Jon Gruden: ‘Dump’ NFL Thursday Night Football

Thursday evening football games have been a hotly contested issue among NFL teams. Coaches and players say they don't allow enough prep time for visiting teams to play on Thursday, then turn around to get ready for weekend competition. Now, a former NFL coach is speaking out in favor of eliminating Thursday night games.

Jon Gruden, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, appeared on an episode of “Wake Up Barstool” on Monday, Nov. 10, and described how much he hated the games played on Thursday.

“Man, what a treat it is,” Jon Gruden said sarcastically in a video shared by Awful Announcing. “No preparation, no time to recover, no chance. Get rid of these Thursday night games. Dump them. It's not fair to the players. It's not fair to the coaches who go out and try to perform at a high level with no preparation. Dump these games.”

NFL Thursday Night Football started in 2006 and expanded through TV deals. It now includes a long-term streaming and broadcast rights arrangement with Amazon under a 10-year contract. According to a 2023 CNBC story, Amazon agreed to the 10-year deal, paying the NFL $1 billion per year to stream the games exclusively.

It's unlikely the NFL would discontinue the Thursday night games, given the revenue they generate. According to NJ Advance Media, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has signaled that negotiations for a new broadcast deal could begin as early as 2026. An opt-out for the NFL's current broadcast deal is also possible in 2029.

“I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them,” Goodell said in a Sept. 24 CNBC story. “I like that opportunity. Obviously, it's not going to happen this year. But it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”