The Commish gets his Thursday flex and his San Francisco Super Bowl.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com on the Amazon Flex, as the NFL professes to make them an option of last resort:

The NFL will have the capacity to flex a limited number of late-season “Thursday Night Football” games on the Amazon Prime streaming platform, according to a resolution approved by NFL owners Monday in a close vote on the first day of their spring meetings.

The resolution passed with approval votes from 24 owners, the minimum required to enact a new rule, and will be in effect on a trial basis for the 2023 season only. If no Thursday night games are flexed, the resolution will carry over to the 2024 season.

An earlier version of the proposal was tabled at the league meetings in March with strong opposition from New York Giants owner John Mara, who called it “abusive” to fans whose schedules would be disrupted.

The resolution will allow the league to flip a Sunday afternoon game into Thursday night and move the originally scheduled game to Sunday afternoon during Weeks 13 through 17. The NFL must file notice no later than 28 days before the game, an increase of nearly two weeks from the earlier proposal. No team will be required to flex to a Thursday night game more than one time, and the maximum number of Thursday night games will remain two per team.

The NFL said the Thursday night flex option can be applied no more than two times during the season.

The games scheduled for Thursday night in Weeks 13-17 are:

    Week 13: Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

    Week 14: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

    Week 15: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders

    Week 16: New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams

    Week 17: New York Jets at Cleveland Browns

The NFL now has flex options for all of its prime-time games, having previously added a flex option for a window of “Monday Night Football” games this season. It has had the authority to flex “Sunday Night Football” games since 2006.

Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of NFL Media, noted that the league has averaged 1.8 flexed games per season on its Sunday night programming over that span. Brian Rolapp, chief media and business officer, said that Thursday night flexes are “not something we expect to be commonplace.”

Mara said in March that the league needed to prioritize fans who buy tickets to games and could face significant changes to travel plans if a Thursday game was flipped to Sunday or vice versa.

Mara, asked Monday about the flex proposal passing, said, “I stand by my comments in March. I still feel the same way.”

Those who supported the resolution have noted that the NFL also has a responsibility to prioritize fans who watch games only on television.

“This should show our fans and the media industry that we’ll do everything we can to make streaming on Thursday nights successful,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.

Mara was one of eight owners who voted against the resolution despite the increase of required notice from 15 to 28 days. Other teams that voted against the resolution, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, were the Jets, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Raiders, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and Steelers.

“We’re going to have an even higher bar for Monday night and an even higher bar for Thursday night about the type of game we think would merit real consideration for flexing,” Schroeder said.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com counts the Thursday Flex votes:

At the end of the day, the Saints and Commanders made the difference.

With New Orleans and Washington flipping from “no” to “yes” and with Carolina and Denver moving from “abstain” to “yes,” the league office get the 24 “yes” votes it needed to activate late-season Thursday night flexing.

It’s unclear at this point why New Orleans and Commanders changed their positions from “no” to “yes.” That’s a more significant move than a shift from abstention.

If any of those four teams had voted anything other than yes, the proposal would have failed. It’s possible there’s an interesting story or two to tell as to why the Commanders and Saints changed their positions. (And it’s probably we’re currently trying to find out what it is.)

Regardless, the league needed 24 votes — and it got 24 exactly. Often in cases like this, another vote will be taken to allow the impression to be created that everyone was on the same page. In this case, the takeaway is clear.

A full 25 percent of the league believes late-season Thursday night flexing is the wrong move. In other words, this ain’t over.

The AP with the Super Bowl story:

The Super Bowl will return to the Bay Area in 2026 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers, following a vote of approval by NFL owners on Monday at their spring meetings.

This will be the third time for the big game in the Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium, which opened in Santa Clara in 2014, also hosted Super Bowl 50 when Denver beat Carolina. The 49ers won Super Bowl 19 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto when they beat Miami after the 1984 season. The 2026 game will be Super Bowl 60.

Niners team president Al Guido said he hopes the NFL’s decision to return to the Bay Area 10 years after the Super Bowl was last here is a sign that the region will be part of the regular rotation along with other Western cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“We needed a facility that had the size and scale that this one had,” Guido said. “There’s been a lot of changes that have happened around the facility and in general around the Bay. I think hosting this now in a competitive process 10 years after we hosted the first one, when you have other major markets that will continue to host, both SoFi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, a lot has changed since we hosted. I do believe that this puts us up for future Super Bowls. We have to pull this one off.”

