John Mara, owner of the Giants, recently secured a four-year, $160 million deal for quarterback Daniel Jones, and now, somewhat surprisingly, he has found common cause with Patrick Mahomes, the league MVP and Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback.
Their unexpected alliance is directed against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s push to alter the scheduling policy for Thursday night games. Goodell’s proposal aims to increase the frequency of midweek games by allowing teams to be flexed into Thursday night slots and removing the limit on how many such games a team can play. Currently, teams are restricted to one Thursday night game per season, but Goodell is advocating for the possibility of two.
Mahomes responded to the announcement with a facepalm emoji on Twitter, expressing his frustration.
In response to Mahomes’ reaction, Goodell stated, “I don’t think we’re prioritizing Amazon over our players. The data doesn’t indicate a higher injury rate. Players have expressed appreciation for the 10 days off after a Thursday game. We need to balance all these factors.” Despite this, Mara, who also opposed the move, stood firm.
During the NFL owners’ spring meetings in Phoenix, Mara criticized the proposal as “inconsiderate” to season ticket holders and argued that flexing games to Thursday nights would be excessive. He was relieved that the proposal did not pass but noted it might be revisited in May.
Goodell countered Mara’s objections, emphasizing the league’s commitment to fan satisfaction and careful consideration of all scheduling impacts. Mara added that such changes should have been reviewed by both the Health and Safety Committee and the Competition Committee, especially considering the potential for increased player injuries later in the season. He pointed out that while there is no evidence that a single Thursday game increases injury risk, the impact of adding a second such game remains unstudied.