The NFL introduced its Black Friday game in 2023. David Eulitt / Getty Images
There may be more changes coming to the NFL holiday schedule. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the league is considering introducing a second game on Black Friday.
"We're going to look at everything. I would expect there will be changes going forward," Goodell said when asked about potential modifications to the schedule, including adding a second game the day after Thanksgiving.
In 2023, the NFL introduced its Black Friday game, which has become an annual event. Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast the game, coinciding with one of the company's biggest shopping days of the year. This year's edition between the Bears and Eagles was made available worldwide without a Prime subscription or membership.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 restricts the NFL's scheduling options on Black Friday. In an effort to protect college football on Saturdays and high school football on Fridays, the legislation created a window where the NFL could not broadcast games. From the second Saturday in September to the second Saturday in December, NFL games cannot be televised between 6:00 p.m. on Friday and midnight on Saturday.
In the first three seasons of the NFL's Black Friday contest, the game has kicked off at 3:00 p.m. ET to largely avoid any conflicts with the law. Introducing a second game on Black Friday would likely lead to overlapping games, to avoid stretching beyond the 6:00 p.m. time constraint. One feasible option for maintaining standalone games would be scheduling kickoffs for 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.
The NFL has also worked around the rule to schedule a game in Brazil on the first Friday of September over the last two seasons, since the law doesn't prevent televised games until the second Saturday of that month. It has served as the second standalone game of the season, after Thursday's game on the NBC opens the season. This year's contest in Brazil between the Chiefs and Chargers was broadcast for free on YouTube.