The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The NFL and its players’ union discussed a proposal to change to an 18-game regular season during a bargaining session Tuesday.

The league and the NFL Players Association issued a joint statement about the meeting, saying that negotiations “focused on several matters,” including the longer regular season, a rookie wage scale and improvements for retired players.

“Both sides look forward to continuing these discussions and reaching a new collective bargaining agreement,” the statement said.

Tuesday’s talks took place in Washington, where the NFLPA has its headquarters.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires in March, and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has said he believes owners are preparing for a lockout.