Lots of ink has been spilled on the NFL’s idea of adding flex scheduling to Amazon’s Thursday night package -- most of it negative.
Network and league sources expect to use flex scheduling with Amazon about once a year or less. Owners likely are being told to balance the desires of Amazon, which pays $1 billion per year for rights, with the reality that any flex scheduling will only affect a handful of teams and their fans.
First, the new media deals that begin with the 2023 season cut into the number of games that can be flexed. ESPN added flex scheduling to “Monday Night Football” starting in Week 12. Plus, the Sunday afternoon broadcasters, CBS and Fox, can now protect at least one game per week.
The NFL has used flex scheduling on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” sparingly since 2006 -- a procedure that the league can now employ starting in Week 5 for Sunday night contests. Since 2014, the NFL has flexed 18 games out of “SNF," averaging two per season. It flexed four last season and one each the previous two seasons.
Remember, flex scheduling is not designed to put the best games in primetime. It is designed to ensure that low-interest, nationally irrelevant games stay out of those primetime windows.
A quick review of Amazon’s Thursday lineup last season suggests that it might have used a flex once from Week 14-17 -- and even that one game is hardly a sure bet.
Week 14: Raiders (5-7) at Rams (3-9): This is the game most likely to have seen flex scheduling, as both teams were well under .500 at the time. Still, the Raiders have a national brand and the Rams were defending Super Bowl champs at the time.
Week 15: 49ers (9-4) at Seahawks (7-6): Two teams battling for playoff positioning. No chance this game gets moved.
Week 16: Jaguars (6-8) at Jets (7-7): Both teams were fighting to get into the playoffs. Highly unlikely this gets flexed.
Week 17: Cowboys (11-4) at Titans (7-8): Even if this game didn’t involve the Cowboys, it’s doubtful that the NFL flexes out of it, as one team had a chance to win its division and the other had a chance to make the playoffs.
