Bills’ Dion Dawkins warns the NFL’s 18th game could shorten careers further

NFL players know they need to give their 100% every day when they step on the gridiron, knowing it’s a matter of keeping their job, or seeing it taken by the next guy.

Because of this, the average NFL career spans just three seasons, both from the elite talent pool and the injury risk that comes with a high-octane contact game.

The NFL, however, won’t fare any better from a business standpoint, as football fans crave more action on any given night throughout the season. The 2026 season will begin on a Wednesday night this year in large part due to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers playing in Melbourne, Australia at 10:35 am local time on Friday morning, which will be Thursday night at 8:35 pm ET back in the States.

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No matter where or when, the games will be watched, which is why the 18 regular season game discussion remains relevant as the league continues to expand its reach.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Dion Dawkins knows how tough a 17-game season can be as someone in the stages when the ball is snapped.

“I think the world we live in is a different kind of world, isn’t it? Productivity, entertainment, sports. We are part of that world where people want to see football a lot – they want to see it. Therefore, the 18th game is a good choice for business as a league,” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview, where he also touched on his collaboration with Oral-B and Crest to touch the families of dental hygiene.

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But, while he understands the business aspect of why the NFL would want to introduce an 18-game regular season schedule, he thinks the player’s opinion needs to be heard as well.

“The only counter I see is that boys’ careers are getting shorter,” Dawkins explained. “You can say one game is going to cut it short, but one game can change the entire trajectory of someone’s life. Like, if you go through a 17-game season healthy, and you get to 18 and your body is ready to break down, something happens. Then, the course of your life is completely different.”

Of course, Dawkins understands better than most being part of the Bills teams that have been successful in recent seasons means playoff football, which comes after Week 18 in the Wild Card Round. However, teams will rest key players like Dawkins if they have their playoff seed, though not all are so lucky during the year.

Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills watches before Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Regardless, Dawkins believes “it’s going to happen either way.” He just wants to make sure that players like him are taken care of properly if that’s the case, especially from a financial lens.

“Our contracts are not guaranteed at all. There are good players, there are bad players, there are players who are just passing through. As long as the boys are treated the way they should be treated, this is our life. We are players, not that I am here, it will happen either way — [an] Game 18. And then 20 years later, guess what? We are talking about the 19th, we will be talking about the 20th. …And then it’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re war athletes all year.’ But who knows.”

Dawkins added that maybe NFL teams will use the same workload games as NBA players, but that’s probably not the case considering basketball players have 82 games in a regular season. They can save a loss or two if that happens in court.

The NFL is different, as every game becomes more important than the next, even if the league is considering adding one to the regular season.

David White, who served as the interim director of the NFL Players’ Association before the election of JC Tretter, said during the week of Super Bowl LX that the players “don’t have the enthusiasm for the 18th season” even though the league is moving towards it.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted at the time that the 18th game was “not a given,” but owners, like the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft, said “all teams will go 18th.”

“All teams will play 18 games [regular-season games] and two [preseason games] and remove one of the preseason games, and every team a year will play one game overseas,” he said on 98.5 The Sports Hub in January.

Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills participates during the 2026 Pro Bowl Skills Challenge at the NFL Pro Bowl Games at Moscone Center South on Feb. 2, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

CLOSING AMERICA’S SMILE GAP

While rest and relaxation are key for NFL players during the offseason, Dawkins also makes sure to make an impact in the community.

She has partnered with Crest and Oral-B in their “Closing America’s Smile Gap” program, which aims to provide free dental cleanings to families in need through “America’s ToothFairy.”

As someone who constantly finds ways to impact underserved youth through his Dion’s Dreamers foundation, Dawkins discussed how important it is to improve oral health for children and families, especially considering that 50% of low-income parents will skip or delay their own dental care so their children can get the care they need.

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“It’s a no-brainer, a layup,” he said in partnership with Crest and Oral-B. “For people who do the right things to help, everything goes together.

“When it comes down to it, one of the first things people see is the mouth, the teeth, the impression of your smile. …Sometimes, some people are in the same bracket of, ‘Okay, I just need to brush my teeth, I’ll be good.’ Sometimes, you need to go to the dentist, get a cleaning, and the dentist needs to be prepared and they need to prepare you for life so you can smile. For Crest and Oral-B, that’s what the world is: teeth.”

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