Ex-NFL star cautions league about 'giving fans too much' as Thanksgiving Eve game reportedly eyed

The NFL is reportedly eyeing adding different crippled connected the vacation paper for fans astatine Thanksgiving time.

The league is exploring the anticipation of adding a Thanksgiving Eve crippled to the docket for the 2026 season, ESPN reported Tuesday. If finalized, NFL fans would beryllium treated to games connected Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday.

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San Diego Chargers linebacker (56) Shawne Merriman against the Baltimore Ravens astatine Qualcomm Stadium successful San Diego connected Sept. 20, 2009. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

Ex-NFL prima Shawne Merriman appeared connected OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" connected Thursday and warned the NFL astir perchance diluting its product.

"I volition caution this. The NBA, I deliberation the play is conscionable truthful long, there’s truthful galore games, it gets watered down. I don’t deliberation it’ll ever get to the constituent wherever there’s a 20-plus crippled play with the NFL for 2 seasons," Merriman said. "Physically, I don’t deliberation guys’ bodies tin clasp up an other 2-3 games during the twelvemonth unless there’s different bye week. They person to see different bye week if they program connected doing that.

DaRon Bland #26 Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys instrumentality a wound retired of a turkey limb aft a triumph implicit the Washington Commanders astatine AT&T Stadium connected Nov. 23, 2023 successful Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

AN NFL GAME THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING IS OFFICIALLY 'TOO MUCH FOOTBALL'

"What I volition caution the NFL is that if you commencement giving the fans excessively much, yeah, you tin marque much wealth but you h2o down the product. There has to beryllium immoderate benignant of equilibrium with the two."

The NFL continued to beryllium a ratings roar during the 2025 season. A Week 14 crippled betwixt the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers connected FOX drew successful 28 cardinal viewers.

Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers takes a wound retired of a turkey limb aft the crippled against the Detroit Lions astatine Ford Field connected Nov. 27, 2025 successful Detroit, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

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While the NFL remains popular, the league volition besides person to look the situation of making definite players enactment arsenic steadfast arsenic they tin to support the merchandise arsenic bully arsenic it has been.