Guido said there will be some changes from Super Bowl 50 with more of the events in San Francisco moving from downtown to the waterfront area closer to where the Golden State Warriors built their new arena near the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark.

Both those facilities are likely to be used for events this time around with the opening night ceremony expected to be held at Chase Center.

The Super Bowl will be part of a big 2026 for the Bay Area and Levi’s Stadium, which also will host games in the World Cup that summer.

“[It’s] going to be an amazing year for our region,” Bay Area Host Committee president and CEO Zaileen Janmohamed said. “It’s the same year that San Francisco turns 250 years old and it’s also the year that we will host FIFA World Cup matches. So, with the addition of hosting Super Bowl 60, we have this incredible opportunity that doesn’t really exist anywhere else to unite the entire region with sport across multiple sporting events. I’m ready and excited.”

The next Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Super Bowl 59 will be played at the Superdome in New Orleans in 2025.

The NFL gave the 2025 draft to Green Bay.  Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:

The NFL’s smallest city isn’t big enough to host a Super Bowl, but it is getting the next best thing.

The league announced Monday that the 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, population 107,395.

This has been nearly a decade in the making. Packers president Mark Murphy first revealed in 2016 that the team combined with local government and tourism officials to put in a bid to host the draft in as early as 2019. There had been concerns about whether the Green Bay area had enough infrastructure, including hotels and convention space, to host such a large-scale event.

Since then, efforts were ramped up with additional construction around Lambeau Field and the Titletown District to add more hotels, restaurants and exhibition space. Green Bay was one of three finalists to host the 2024 draft, which was awarded last to Detroit last March.

The 2025 draft will take place “inside and around iconic Lambeau Field and Titletown,” according to an announcement by the Packers.

The Packers said the festivities will include several days of activities and the NFL Draft Experience near the stadium during all three days of the draft.

“This is an incredible day for the Packers, Greater Green Bay and the entire state of Wisconsin as we are excited and honored to be selected to host the 2025 NFL Draft,” Packers president Mark Murphy said in the statement. “The Packers have a rich and proud history that goes back to the early days of the NFL and are the only community owned team. That connection to our League’s heritage combined with the great passion Packers fans will bring will make the Draft a memorable event for those in attendance and NFL fans watching around the world.”

The NFL began moving the draft to different cities in 2015 after a long run in New York. Kansas City hosted this year’s draft, which the league said was attended by more than 312,000 spectators over the three days.

The Packers and Green Bay’s most recent bid was for either the 2025 or 2027 draft. They did not submit a bid for 2026 because they have another major event — a college football game between Wisconsin and Notre Dame — and only want to hold one non-Packers event per year.

And on the field of play, this regarding third quarterbacks.  Kevin Seifert:

NFL owners approved a rule Monday that allows teams to designate an emergency quarterback on game day, a rule they revived after the San Francisco 49ers ran out of quarterbacks during their loss in the NFC Championship Game last season to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The rule applies only to quarterbacks who are on a team’s 53-man roster. Practice squad players are not eligible to be emergency quarterbacks, not even if they are elevated for that week’s game. But it allows a team to avoid counting the emergency quarterback as one of its active players on game day, a modest incentive for teams that otherwise would have chosen to go into a game with only two available quarterbacks.

The emergency quarterback would be eligible for in-game activation if the rest of a team’s quarterbacks are unable to participate due to injury or ejection, but not as a result of a benching. If one of the other quarterbacks is cleared to return to the game, the emergency quarterback must be removed at that time and can return only if there is once again no other option.

After a vote yesterday, in 2023, the receiving teams will be able to take a touchback even if the kick doesn’t reach the end zone. NFL.com:

NFL owners voted on Tuesday to approve a resolution that allows players to fair catch on kickoffs with the resulting possession beginning at the team’s own 25-yard line.

The new rule specifies that the fair catch off a free kick (safety or kickoff) must occur behind the team’s 25-yard line in order for the ball to be placed at the 25.

The rule change will be for one year only, with the league citing “player safety” as a reason for its proposal.

“The kickoff play for us has been a play that has had a lot of changes for us over the years, all really driven by health and safety,” Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, told NFL Network’s Judy Battista. “The concussion rate on the play has gone up. It’s gone up because the ball is being returned more by kicks that are being hung inside the 5-yard line. College made this rule change in maybe 2018 or 2019. We looked at their data and said, you know what, this is the right thing to do now.”

McKay and NFL executive Jeff Miller said Tuesday that their modeling says the kickoff return rate will decrease from 38% to 31% and the concussion rate will drop 15% due to the approved proposal.

