• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Three Burning Questions for the NFL’s Offseason

  • The league shifts its attention to the 2024 season.
  • The future of game broadcasts and several stadium projections are unknown.
Amazon-NFL
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2023 NFL season officially over, the league’s focus quickly shifts to the offseason, which brings several major questions around media and stadiums.

How much more streaming is on the way?

The 2023 season brought a number of major exclusive streaming firsts: A Black Friday game on Amazon Prime Video, a regular-season and playoff game on Peacock, and the transition of NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV to YouTube. Still, there could be even more room for streaming in the NFL’s broadcast schedule, particularly around international games. A broadcast partner has not been announced for the NFL’s debut game in Brazil, featuring the Eagles on Friday night of kickoff weekend, and annual games in Europe could create their own new streaming package. NFL executives have previously told Front Office Sports that NFL+ could be a landing spot for some exclusive game broadcasts. Will 2024 bring even more streaming? That should be answered in May, when the league announces next season’s full schedule, if not sooner.

What teams, if any, will make progress on stadium deals?

The Bears and Commanders are in the process of searching for sites to build new stadiums, while the Jaguars are working on completing a deal that would see the city fund half of their $2 billion project to renovate EverBank Stadium. The more time that passes without a deal for any of the above franchises simply means a longer wait until a new or renovated venue is completed. All three will certainly be using this offseason to solidify their futures.

Will the viewership spike extend into the spring?

Viewership during the NFL’s 2023 regular season (17.9 million viewers per game) was the league’s highest since ’15. That growth continued during the postseason as games during the wild-card, divisional, and conference championship rounds averaged 38.5 million viewers—the most ever for the playoffs. Super Bowl LVIII viewership will be released later this week, and the NFL will look to keep things up over the next few months. The league has yet to turn the four-day NFL Scouting Combine, which begins later this month, into must-see TV on the NFL Network, but the NFL draft, which takes place in April, has become one of the premier sporting events in the U.S. Last year’s first round telecast drew 11.29 million viewers (up 13% from ’22), boosting the three-day event to an average of six million viewers (up 12% from ’22).

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In

NHL players last competed in the Olympics in 2014.
Sophie Cunningham

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.
exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
Red Panda

Red Panda Hospitalized After WNBA Halftime Fall

The beloved performer was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
July 1, 2025

LIV Golf CEO Pushes Back On PGA Tour Merger

Scott O’Neil said there could be new opportunities for the Tour’s players.
July 1, 2025

WNBA Roster Limits Under Fire After Vanloo’s Valkyries Release

Kaitlyn Chen remains on the Valkyries roster.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 1, 2025

New Philadelphia Arena Was Key to City’s Successful WNBA Bid

The forthcoming team will play in a new arena in South Philadelphia.
July 1, 2025

NBA Salary Cap Up 7% in 2026–27, but Teams Expected More

The 2026–27 salary cap is projected at $165 million.
July 1, 2025

Bobby Bonilla On Annual $1.2M Payday: ‘It Doesn’t Suck’

The former MLB star receives another $1.19 million from the Mets today.
Rob Manfred, Commissioner of the MLB, speaks to the media during Cactus League media day at the Arizona Biltmore on Feb. 18, 2025, in Phoenix.
June 30, 2025

Manfred, MLB Owners Pitch Directly to Players Ahead of CBA Expiration

Owners see a disconnect between union leadership and individual players.