NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed a possible vote that would allow flexible scheduling for Thursday night football in weeks 14-17. Here’s what you need to know:
- The vote is intended to provide fans with higher quality matchups later in the season.
- If approved, the league could move teams from a Sunday afternoon game to Thursday night in Weeks 14-17 with 15 days’ notice. NFL owners chose not to vote on that proposal just yet.
- However, the NFL approved a measure that would allow any team to play in two short weeks. It used to be just a week.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why TNF Flex Scheduling is being discussed
Not everyone is a fan of the Thursday night flex proposal and the idea of teams playing more than one Thursday game. Players already hate playing Thursday games because of the short turnaround time and reduced healing times. Giants owner John Mara told reporters he found the idea “abusive,” and there were also some concerns that bending Thursday games posed challenges for fans hoping to attend games.
But Goodell made it clear that while the league always strives to deliver the best product to the fans in attendance, serving the larger audience, the television audience, is a high priority. That’s because TV revenue drives the machine.
Amazon paid the NFL $11 billion for the rights to Thursday Night Games for the next 11 seasons, leaving the league and its owners highly motivated to ensure they provide the company with highly attractive matchups. It remains to be seen whether the required 24 out of 32 owners will vote during May sessions to approve the flex on Thursday, but it’s clear why the possibility is being debated. — Jones
A risk that comes with TNF Flex Scheduling
The decision may bring higher ratings that translate to greater financial returns over the long term, but there’s actually a risk of further angering and alienating players who already feel the league doesn’t care about their health and well-being. Players began to express their displeasure at the proposal on social media, but Goodell insisted, “I don’t think we prefer Amazon to our players. We were always looking at data on injuries and the impact on players.”
He continued that the players had expressed their approval of the 10-day layoff after Thursday night’s games, concluding: “The players have their opinions. Coaches have their opinions. We have to try to balance it all.” But in the end, the owners get what they want. — Jones
What you say
“Providing the best matchups for our fans is part of our job. It’s part of what our planning has always focused on. Flex was part of that,” Goodell said. “We’re being very sensible about it and being very careful about it, and we’re looking at any impact on that. Before these decisions are made, I think we have an average of about a year and a half flexibility over the years that we’ve done it. It can vary in each individual year. Balancing season ticket holders and spectators in the stadium is very important to us. We have millions of fans who also watch on TV. Achieving it is a balance.”
Goodell later added that he didn’t see the decision against the players’ interests.
“We were always looking at injury data,” he said. “That drove our decisions over the first 12 years of Thursday Night Football and how it has evolved. I think the data was very clear: they don’t show a higher injury rate. But we recognize shorter weeks. We’ve been through that with COVID too.”
Mara told reporters Tuesday he was “decided” against the TNF flexing proposal.
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)