“We needed to do something,” McKay added. “We just can’t sit there and ignore that data.”

Expecting backlash from special teams coaches and other opponents of the change, McKay explained why the league believed adopting the proposal was in its best interest.

“It’s never easy for special teams coaches. They’ve coached it a certain way, they think they have an advantage, so they’re not gonna be happy with changes like this,” McKay told Battista, “but the changes needed to be made because, in our mind, we have the data that said it should be made.”

The rule was initially proposed by the league’s competition committee in March to be discussed at the Annual League Meeting as the NFL continues its push to reduce injuries on special teams plays.

The proposal was tabled for further discussion in March. Two months later, ownership voted in its favor at the Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis.

“In our mind this is a rule that needed to be passed,” McKay told reporters on Tuesday. “We needed to pass it for one year, see what the data is and consider what the future of the kickoff was. So that was kind of the pathway we took. Doesn’t mean that coaches and/or players wouldn’t feel negatively about it. I would anticipate they would because change always means you got to look at things differently — and I get that. But, in our case, we’re going to be driven by the health and safety data and that’s what’s going to inform us as far as making rules proposals.”

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

President Jason Wright cast the Commanders vote that sided with The Commish on the Thursday Flex.  Mike Florio wonders:

The NFL has an obsession with ensuring that every team has one person — and only one person — who can vote on league matters at league meetings. With Daniel Snyder’s double-secret probation that either has or hasn’t ended still keeping him away, his wife Tanya isn’t present, either.

It’s not a huge surprise, since a deal has been signed for the Snyders to sell the team to Josh Harris. Still, someone needed to be able to cast votes on important issues. On issues that came down to one vote.

Like the Thursday night flexing vote. The league office got just enough “yes” votes to push it through. Twenty-four teams voted in favor of it, and eight teams opposed it. If only one of the teams that voted in favor of Thursday night flexing had voted against it, the measure would have failed.

The Commanders could have been that vote.

According to a team spokesperson, franchise president Jason Wright is representing the team at these meetings. He’s also casting the votes.

And here’s where it gets a little confusing. We’d previously been told that the Commanders were opposed to Thursday night flexing in March. We reported it, without anyone pushing back against the reporting. (That’s hardly dispositive, but plenty of teams aren’t bashful about telling us when we got something wrong.)

Now, the Commanders say they were never against it.

Regardless of whether they were against it before they were for it, there definitely were and still are people within the organization who are opposed to it. The real question is whether the Commanders voiced opposition to it in March, and whether they needed to be flipped from no to yes, in order to push the measure through.

Also, it’s one thing for Wright to cast the ballot. Who made the decision? Weight? The Snyders? Harris?

In the end, that “yes” vote helped the league tremendously at a time when the Commanders could use a little help, especially as it relates to the specific structure of the Josh Harris bid ultimately securing 24 “yes” votes of its own at some upcoming gathering of the owners. If the Commanders really were against it before they were before it, the value of the Commanders’ assistance to the league becomes very significant.

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

QB BRYCE YOUNG talks about his chat with Tom Brady.  David Newton of ESPN.com:

Bryce Young’s biggest takeaway from a recent conversation with NFL legend Tom Brady was that being the first pick of the 2023 NFL draft doesn’t entitle him to anything.

“I have never thrown an NFL pass in a game,” the Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback reminded everyone on Monday, the first day of OTAs. “I have no stats, no wins, nothing. We’re all on an even playing field. Once you get into the league, where you get drafted, that doesn’t entitle me to anything.

“I have to work. I have to work as hard as I can to make sure every day I’m trying to get better, every day I’m improving.”

That’s what Brady made clear to Young and the other top quarterbacks — C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis — from the April draft who, on the first day of last week’s NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles, met with the seven-time Super Bowl champion at the home of Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin to discuss brand building.

Brady should know. Of himself and the six quarterbacks taken ahead of him in the 2000 draft, the 199th overall pick (sixth round) was the only one who had any sustained success.

He retired after last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 251 wins, 15 Pro Bowl selections and five Super Bowl MVP Awards in 23 seasons.

“There were a lot of gems, a lot of nuggets that I was able to take away,” Young said. “I was able to ask him some questions about his career, kind of his mindset going toward it.

“For me, obviously being a young quarterback, I wanted to know things that he wished he knew at this age and things that he felt like were key for him to have success.”

Although Young doesn’t consider himself entitled to anything as the top pick, he is getting treated in a way Brady never was in 2000 when he began his run with the New England Patriots fourth on the depth chart.

