*The NFL has said goodbye to another season and football fans are left with less popular leagues to get them to the start of a new season of play in the fall. But don’t worry. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has changes in mind to give the public something to talk about.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the changes Goodell has lined up for next season or whenever their ready to go into effect include the following: Put the draft in prime time, and move it from city to city…
Allow choreographed touchdown/turnover celebrations, speed up pace of play, move back PAT kicks… Shrink the preseason and expand the regular season…
Change kickoffs, dramatically expand the international schedule, play games on Black Friday, Christmas Day and the first Friday of the season…
Among the first shifts to look for is the reshuffling of team rosters. Noting players who are plotting their life on a new team are Los Angeles Rams All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and pro quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcon.
Rosters won’t be the only thing shuffling. New locations for football games are on the horizon with teams going head to head on international soil.
According to the Times, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host to a game in Dublin, Ireland, while Berlin will be the site for the Indianapolis Colts and Madrid providing the backdrop for the Miami Dolphins.
And don’t forget to expect an announcement down the road about a second consecutive game in Sao Paulo. The Philadelphia Eagles were the home team for an opener there last fall Don’t be surprised to find London in the mix, considering the 2007 New York Giants played a game at that location in 2007.
“International games are no longer viewed as exotic or disruptive. The NFL ultimately could wind up playing a full slate of 17 games beyond the U.S. borders, a globe-trotting barnstorming tour possibly instead of a fixed international franchise,” the Times noted while mentioning a 2026 game the Los Angeles Rams will play in Melbourne “almost certainly as a season opener” Add in Mexico City as a future location after stadium issues are resolved and it will be on overseas.
Alson on deck will be one or more NFL teams playing three games in 11 days — Monday, Sunday then Thursday. The Baltimore Ravens provided a preview of this last season when it went 3-0 from playing three games in 11 days — Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday.
Scheduling game play will also change as visiting tams won’t determine the network each game will broadcast on.
“For instance, think back to those years when Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning was the “best” game of the regular season. That alternated back and forth between CBS and NBC,” the Times mentioned.” Now many people consider that game to be Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen. It’s eligible for Fox, too.
The NFL also has put some big games on ESPN and it’s continuing to grow Amazon Prime as an showcase as well, so don’t be shocked if one of those huge games winds up on a streaming platform.”
This year, an 18-game schedule will not be utilized by the NFL. Instead of negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Associating actually happening, the Times mentioned that “the concept will percolate throughout the season” with a reduction of preseason games included.
Overall, it will probably look to be 18 regular-season games and two weeks of preseason games.
With the theory that the Kansas City Chiefs benefited from breaks received, especially in winning every close game in 2024, fans can expect an expansion of the list of reviewable plays by the league that will include facemask calls or non-calls.
“This game has gotten so much faster,” Goodell pointed out in his annual Super Bowl news conference. “You’re seeing so much that you didn’t even six years ago. I challenge all of you — go back and look at an NFL game from 2000 — the quality of what you see, the cameras, the angles, the number of cameras, you see an awful lot more.
“So we want to use technology to supplement and to assist and support the officials getting it right,” he said.
Goodell wrapped up saying: “Replay assists this year, I think, was a big step forward for us. I see in the future us adding more plays, and we’ll look at that with the competition committee.”
For more on the expected changes from the NFL, click here.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: NFL Reportedly Apologized to Lil Wayne for Super Bowl Halftime Show Snub
We Publish 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! – Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
The post NFL Looks to Change the Game for Next Season appeared first on EURweb.
