The NFL is exploring the addition of a game on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to this season’s schedule, according to a league statement and a report from ESPN. The move would capitalize on record-breaking holiday viewership and expand the league’s broadcast footprint.

Last year’s three Thanksgiving Day games averaged 44.7 million viewers, up from 34.5 million in 2024. The late-afternoon matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys on CBS drew 57.2 million, the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history, surpassing the previous record of 42.1 million set by the Cowboys and New York Giants in 2022.

The league has also played on Black Friday for the past three seasons, with steady audience growth. Last year’s Bears-Eagles game on Amazon Prime Video averaged 16.3 million viewers.

“Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making process,” the league said Wednesday. “As Commissioner (Roger) 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.”

If approved, teams playing on Thanksgiving Eve would likely have a bye the previous week. The addition would give the NFL nine major broadcast windows, including Sunday early and late afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night, and the holiday slate. The regular-season schedule is expected to be released in early to mid-May, with final pitches from owners and networks at league meetings in Phoenix later this month.