Billions on the line as Roger Goodell eyes NFL media rights deals reset in 2026

The NFL media rights deals could be back on the table in 2026. Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC on Sept. 24 that the league is open to early talks with its broadcast and streaming partners. That would move negotiations up four years before the current contracts allow an opt-out.The NFL signed an 11-year, $111 billion package in 2021 with Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Paramount, Amazon, and Fox. Those agreements run through 2033, with a league opt-out after the 2029-30 season for all partners except Disney, which has one extra year.Roger Goodell said the NFL is already in regular talks with its media partners. “I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity,” Goodell told CNBC. “Obviously it’s not going to happen this year. But it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”Starting talks in 2026 would likely push rights fees even higher. The NFL remains the top draw on television, with 70 of the top 100 broadcasts in the United States in 2024. That dominance means more advertising dollars, bigger payouts to teams, and stronger negotiating leverage for the league. For broadcasters and streamers, securing rights is costly but guarantees relevance in a market where live sports are the only sure thing left.New streaming players like Netflix and YouTube could shift how NFL media rights deals are structuredThe NFL has already tested the waters with new platforms. Netflix broadcast its first live games on Christmas Day in 2024 and plans two more in 2025. YouTube, owned by Google, paid $14 billion for Sunday Ticket rights in 2022 and streamed a Week 1 game this season. Bringing in Netflix or YouTube as full partners could add billions in revenue while giving fans more ways to watch.At the same time, the NFL is exploring changes that would impact negotiations. Expanding the regular season to 18 weeks requires approval from the NFL Players Association. The league is also in talks to acquire a 10% stake in ESPN, a move that could reshape Disney’s role in the next set of contracts.Locking in new agreements by 2026 would ripple far beyond the NFL. Major League Baseball plans to renegotiate its own rights after 2028, and an inflated NFL deal could tighten budgets for other leagues or set a higher bar for rights fees. Inside the NFL, more revenue would mean a bigger salary cap, more money for players, and potential roster changes as teams adapt to higher spending power.The NFL already dominates live viewership, and accelerating talks would only cement that power. A new round of NFL media rights deals in 2026 could define how fans watch football for the next decade.