Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has been locked in as the home of Super Bowl LXII in February 2028 for more than a year now. 2028 will mark the fourth time the Super Bowl arrives in Atlanta, while the second time the game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And yet, Roger Goodell and company have not announced when the big game will take place.

“Super Bowl 62 in Atlanta, February of 2028. They don’t have a date for that game yet. And it’s unheard of to be less than 23 months away from a Super Bowl and not know when it’s going to be played,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said on the Rich Eisen Show on March 20. 

The missing date is a big deal because the league is known for planning everything years before the big game. From hotels, logistics, and sponsor commitments, everyone involved needs exact dates far in advance to make it work. 

Previously, both Super Bowl LX and Super Bowl LXI were both confirmed with their specific dates and venues back in 2023. 

“The reason they don’t have a date, I’m told, they’re holding it open in case they get to 18 games by 2027, and they need to slip it back a week or so,” Florio added. “You throw in two byes, and then it gets even more complicated. So that’s why there isn’t a date.”

Roger Goodell had been pushing for an 18-game regular season well before Atlanta was even announced as the host. He publicly floated the format in November 2024. The commissioner outlined a model built on 18 regular-season games and two preseason games, with every team playing at least one international game per year. But this vision runs into one significant problem: the CBA.

Because the current Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through the 2030 season, the league cannot unilaterally decide to add more regular-season games. Any expansion requires approval from the NFL Players Association. David White, NFLPA interim executive director, addressed the issue directly in February.

“The 18th game is not casual for us,” White said. “It’s a very serious issue. It’s something that comes out of negotiations, and nothing will move forward until players have the opportunity to account for all of those factors, take that into consideration and then through negotiations agree or not to the 18th game. But as it stands right now, players have been very clear. They don’t have any appetite for it.”

The players and the NFLPA remain firmly opposed to the expansion, while league owners are pushing hard for it. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been among those in favor of adding the extra game. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has also backed the move and made his support public.

“We’re gonna push like the dickens now, to make international [exposure] more important with us,” Kraft said in January. “Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy. Because we’re sort of getting near the top here, you know, with the [domestic] coverage.”

More games undoubtedly benefit the league, the teams, and the owners financially. More revenue means a higher salary cap and, in theory, benefits the players, too.

But the health concerns that come with adding a full regular-season game are a legitimate red flag, and that is exactly why the NFLPA has not moved. However, one development just a few days ago may make Goodell’s plans a reality.

Roger Goodell sees his chance as JC Tretter takes over the NFLPA

On March 17, the NFLPA elected a new executive director in JC Tretter. With him now in charge, Florio believes the 18-game negotiations are about to heat up fast.

“Now that JC Tretter has been installed, I think they’re going to move quickly to try to get a deal that would include 18 regular-season games, 16 annual international games. Get it done now,” Florio added on the show. “We see the NFL moving on the broadcast deals. I think this is a time of aggressive business deal-making by the NFL.”

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Tretter is a former NFLPA president and a retired Cleveland Browns offensive lineman. He officially takes over on April 1. And his primary mandate coming in is to negotiate directly with the league on this requirement, per ESPN. He knows both sides of this debate well, having spent years on the players’ side of the table before moving into a strategy role within the union.

But Roger Goodell and the league are reportedly trying to build a health safeguard into any potential deal to bring players closer to an agreement. According to Florio, even in an 18-game regular season, individual players would be “limited to 17 games.” 

Every team would rotate at least one player out of the lineup by design each week. It addresses the injury concerns that the NFLPA has raised. Also gives fans a chance to see different players on the field throughout the season. With Tretter now in position and the league holding open a Super Bowl date, the window for a deal appears to be opening right now.