14-year NFL veteran explains why Joe Burrow opened can of worms with plans for 18-game season

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow doesn't throw many interceptions, but his recent comments about an 18-game season might have been one.

At least, that is what backup quarterback legend Chase Daniel claimed on social media. Posting on Twitter/X, on Monday afternoon, Daniel believed Burrow's comments were not popular with players.

"I guarantee you every NFL player seeing this is NOT happy with Burrow for saying this. The @NFLPA is already having meetings about damage control…the owners just gained some leverage over the players. This is what happens when a Top 5 QB speaks in favor of 18 game season," he posted.

An 18-game season has been speculated about since the dawn of the 17-game season near the beginning of the 2020s. Players are largely against the additional workload, while most fans appear to be in favor of another week of football every year. More importantly, team owners appear to be in favor of an expansion to increase their revenues.

Here's what Burrow said on the topic in an interview on the "Pardon My Take" podcast:

“Gotta have two bye weeks. I think it would be cool to do the normal bye-week schedule that it is now and have it spread out. Then in Week 13 do the Pro Bowl break where you’re doing the 7-on-7, all the skills challenges, like the NBA does... it would also give everybody a bye week going into the last 6 games of the year.”

Joe Burrow's 18-game season plan proposes a double-edged sword for fans

Joe Burrow at Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs

Of course, adding a bye week for the entire league from the Seattle Seahawks to the Miami Dolphins comes with pros and cons. Some fans would immediately take it as a queue for a weekend off to spend extra time with family and check in on other sports. The downtime would help re-spark the hunger for more football — almost like a mini-offseason.

That said, Joe Burrow's plan would also serve as a mid-season opportunity for fans to get into something else, and as a result, end their season prematurely. This especially could happen if a fan's team is struggling. Once that habit of watching games is broken, it can be difficult to restart.

Above all, Joe Burrow's plan would be an experiment. Of course, the NFL Pro Bowl would offer something for diehard fans to chew on for a week.

However, fewer fans already tune in to the event during the week between championship weekend and Super Bowl Sunday. As such, it runs the risk of inviting fans to pursue other things for a weekend, which could allow them to get hooked on something else on Sunday.