Young is listed No. 2 on Carolina’s depth chart behind veteran Andy Dalton, but both quarterbacks took snaps with the first-team offensive line during Monday’s practice. That’s a trend that is expected to continue as the Panthers groom Young to be the starter as early as this season’s opener.

AFC WEST

DENVER

The Broncos are the latest team to cast aside a veteran kicker.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

The Denver Broncos have parted ways with the last remaining member of their 2015 Super Bowl championship.

Kicker Brandon McManus announced Tuesday the club informed him of his release. The team has since announced the news.

“Brandon has been a key player and presence with the Broncos for nearly a decade, making outstanding contributions to our team and community,” Broncos general manager George Paton said in a statement on Tuesday. “Developing into one of the NFL’s most productive kickers, Brandon made so many clutch kicks for this franchise over the years as a Super Bowl champion and team captain. He will always hold a special place in Denver Broncos history. We thank Brandon for all he did for the Broncos, and we wish him and his family the very best in the future.”

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In nine seasons with the Broncos, McManus connected on 223 of 274 field-goal attempts, including 40 of 72 from 50-plus yards (8 of 13 from 50-plus in 2022). He also converted 277 of 286 extra-point tries.

During the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 run, McManus made all 10 postseason field-goal tires and three PATs.

McManus, 31, joins a lengthy list of veteran kickers available this offseason, including Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby, Ryan Succop and Brett Maher. Given the need for a reliable veteran kicker, McManus should find a landing spot at some point this year. His release also opens a hole on the Broncos’ roster under new coach Sean Payton.

LAS VEGAS

Tom Brady now has agreements with FOX Sports to be a broadcaster and the Raiders to be a part owner. Richard Dietsch and Tashan Reed of The Athletic:

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN on Monday he has “come to an agreement” with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady to join the organization’s ownership group, pending NFL approval. Sports Illustrated also confirmed Brady’s minority stake. Here’s what you need to know:

* Davis has been looking for a limited partner and was in talks with Magic Johnson a year ago. Johnson wound up being a part of the Commanders’ new ownership group.

* Brady has previously bought ownership stakes in the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA and a pickleball expansion team in the MLP. Davis is also the primary owner of the Aces.

* Brady, 45, retired in February following a historic 23-year career, winning seven Super Bowls.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What does this mean for Brady’s broadcasting future?

Sports television entities punted long ago on the notion that their broadcasters can’t have some kind of ownership stake in teams. The question usually comes down to optics: Are you comfortable having your broadcaster call games or discuss said team? Usually, the answer is yes.

In the case of Brady, as ESPN originally reported, Fox has blessed the arrangement based on sourcing. That tracks historically with all networks. If you are a tennis fan, for instance, you have long watched broadcasters analyze matches while actively coaching other players on tour. Brady, if he does land in the broadcasting booth in 2024, will be the highest-paid and most famous front-facing staffer at Fox Sports. The company isn’t going to derail that simply because of an obvious conflict of interest.

My rule of thumb, and you don’t have to follow it, is this: If someone has a financial stake in something, you should proceed with caution, not necessarily about what they are saying, but what they don’t say. If Brady ends up with a piece of the Raiders, I’m going to bypass everything he says about the franchise outside of game analysis. But as far as whether it will be an issue for Fox, no chance. — Deitsch

Davis, Brady deepen their connection

The origin of Davis and Brady’s business relationship began last May when the former NFL quarterback attended an Aces game. The two caught up at the contest in a conversation that would eventually lead to Brady purchasing a partial ownership stake in the Aces in March.

“I think he was just really impressed with how far women’s basketball has come,” Davis told The Athletic in March. “And he was also impressed by the excitement and the enthusiasm of the crowd in Las Vegas. He knew that I was in it, and I think he just felt he wanted to be a part of it. And so, his people contacted me, and we talked about it, and he became a partner in the world champion Las Vegas Aces.”

That ultimately evolved into Brady also pursuing a minority ownership stake in the Raiders. Davis was open to considering the idea of selling a piece of the franchise when Johnson expressed interest in ownership last October, but the deal didn’t come together and the NBA Hall of Fame point guard ended up buying a stake in the Commanders instead in April. Rather than punt on the idea altogether, he agreed to have talks with Brady, who he’d formed a stronger relationship with in recent months, and this is the culmination.

