It’s nearly an inevitability that the NFL will go forward with an 18-game schedule. The jump from 16 to 17 games from a few years back will be remembered as a ramp up to where the league eventually goes.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has made it clear that if this is happens, two bye weeks is a must for the players. His suggestion involving a league-wide break late in the season that mirrors the NBA All-Star break has actually become very popular.

But not everyone is on board with how Burrow communicated his thoughts, including former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel.

Daniel, a former backup QB for 13 years who now works for NFL Network, posted on X/Twitter that Burrow spoke “in favor” of an 18-game schedule, which will not please other players from around the league. He believes Burrow’s influence as one of the game’s best passers will make it easier for the NFL to implement this change despite disapproval from the NFLPA.

Burrow sharing an idea of how the league could do it instead of dismissing the concept altogether will apparently not sit well with his fellow players.

“I guarantee you every NFL player seeing this is NOT happy with Burrow for saying this,” Daniel posted. “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.”

Daniel may right about players being against an 18-game slate. It’s another game they’ll have to suit up for in an already dangerous sport, and without enough benefits to offset that added labor, it’s tough to look at it as a positive from the player’s perspective.

Where Daniel is off base is assuming Burrow himself wants the league to make the jump.

Burrow was asked during his appearance on Pardon My Take what the perfect football schedule would be in terms of weeks and bye weeks. His answer was actually another question.

“How many games are we playing?”

When PMT hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter responded with 18 games, that’s when Burrow gave his take.

“Gotta have two bye weeks,” Burrow said. “I think it’d be cool to do the normal bye week schedule that is now, like have it spread out, but then in Week 13, do the Pro Bowl break where you’re doing the seven-on-seven, and all the skills challenges like the NBA does. Because I think that would get more ratings for the Pro Bowl, and then it would also give everybody that by week going into like the last six games.”

Burrow didn’t just hop on the pod supporting an 18-game schedule like Daniel claims. He was actually first asked about it over two months ago, and when asked again, he reaffirmed that if there will be 18 games, there must be two bye weeks to break up the games.

That’s a big difference, clearly.

How the NFL handles the jump from 17 to 18 games is out of Burrow or any other player’s control, and providing a logistical way to implement the change when asked about the scenario isn’t the same as giving the NFL leverage over its player’s association.

If only Daniel were able to come to this conclusion before pressing send.