Former Patriots Gronkowski and Edelman discuss NFL schedule expansion, international games and broadcasting costs
The National Football League's regular season schedule expanded to 17 games per team starting with the 2021 season, up from 16 games previously.[1] League officials and the NFL Players Association have held discussions about potentially expanding further to 18 games.[2]
The NFL has increased its international footprint, staging regular-season games in Europe and South America. For 2025, the league announced five international games: Philadelphia Eagles against Los Angeles Rams in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 5; three in London; one in Madrid, Spain; and one in Dublin, Ireland.[3]
Accessing all NFL games now often requires multiple subscription services. Estimates for the minimum cost to watch every 2024 regular-season game via streaming packages reached about $469, covering services like YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, NFL Sunday Ticket, Netflix and others; costs for 2025 are expected to be similar or higher.[4][5]
Retired New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, a four-time Super Bowl champion, expressed a preference for mainstream broadcasts over streaming during a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I'm all about having games on mainstream," Gronkowski said. "I actually didn't watch plenty of games this year because it was on a streaming network, and it was difficult to make an account real quick."
Gronkowski acknowledged the business rationale. "I understand the business side of the NFL, and as a businessman, I will never hate the way that it's going because it's all about the business," he said.
Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, a three-time Super Bowl winner, highlighted fan inconveniences. "It sucks ... There's pros to this thing and then there's definitely cons where everyone has to go, 'Where are we going for this game, that game, that game, this game?'" Edelman said.
On player impacts, Edelman noted rising contracts amid league growth. "Do you see what these guys are signing for? They'll be all right," he said, adding, "[Jaxon Smith-Njigba] just got $42 million (per year) as a receiver." The NFL salary cap rose to $255.4 million for 2024, up from $224.8 million in 2023.[6]
Gronkowski addressed international travel logistics, using an Australia game as an example. "For example, the Australia game this year, it's going to be the opening game of the year on a Wednesday or Thursday, and then when they fly back, they're going to gain all that time," he said, emphasizing proper scheduling for recovery.
Sources
- NFL.com, "NFL owners approve regular-season schedule expansion to 17 games per team", 26 March 2020, https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-owners-approve-regular-season-schedule-expansion-to-17-games-per-team
- ESPN, "Roger Goodell: NFL, NFLPA to discuss 18-game regular season", 29 August 2024, https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41011285/roger-goodell-nfl-nflpa-discuss-18-game-season
- NFL.com, "NFL announces first five 2025 International Games", 15 October 2024, https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-first-five-2025-international-games-including-sao-paulo-london-madrid-dublin
- Awful Announcing, "Here’s the rising cost to watch every NFL game on TV/streaming in 2024", 11 September 2024, https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/cost-watch-every-nfl-game-2024.html
- Front Office Sports, "How Much Does It Cost to Watch Every NFL Game?", 8 September 2024, https://frontofficesports.com/nfl-streaming-packages-2024/
- Over The Cap, "NFL Salary Cap History", accessed 2025, https://overthecap.com/nfl_salary_cap