It’s an ironic turn of events considering Brady was frequently linked to the Raiders this offseason as a potential replacement for Derek Carr. Brady eliminated that possibility when he elected to retire, but he ended up a Raider after all. — Reed

Backstory

Along with the Aces and future pickleball team, Brady has previously been linked with NFL ownership. In 2022, after his initial retirement, there were multiple reports that Brady was in discussion with the Miami Dolphins to become a minority owner.

The Dolphins were later sanctioned by the NFL for this impermissible contact with Brady, as he was still under contract with the Buccaneers. Miami was forced to forfeit its first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Brady reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal to join Fox as a broadcaster shortly after retiring.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

The Chargers have smoothed over the ruffled feelings of RB AUSTIN EKELER.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Chargers and running back Austin Ekeler have agreed to a deal that will see Ekeler play out the final year of his contract in Los Angeles.

Ekeler and the Chargers agreed to revise his contract to add close to $2 million in incentives this season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

There’s no word on what Ekeler has to do to earn those incentives, but he is apparently satisfied that it’s something doable, and the team now has a happy camper.

Ekeler hadn’t been participating in voluntary offseason work and had indicated he’d like the team to trade him somewhere that he’d get paid more. Ekeler is due a $6.25 million base salary this season, and now he can earn incentives on top of that.

Realistically, given the way the running back position has been devalued in the NFL, it seems unlikely that Ekeler was going to get a better deal anywhere else. And so he’ll play out the 2023 season for the Chargers and hope to play well enough to cash in as a free agent in March.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

QB LAMAR JACKSON will be counting his money for a few more days but promises to eventually make it to Ravens OTAs.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

Lamar Jackson was absent from the start of the Baltimore Ravens’ OTAs on Monday, but the former NFL MVP quarterback is expected to report to the team this week, a source told ESPN.

Jackson has missed the first five weeks of the Ravens’ offseason workout program, which is voluntary. The only mandatory portion of the offseason workouts is a three-day minicamp, which will be held June 13 to 15.

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After signing his five-year, $260 million contract earlier this month, Jackson was asked whether he would be at the start of OTAs. “I’m going to be in soon,” Jackson said May 4. “I’ll be here soon.”

This year, Jackson will be learning a new offensive system and terminology under Todd Monken, who has replaced Greg Roman as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. Jackson will also be familiarizing himself with a new wide receiver group after Baltimore signed Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor in free agency and drafted Zay Flowers in the first round.

Two weeks ago, Monken said the team is in “constant communication” with Jackson and indicated that he’s “working hard.” OTAs represent the first phase of the offseason program in which the offense can line up against the defense, but no live contact is permitted. Teams can conduct 10 days of OTAs.

This marks the second straight season that Jackson wasn’t present at the start of OTAs. Last season, he skipped all of the voluntary offseason practices for the first time in his career and reported to minicamp only when he was playing under the fifth-year option.

Jackson is now the NFL’s highest-paid player, averaging $52 million per season. He received a record-setting $72.5 million signing bonus, which ended contract negotiations that spanned two years.

THIS AND THAT

MORE GAMBLING PROBLEMS LOOMING

David Perdum of ESPN.com with a deep dive into the NFL’s emerging issues with player gambling:

Regulated sports betting is spreading rapidly around the nation, and the NFL is trying to stay ahead of potential problems with increased monitoring and education, while hoping stiff penalties act as a deterrent. Recent events suggest the enhanced measures are warranted.

In the wake of five players being suspended in April, the NFL is investigating a second wave of potential violations of its gambling policy, multiple sources told ESPN. The uptick in gambling-related issues comes five years after a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the past five years, the NFL has embraced the new landscape, including allowing players to bet on sports other than the NFL.

Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets, with regulated sportsbooks in the U.S. handling more than $220 billion in wagers since 2018, according to the American Gaming Association. The NFL has three official sportsbook partners — Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel — and allows sportsbooks to operate at league stadiums. Point spreads and odds that used to be off-limits are now integrated into pregame shows and media coverage, and commercials for sportsbooks are shown frequently during NFL games. With betting menus growing rapidly, there is money on the line on practically every play.

And as opportunities grow, so too does the potential for violations.

Seven NFL players, at least one assistant coach and an undisclosed number of team employees have been found to have violated the league’s gambling policy in the past five years. Former Detroit Lions receiver Quintez Cephus, former Lions safety C.J. Moore and former Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were suspended in April for at least one year for allegedly betting on the NFL. The same penalty was levied against Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley in 2022, when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, and former Arizona Cardinals defensive back Josh Shaw in 2019.

