Thursday night football games have been criticized by players and coaches alike for the short turnaround for preparation and the visiting team getting one day less than the home team because of travel.
Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden is among those calling for the early-week games to be eliminated.
Gruden was a guest on Monday morning’s episode of “Wake Up Barstool” and shared how much he despised the games played on Thursday.
“Man, what a treat it is,” Gruden said sarcastically in a video shared by Awful Announcing. “No preparation, no time to recover, no chance. Get rid of these Thursday night games. Dump them. It’s not fair to the players. It’s not fair to the coaches who go out and try to perform at a high level with no preparation. Dump these games.”
The league first began the ‘Thursday Night Football’ franchise in 2006 on the NFL Network, and the program has grown since its inception, gaining more value with each new television deal.
According to a 2023 CNBC story, Amazon agreed to a 10-year deal, paying the NFL $1 billion per year to stream the games exclusively. However, a new broadcast deal could be coming. The league would likely not drop Thursday night games because they generate significant revenue. The NFL has a chance to opt out of its current broadcast deal in 2029, which could generate even more revenue for the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said negotiations for the new deal could start as soon as 2026.
“I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them,” Goodell said via a Sept. 24 CNBC story. “I like that opportunity. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year. But it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”
The next Thursday night game features the Jets and the New England Patriots.
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