The NFL is gathering in what’s known as the Annual League Meeting in Arizona. There, team owners discuss big-picture topics like rule changes, and Tuesday was a huge day in that regard. One of their decisions didn’t sit well with Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes.
Every year new rules are proposed either by franchises or the Competition Committee. Then the owners vote for those changes to be accepted or rejected, with the threshold for a modification to pass being at 75%.
Something with no direct repercussions in the game was actually approved. That was the Philadelphia Eagles idea of adding N°0 as an option for jersey numbers. It even gave the opportunity for a player to be the first to choose that number. Although not every rule change received good reviews from the protagonists.
Patrick Mahomes tweets about the new TNF rule
Among the proposals that ended up passing was one the players will not like. The owners decided that teams will now be eligible to play two Thursday Night Football games in a short week. Previously the limit was just one, so it’s not a surprise that players are already complaining. Mahomes was the first high-profile name to show his disapproval, and it makes total sense.
The quarterback of the Chiefs posted a tweet with just an emoji, although his thoughts were clear. The reigning NFL MVP knows Kansas City may be one of the most hurt teams by this decision since they are top candidates for prime-time games. Teams had already been playing two games on a Thursday, but one of those occasions had to be in a special situation.
It happened to those franchises like the Dallas Cowboys scheduled to play on Thanksgiving Day, or to the teams set to be in the season opener. This new rule establishes that some could get two matchups on Thursday after competing the Sunday prior, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The possibility of flexing TNF games between weeks 14 and 17 with only a 15-day notice will be further discussed in May.
