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The NFL’s media rights deals bring in billions each year for the league, but it’s expected to upend their current paperwork to an even more lucrative one as early as the start of the 2026 campaign.
The NFL reportedly had a fall period to complete a new media rights deal, but John Ourand of the Puck reported earlier this month that it is now believed the league will have it done by Week 1 in September. The league technically can’t exit the current media rights deals until after the 2029 season, but there is expected to be no resistance to getting something new done with its partners.
With additional media partners potentially coming into the fold in this potential new deal, as well as incumbents like FOX, CBS and NBC, the NFL should see more than its roughly $10 billion a year.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looks on during a news conference at Caesars Superdome on February 3, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana prior to the NFL Super Bowl LIX football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
As a result, one former NFL star believes current players should see a cut, especially if the league gets comfortable with an 18th game added to the regular season schedule.
“As long as the players are compensated for those plays and they’re not trying to stretch out those payments and they’re still included in a game — I’m all for it,” Shawne Merriman, the former San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills linebacker, said on “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.” “I’ve always said having 18 games, cutting more preseason games, having more practices, I’ve been saying that for years. If guys are being compensated and they’re not trying to exclude the payments that they’re already getting paid, and they’re getting more money on top of what’s on the table now, or they’re getting more out of the TV deals when the deals are made, as long as the deal is made, have no problem with it at all.”
The thing with Merriman’s argument is that the current CBA expires in March 2031 at the end of the league year following the NFL Players’ Association’s previous negotiations with the league in 2020. However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned the potential for early negotiations after the Players’ Association voted on a new CEO following the resignation of Lloyd Howell.
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If the league wants the 18th game on the schedule, a new or amended CBA would be required to do so.
“The NFL is smart. They want to make the most money possible,” Merriman added. “The TV rights deal, they’re going to tear up here soon and probably double the price they’re charging the networks right now. It’s coming. It’s going to happen this year.”
To Merriman’s point, the NFL has been great at cashing in on the league’s popularity, especially as it continues its global push. But will football fans see an even bigger charge on their bank statements if the league “doubled the price” they charge networks, as Merriman suggested?
Shawne Merriman attends the Resorts World Las Vegas Grand Opening on June 24, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ryan Steffy/Getty Images for Resorts World Las Vegas)
The FCC said last month it would seek public comment on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services, which include the other major sports leagues in the country like the NBA, MLB and more. Specifically for the NFL, to catch every ounce of action during the 2025 season, fans would have to pay at least $575, with some spending nearly $800.
For example, NFL Sunday Ticket new subscribers had to pay $276 for the season, but existing customers with a YouTube TV membership had to pay over $378. Without a YouTube TV membership, it was $480. After that, primetime slots went to various streaming platforms like Netflix ($7.99 for cheapest subscription), ESPN’s new live sports-only streaming service ($29.99), and Peacock’s “Premium” membership ($10.99) to watch “Sunday Night Football.”
Then, with more international games being played, NFL Network had to be watched with an NFL+ membership last season worth $6.99 per month.
In total, ESPN cost $179.94, Peacock was $54.95, Amazon Prime Video was $35.96, and NFL+ was $20.97. Add it all up for new Sunday Ticket subscribers, and the 2025 NFL season cost to those fans was $575.81. If you were an existing Sunday Ticket subscriber without YouTube TV, it cost $779.81.
But Merriman knows fans will continue to pay for the entertainment they love, even if it breaks the bank.
Shawne Merriman Joins Warner Bros. Pictures And Gravity Pictures Premiere of ‘The Meg’ at TCL Chinese Theater IMAX on August 6, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
“Fans, I think really want to pay for entertainment. They just do,” he admitted. “If it makes them happy to have more football, or they could go to another game, or buy more merchandise or whatever, fans will do that because it’s entertainment. Most people will pay for entertainment in general.”
However, is that fair to the consumer, especially those who could be priced out of their favorite sport?
