NFL Preseason Could Soon Be a Thing of the Past

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants the NFL season to be extended to 18 regular-season games, with the preseason being shortened to just two games. Once regarded as absolutely essential to get teams ready for the upcoming season, preseason games are now seen as having little to no value, with teams mainly playing their third and fourth string players.

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The current preseason has seen players like Aaron Rodgers attempt just four passes in one game. Dak Prescott has thrown for just 18 passes in two games, and the Rams aren’t even allowing any of their star players to get on the field at all. Since its inception, the NFL preseason has devolved to what it once was. The NFL  preseason was once a way to get athletes back into shape after an off-season of inactivity when players arrived at training camp.

Jerry Jones’s recommendations aren’t without merit; there are still some issues behind extending the overall regular season for players. During a radio show interview with 105.3 FM in Dallas, Jones said: “I think, candidly, it’s probably physically better for players than it is to have the longer preseason, the longer practicing.” He continued, “Our studies show that we actually have a ramped-up injury situation with players during the preseason as opposed to the injury factor in the regular season.”

He also mentioned that on top of what he thinks is an overall safer season, the players would also make a whole lot more money. “It would provide more than $1 billion to the players…It’s certainly worth considering. It would direct more value for what the players expend to the players”, Jones said during the interview

While the latter may hold some weight in the argument, the notion that shortening the preseason would result in overall healthier players is difficult to agree with. Already, coaches are treating their star players with extremely careful training regimens and little to no preseason play to keep them fresh for the entire season. Nonetheless, Jones’s comments have opened a dialogue into the whether the preseason is even necessary.