No end in sight for NFL expansion and 4 other lessons from the owners meeting
The only day of the week the NFL won’t have a game this season is Tuesday, and there will be more international games than ever. Is it too much?
PHOENIX – How much is too much NFL? There’s another Christmas tripleheader coming. Another Black Friday matchup.
On top of the traditional three-spot on Thanksgiving and late-season Saturday games, the league is planning for the first time to roll with a Thanksgiving Eve event – which would be the second Wednesday slot this season as the NFL’s Kickoff Game, featuring the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks against an opponent TBD, has been moved up a day . Got it? The only day of the week the NFL won’t have a game this season is Tuesday.
And don’t forget: With the NFL poised to stage a record nine international games this season, the XL Sunday package with early-morning games is expanding. This, before the NFL ultimately ramps up its desires for an 18-game season. It’s no wonder someone asked Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones this week about the idea of over-saturation for the NFL product, referencing the “pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered” warning that former NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban famously stated to ESPN about the NFL in 2014.
Jones’ comeback: “When ducks quack, feed them. ” In other words, with the NFL coming off another historic year for viewership (the 2025 season was the second most-watched in history after 1989) and with league revenues hitting the $25 billion-per-year range, there’s no sudden urge to pull back. OK, the NFL will scrap the idea of showing dual Monday night games on ESPN and ABC.
Continue to the original source for the full article.