Also in April, Lions receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were suspended for six games for allegedly placing bets — not on NFL games — while at a team facility. And in December, New York Jets receivers coach Miles Austin was suspended by the league for, according to his legal representation, “wagering on table games and non-NFL professional sports.”

The April suspensions brought into focus the different ways the NFL is catching those who violate the gambling policy, including third parties in partnership with the league using geolocation to identify bets being placed from prohibited jurisdictions, such as team facilities.

Additionally, companies, including NFL partner U.S. Integrity, are developing platforms aimed at tracking bets placed by prohibited individuals such as players and coaches. Leagues or teams would provide a list of prohibited bettors to the platforms, which would then be shared with sportsbooks. If a prohibited bettor attempts to wager, the technology flags it.

The evolving landscape raises questions about the NFL’s relationship with gambling, whether players are properly informed about the league’s policy and why the violations are being discovered. Here are some answers based on what we know at the moment.

What is the NFL’s policy regarding sports betting, and how does it differ for players, coaches and front-office staff?

NFL personnel, which includes league-office employees, team employees, players, owners, coaches, trainers, officials, security and stadium workers, among others, are prohibited from “placing, soliciting or facilitating any bet, whether directly or through a third party,” on any NFL game, practice or other league event, such as the draft or combine.

An exemption allowing players to bet on sports other than the NFL was added to the NFL’s gambling policy in 2018 after the PASPA decision, but with a restriction on placing bets from league and team facilities. Before the change, players were prohibited from any sports betting. The change to the policy was part of an agreement between the league and NFLPA and put the NFL’s gambling policy in line with other major professional leagues.

How does fantasy fit into this?

The NFL does not consider fantasy sports to be gambling, but it does place restrictions on the type of contests and the value of the prizes available to league personnel, including players. NFL personnel may not accept prizes from any seasonlong fantasy contests in excess of $250. They may not participate in any “daily or other similar short duration fantasy football game that offers a prize.”

The 2022 NFL gambling policy states, “These prohibitions are intended to avoid any appearance of impropriety which may result from participation in fantasy football games by an individual perceived to have an unfair advantage due to the preferential access to information.”

Why are these violations being discovered now?

Since the Supreme Court ruling, the NFL has embedded itself in the sports betting industry. The league beefed up its in-house technology, dedicating security personnel to the space and partnering with sportsbooks and integrity firms to create a network of sources that monitors the betting market and identifies improper bettors. The league now has more visibility of bets on the NFL, where they’re placed and who made them.

Sportsbooks and state regulators use geolocation services to track where bets are placed. After the suspensions in April, the NFLPA sent an email to all agents, alerting them that some of the violations involved players placing bets while using mobile apps on their phones while at work or while traveling with their teams. “This is a violation of the NFL’s gambling policy,” Ned Ehrlich, the NFLPA’s associate general counsel, wrote in the email obtained by ESPN.

“During the NFL’s investigations,” Ehrlich added, “we have learned that these apps [like FanDuel] are highly sensitive and very sophisticated at tracking, among other things, user location to be sure that people using the app are not ‘prohibited gamblers’ and/or that the person using the apps is in a location where they are allowed to place bets on the app.”

Many state gambling regulations require sportsbooks to obtain the services of an integrity firm. These companies act as a hub to report suspicious wagering, which is then investigated and often communicated to the sports governing bodies. In Ohio, for example, regulations require integrity monitors that receive reports of suspicious wagering to “provide a report to the commission, its contracted sports gaming proprietors, all certified independent integrity monitors and appropriate sports governing bodies.” In addition, sources familiar with NFL partnerships in the gambling space say companies are generally obligated to communicate suspicious activity with the league.

“We have long focused on expanding our monitoring efforts, working with a variety of tools and resources while remaining in sync with the growing regulated market,” David Highhill, a vice president and general manager who oversees sports betting for the NFL, wrote in an email to ESPN. “Our monitoring efforts include internal measures, along with resources and services provided by our partners to ensure we have the most comprehensive information possible.”

How does the NFL educate players, coaches and others about its gambling policy?

The NFL says it educates more than 17,000 people annually, providing training on its gambling policy to all players, coaches and staff employed by all 32 teams, as well as league personnel and stakeholders.

It’s not a “one-size-fits-all” process, according to Highhill, who says the education is tailored to the different types of personnel. Most of the training, particularly for players, is held in person, along with online courses and regular reminders throughout the season.

“The education and training the players receive is different than what NFL/club staff receive, which is different than what officials get,” Highhill wrote. “We are very explicit in the training to explain that if you are involved with the NFL, you can never bet on the NFL.

