Commissioner Roger Goodell has spent the last decade methodically expanding the NFL, with international games in new locations like Madrid for the first time, streaming deals, and private equity investments. But now, an equity arrangement with ESPN has given the league a 10% stake in the network that covers it. The NFL is building solid infrastructure, and the first decision from that has just been made.

NFL Network is set to air at least two UFL games in 2026: the Houston Gamblers’ home opener against the Birmingham Stallions on April 5, and the UFL’s first-ever Thursday night game on April 16.

Both of these games were originally scheduled for ESPN properties: ESPN2 and ESPN+, respectively, and both moved to the NFL Network after kickoff time adjustments triggered broadcast reshuffling. The $3 billion ESPN-NFL deal closed on February 1, and the first programming calls have already started coming within weeks.

The UFL runs a 43-game schedule, split across FOX (21 games) and the ESPN family (22 games). NFL Network now slots in as an additional distribution point. The move marks a major shift for the league, as the UFL needs the NFL Network’s audience.

Per reports, the UFL’s second season only brought in 645,000 viewers per game. That number is a sharp 20% drop from the first year. For 2026, the UFL leaned into rule changes to generate excitement: a four-point field goal from 60-plus yards, a punting ban inside the opponent’s 50 outside the final two minutes, and a tush push ban that the NFL itself failed to pass twice.

These moves are more than just tweaks. They are a league fighting for visibility, and the NFL Network’s core audience is a lifeline.

The NFL is following a familiar playbook. Just like NBA TV showcases G League games and MLB Network airs Minor League contests, the league is giving the UFL exposure on its own network. By controlling distribution, the NFL can nurture its spring football brand while learning what resonates with fans.

What the merger actually means

The NFL handed over NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL Fantasy. In return, it received a 10% equity stake in ESPN, making this the first time in North American sports history that a professional league has owned a stake in a broadcaster covering it.

Under the new deal, ESPN airs a record 28 games per season, while NFL Network airs seven, including four relocated from ESPN’s schedule as the Monday Night Football doubleheaders are discontinued.

Does this change the way ESPN covers football? Chris Berman, who has been at ESPN for 47 years, was asked directly about the conflict-of-interest question. While he noted that no big changes should occur, he admitted that “the lines have been blurred, in a lot of ways.”

Former ESPN EVP Laura Gentile was sharper in her takes last August when addressing the deal.

“The move comes with one great risk: the loss of ESPN’s soul,” Gentile wrote. “Now ESPN is in the increasingly untenable position of serving two mightier masters: the NFL and The Walt Disney Company. It will become ever more difficult to remain objective–never mind critical, irreverent or funny.”

Meanwhile, all NFL Network personnel transition to Disney/ESPN employment effective April 1. Existing contracts will be honored through their expiration and then renegotiated on Disney’s terms. Ian Rapoport, whose contract expires in May, told The Athletic in February that he had no clarity on his future.

“Just so we are clear, I don’t know what is coming,” Rapoport said. “No one has told me, ‘It’s going to be like this. It’s going to be like that.’ There are a lot of things I don’t know. A lot of people don’t know, but I’m excited because ESPN is very good at what it does.”

Rapoport and Adam Schefter now work under the same roof. Two reporters who once chased each other’s scoops will now collaborate, and maybe even spark a little competition. With the UFL in the mix, the league is now quietly expanding its media footprint.