” she said. “And I think that Shane and Daniel really align the way our system works.”

Relatedly, the Colts have endured more than six seasons of quarterback instability dating back to the retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019. Bringing Jones back addresses that issue, Irsay-Gordon said.

“The quarterback is like the CEO of our football team, basically,” she said. “So, to have consistency, not just in itself, but to know that we’ve seen a lot of progress from Daniel and that he’s going to hit the ground running once he comes back from this injury, I think it also helps our team have an identity.”

Lahore Qalandars have fined captain Shaheen Shah Afridi Rs1 million over a security breach “involving unauthorised entry into the players’ room”, officials said on Monday.

In a statement, the franchise said that the matter was investigated internally and was not a deliberate violation but a misunderstanding.

The franchise added that it had formally informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of its decision after completing a full internal inquiry. It maintained that the incident had been exaggerated and presented contrary to facts in some reports.

The action against Shaheen has been taken in the spirit of accountability and discipline, the statement said, reiterating that the franchise respects all security protocols.

Officials said that the Qalandars’ captain had taken guests of teammate Sikandar Raza into the players’ room at the team hotel despite security staff refusing permission.

The Shaheen-led side is currently second on the points table in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, with two points from two matches.

They won their campaign opener against the Hyderabad Kingsmen on March 26; however, the side suffered a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Karachi Kings on Sunday.

During the Karachi game, the franchise was slapped with a five-run penalty over charges of changing the ball’s condition.

Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman was also charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel for allegedly breaching Article 41.3 of the playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.