“There should be no misunderstanding on the policies,” he added.

Why did penalties in April vary?

The penalties varied because there were different violations. Cephus, Moore and Toney received indefinite suspensions of at least one year because they were found to have bet on the NFL. They will be allowed to file for reinstatement in 2024. The precedent for the indefinite suspension of at least one year was set in 2019 with Shaw, who the league determined bet on the NFL while he was on injured reserve for the Cardinals, according to the league. Ridley also received an indefinite suspension of at least one year and was reinstated in March.

Berryhill and Williams received six-game suspensions because they bet on non-NFL events, but according to the league, they did so at a league facility or while traveling with the team.

In what ways is the NFL vulnerable to violations of its gambling policy?

Preventing a player from placing bets on the NFL is extremely difficult. There are many workarounds to avoid detection, such as having an associate place a wager for a player. It’s a violation of the gambling policy, but difficult to detect. Players could also bet outside of the regulated betting market in the U.S., with an offshore sportsbook or a local bookmaker who don’t have partnerships with the league and are not obligated to alert the NFL of any such activity.

Deterrence might be the biggest weapon the NFL has in combating violations to its gambling policy, but as the recent suspensions show, it’s not without limitations.

Has there been evidence of any game manipulation?

The NFL says it found no evidence of game manipulation in any of the suspensions that have occurred in recent years. Highhill says the league analyzes betting information made available by regulators and sportsbook partners to look for signs of manipulation

Signs of manipulation could include unexpected or unusual odds movement or suspicious betting patterns, such as a type of prop bet attracting more wagering than normal.

“We have seen no evidence of game manipulation to date,” Highhill wrote.

How does the league reconcile its gambling partnerships and its policy?

In addition to its three official sportsbook partners, the NFL has relationships with international and domestic firms that help monitor the betting market, including Genius Sports, Sportradar and U.S. Integrity. The NFL also maintains open lines of communications with state regulators.

At least two NFL stadiums — Arizona’s State Farm Stadium and Washington’s FedEx Field — will have sportsbooks on premises this season. In March, league owners voted to allow the stadium sportsbooks to remain open on game days, a change in NFL policy. The league also allows up to six sportsbook commercials during game broadcasts.

“Professional sports leagues have largely embraced sports betting as a profitable venture,” Jeff Ifrah, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who advises NFL players on the league’s gambling policy, told ESPN. “This is evidenced by the many in-person sportsbooks connected to sports stadiums and the advertising deals between the sports league and sports betting apps. Despite actively encouraging its fan base to bet, the NFL has implemented a zero-tolerance policy for its players.

“There is a distinct lack of nexus between the harm the NFL is trying to prevent and the gambling policy in practice. As a result, most players who engage in sports betting are not doing anything illegal, they are simply not in compliance with a broad company policy governing player behavior.”

Highhill says regardless of the NFL’s commercial activity in the sports betting space, protecting the integrity of the game is the league’s No. 1 priority.

“There is simply no way to have any tolerance when it comes to our players, coaches, or staff betting on NFL football,” Highhill wrote. “As individuals involved with the NFL, whether player, personnel, or staff, we have different obligations [and in some cases relevant state laws] than our fans that mean we cannot bet on football. This should not be surprising or controversial.”

FLEX GAMES

It used to be, the NFL only had to worry about whether or not to “flex” out of just the Sunday night game (and whether or not to move some Sunday games around).  Now, as of Monday’s vote in the Twin Cities, they have three games to consider moving on some weeks.

We will attempt to sort that out here.

First, NBC has a six-week early window (Weeks 5-10) where up to two games can be flexed.

5     NBC    Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers

6     NBC    New York Giants at Buffalo Bills

7     NBC    Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles

8     NBC    Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers

9     NBC    Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals

10   NBC    New York Jets at Las Vegas Raiders

We would say there is almost no chance that Weeks 5 (DAL-SF), 6 (NYG-BUF) or 9 (BUF-CIN) would be flexed barring a significant QB injury.  We could see Week 7 (MIA-PHI if the Dolphins limp out from the gate) and Week 10 (NYJ-LV, if Aaron Rodgers was injured or had been ineffective) but doubt it.

But Week 8, Chicago at Chargers matches two teams that both received surprising primetime exposure – maybe the two most surprising of all.  And  there are other tasty possibilities from teams with room for more national games.

