Earlier this month, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into whether the NFL has engaged in anticompetitive practices through its media rights deals and whether fans are being overcharged across multiple streaming platforms. After the probe became public, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the issue during the 2026 NFL Draft.

“It’s the most accessible game out there, and most accessible in any league,” Goodell said. “Over 87% of our games go on free television, every single one of our games, the two participating teams, it’s in their home market. We go to platforms that are new. We went to ESPN back in the 80s. That has been a great move for our fans and has developed new ways to engage with the NFL, but we’ve been surviving and thriving on the basis of being available to the broadcast audience.”

Under its current media agreements, the NFL generates over $10 billion annually. The league has broadcast partnerships with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix. Certain games, such as Monday Night Football on ESPN, Thursday Night Football, and the Black Friday game on Prime Video, and Christmas Day games on Netflix, require subscriptions.

Some international matchups also air on NFL Network, and select postseason games are tied to paid platforms. The league does benefit from an antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, though that protection applies specifically to broadcast television.

Courts have previously ruled that the exemption does not extend to cable, satellite, or streaming services. That distinction is central to the current scrutiny. Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, wrote to federal regulators on March 3 urging a review of whether the NFL’s distribution model aligns with the law.

Lee argued that an average fan may spend close to $1,000 annually on cable and streaming services to follow the league. Forbes, meanwhile, estimated the cost of accessing every NFL game via streaming last season at $765.

That’s where Goodell’s argument diverges. While fans often need multiple subscriptions to watch the full slate of games, the league maintains that the majority of its games remain free, with all games involving local teams available in their respective markets.

The key distinction, though, lies in what “access” means. The NFL’s position focuses on access to local teams, while the Justice Department’s review centers on access to the entire league’s content. Amid the ongoing investigation, however, the NFL is likely to negotiate a new media rights deal, which could go for $16 billion annually.

The NFL is reportedly seeking a $16 billion in media rights deals

The NFL’s existing media rights deals run through 2033 with most partners and 2034 with ESPN. However, the league holds an opt-out clause after the 2029 season. That’s why Roger Goodell is expected to explore a new deal sooner rather than later, especially with 83 of the top 100 broadcasts last year being NFL games.

That raises the question of what the next deal could look like. Matthew Belloni of Puck recently explored that and projected the league could land a deal worth around $16 billion annually, roughly $6 billion higher than the current one. If that happens, it would represent about a 58% increase.

“And right on cue, MoffettNathanson is out with a new report predicting the average annual value of NFL rights deals will rise to $15.9 billion after renegotiations—including the carve-outs of additional smaller packages, likely to sell to Netflix or YouTube,” Belloni wrote. “That’s 58 percent higher than the current deals, and here’s the key line.”

As it stands, the NFL brings in over $10 billion annually. Fox pays about $2.2 billion, CBS $2.1 billion, NBC $2 billion, and Amazon $1 billion for Thursday Night Football. On top of that, the league also has a Christmas Day package with Netflix and additional agreements like Sunday Ticket tied to YouTube.

“What we focus on is ‘How do we reach the broadest number of people, on every broadcast? How do we make an event out of that?’ We select our partners in part for that reason,” Goodell said earlier. “Economics are obviously part of that, the value that’s created. But at the end of the day, we want partners who are going to broaden our audience.”

In short, while the current deal remains in place, the league is already laying the groundwork for its next media rights agreement.