By Mallory Mattingly
The NFL might add another game to its 2026 season slate, and football fans have thoughts.
The league announced tentative plans to air a game on Thanksgiving Eve, which would be Wednesday, Nov. 25, this year, adding to its Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday games lineup over the long holiday weekend.
“Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making process,” an NFL spokesperson said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “As Commissioner Goodell has said, Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous and given the continued growth of fan interest around our games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, looking for additional opportunities tied to this special holiday is exciting for us to explore.”
It’s not surprising the NFL wants to add another game to the weekend. Last year’s three-game Thanksgiving Day slate pulled an average of 44.7 million viewers, surpassing 2024’s 34.5 million, per ESPN.
By adding a Thanksgiving Eve NFL game, football fanatics would officially have a 10-day stretch of games this November, including college football.
Per Fox News Digital, the lineup includes:
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- Saturday: Full college football slate
- Sunday: Full NFL slate
- Monday: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
- Tuesday: MACtion Wednesday: NFL game
- Thanksgiving: the NFL games
- Black Friday: NFL game
- Saturday: college football rivalry week
- Sunday: Full NFL slate
- Monday: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
But fans aren’t so sure, sounding off in the comment section of ESPN insider Adam Schefter’s X post about the news.
“Possibly an unpopular opinion: I want as much NFL football to be played on Sundays as possible. Tired of this new trend where every day is a game day, lol,” one fan expressed.
“No team should have to play Sunday and then Wednesday. This should be a game featuring only teams who either play Thursday night the week prior or are coming off a BYE,” another person echoed.
Someone else added, “This is a terrible idea. Players already complain about Thursday night games bc of the short turnaround. Now to shorten it even more? NFLPA should be all over this.”
NFL now is exploring playing a game on Thanksgiving Eve as early as this season. This year this would be Wednesday, Nov. 25. pic.twitter.com/ZFTrOIjTYV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2026
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has also explored the idea of adding a second Black Friday game, per ESPN.
Additional games could players at more risk of injury. It also pulls players, coaches and staff members away from their families more than normal during the holiday season. We’ll have to wait to see what the NFL decides.
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