Eric Smithling of Yardbarker.com (who did a feature on some flex possibilities) is on the same page:

Week 8: Bears at Chargers. Replacement: Jets at Giants

Chargers QB Justin Herbert is worthy of prime time, but are the Bears? To be fair, they could be a fun team. Then again, “fun” and “the Chicago Bears” aren’t two concepts that traditionally go together. Jets-Giants might be more attractive. Another possibility would be Chiefs-Broncos. If Sean Payton has the kind of impact Denver is hoping, that will be must-see TV. It’s scheduled for CBS, as is a potentially great game between the Bengals and the 49ers. We’re guessing the network blocks Bengals-49ers from going anywhere and lets NBC pick between Jets-Giants and Chiefs-Broncos. In that scenario, the battle for New York gets the flex.

We also note Vikings at Packers and Jaguars at Steelers as interesting possibilities.

Starting in Week 11, NBC and the NFL have unlimited flexing power.  Still NBC only in Week 11, and we don’t see that week’s NBC game as being impervious to temptation.

11     NBC     Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos

This game was on Smithling’s list:

Week 11: Vikings at Broncos. Replacement: Raiders at Dolphins

As with the Chargers, the Raiders don’t lose out on a prime-time game. We also get Josh McDaniels vs. Mike McDaniel. The loser changes his last name.

We actually think there are better possible candidates – Seattle at the Rams (neither got their due in the released schedule), Steelers at Browns, Giants at Commanders come to mind.

ESPN joins the mix in Week 12:

12     NBC     Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers

12      ESPN      Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings

Two more games involving the over-served Chargers and Bears.

Smithling sees the potential for Monday Night history at the first opportunity:

Week 12: Bears at Vikings (“MNF”). Replacement: Browns at Broncos

Other options here include Saints-Falcons, Patriots-Giants and Chiefs-Raiders, but a lot could be at stake in Browns-Broncos. Both are fringe playoff contenders at best in a loaded AFC, and a loss here could knock either out of the race for good.

Can the Chiefs, with the “maximum” number of games be flexed in without being flexed out?  This game may survive more due to a lack of candidates to flex in on Thanksgiving week.

Week 13

Now it gets crazy, as Amazon has flooded the flex market.

In Week 13, we would not see any of these games being flexed (barring significant QB injury)

13      Prime   Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

13      NBC     Kansas City Chiefs vs Green Bay Packers

13      ESPN   Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars

On to Week 14 –

Disney has two games on Monday – and we would be surprised if the Sunday packages were robbed of a good game to shore up a faltering Titans-Dolphins matchup.

And on Thursday, New England and Pittsburgh are “branded” teams, so in Week 10 (28-day window) would they jump to put in Rams at Ravens or Jaguars at Browns, even if those teams have hot starts?

14      Prime   New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

14      NBC     Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

14      ABC     Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

          ESPN   Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins

Now, Week 15 gets interesting – as the NFL also has to pick 3 of 5 designated games to go to Saturday.

15       Prime   Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders

15       NBC     Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars

15       ESPN   Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

We would think The Commish would like to flex his new Amazon power at least once, so Chargers at Raiders could prove vulnerable.  The problem is the 5 designated games for NFL Network, plus some teams who already have two Thursday games can’t be flexed to Thursday.  That said, FOX has two tasty games in the 4:25 window and Philadelphia at Seattle would seem to be moveable.

Week 16

16        Prime           New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams

16        Peacock      Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (Saturday afternoon)

16        NBC            Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Chargers (Saturday night)

16        NBC            New England at Denver Broncos (Sunday night)

16        ESPN          Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers (Christmas night)

So – we don’t think the NBC games could be flexed from Saturday and both seem pretty solid.

And if you could, would you really flex a Baltimore-San Francisco game off of Christmas night after putting it there in the first place (or more accurately, would you move a game from Christmas Eve to Christmas night to replace it).

New England at Denver on Christmas Eve?  Both would have to be way out of it to consider.

The Saints at Rams game could be vulnerable, but can you play the Chargers at SoFi on Saturday ending around 9 pm with kickoff for the Rams at 1 on Sunday?

But will there be better that’s available?  Seattle at Tennessee may be the best that wouldn’t give a team a third Thursday game

Week 17

17        Prime              New York Jets at Cleveland Browns

17        NBC                Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

17        ESPN              Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys

Could the nation have QB AARON RODGERS fatigue by Week 17?

Steelers at Seahawks is a 4:05 game on FOX that won’t be saved, and it may have more playoff implications than Jets-Browns or Packers-Vikings.  But for a Thursday Flex will that be apparent 28 days out?