Report: NFL to consider ending or reducing Thursday night games
A mounting case against regular Thursday night games appears to have the NFL weighing some substantial scheduling adjustments in the years to come.
The league's current broadcast agreement with CBS and NBC for the additional primetime slot stretches through the 2017 campaign. Changes could thus be made as soon as the following season, when the possibility of either eliminating or significantly reducing the Thursday night package would be on the table, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
Several different factors are at the center of the discussion when it comes to teams being forced back into action on a short week of rest and preparation.
Having players suit up for a game just days after last taking the field, of course, poses concerns in regard to both player safety and the overall quality of the product.
At a time when the NFL's seemingly invincible television ratings finally appear to be taking a hit, oversaturation of the game would also have to be a prime consideration.
The current scheduling format sees every team play at least one Thursday game.
A longstanding tradition of Thanksgiving Day games will presumably remain regardless of any changes. As Florio's report outlines, though, a sensible middle ground option could be to have the slate of regular Thursday games not begin until that point in the season.