Jason Kelce, the longtime Philadelphia Eagles center who retired from playing and now works as an ESPN analyst, has voiced a growing concern about the direction of the National Football League.
He argues that Sunday has become the league’s most valuable asset, a day that fans have come to associate with the ritual of gathering, cooking, and watching football together.
According to Kelce, the NFL’s recent push to schedule games on weeknights and in foreign markets is eroding that tradition, turning a once‑exclusive Sunday experience into a crowded calendar of options.
Redefining the Sunday Model
The league, for its part, points to rising viewership numbers and internal data that it says justify the expansion, claiming that more games translate into broader engagement.
This shift has already led to a reallocation of broadcast inventory, with traditional Sunday regional windows giving way to standalone packages on streaming services and nighttime broadcasts, a change that could affect the popular Sunday Ticket subscription.
The 2026 season will kick off on a Wednesday, featuring a Thanksgiving Eve game and a slate of international matchups that the NFL says will be its most extensive yet, signaling an aggressive push to grow its global footprint.