It's not surprising the Patriots are one of the most coveted draws in the NFL for next season. Top executives from the league's broadcast partners, ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports, met with the NFL's schedule maker around the Super Bowl in order to lobby him for next season, per Sports Business Journal's John Ourand. He reports the Patriots were heavily sought after, just like every year, along with the Cowboys, Steelers and Packers.
Though NFL ratings were down last season, the star-studded Patriots remained an excellent draw. Their thrilling late-season matchup with the Steelers drew the largest audience of the regular season. The Patriots-Eagles attracted the lowest Super Bowl audience in seven years, but still drew more than 100 viewers for their scintillating shootout. Considering the overall state of NFL ratings, that number has to be considered a success.
Besides the Patriots, Ourand says Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers have emerged as an appetizing primetime option. Garoppolo led San Franscisco to five straight wins as a starter to close out the season, earning him a record-setting five-year contract worth $137.5 million.
Given the NFL's dearth of star quarterbacks, it's easy to see why network execs are attracted to Garoppolo. For starters, he is gorgeous. But as Brady's ex-protege, and now the richest QB in league history, he's already been elevated to superstar status. The 49ers have generated little national buzz since Steve Young retired in the late 1990's. Garoppolo brings San Francisco, the nation's eighth-largest TV market, back in play.
With the AFC schedule looking weak for next season, Ourand theorizes the NFL may look to flex more NFC games to CBS than before. If that's the case, look forward to some TB12-Jimmy G Sunday doubleheaders. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday.
