Over the past few years, player safety and health has been top of mind for the NFL and its players due to the rise of preventable injuries.
One topic of discussion that’s picked up more steam is Thursday Night Football as players have publicly said how much they dislike the primetime slot for games. However, their pleas to get rid of TNF have fallen on deaf ears and the league doesn’t look like they’ll be getting rid of them any time soon.
In that vein, league owners voted on a proposal to have the ability to flex TNF games and according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, it passed:
Flexing for Thursday Night Football just passed, 24-8, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2023
The resolution also included stipulation regarding how many games can be flexed and how long a motion must be filed to move a game:
More rules as it pertains to Thursday Night Football: Only two flexes are allowed all season. They must be done with 28 days advance notice. Teams cannot play two away TNF games in a season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2023
There are more rules regarding the flexing of TNF games such as only Sunday games between Weeks 13-17 are allowed to be moved and the league must file notice 28 days in advance. Additionally, no team will be eligible to be flexed more than once and the maximum number of TNF games will stay at two per team.
If no games are flexed during the 2023 season, the resolution will roll into the 2024 season. The 2023 campaign is considered to be a trial period for the NFL and its teams.
The Los Angeles Rams could be affected by the new proposition as they host the New Orleans Saints on TNF in Week 16. However, logistically it might not make sense to do that as the Los Angeles Chargers host a game that Sunday making the turnaround time a little tight to get SoFi Stadium ready.
It will be interesting to see how the season shakes out down the stretch and if the NFL does end up flexing games. There are definitely going to be some teams that voice their displeasure if they end up getting moved, but that seems to be a bridge that the league will cross when they get there.
Rams claim Vincent Gray from Saints
The secondary will look very different from the Rams as they’ve got spots up for grabs. For example, they recently claimed Vincent Gray off waivers from the Saints and he could very well end up making the roster.
