The Washington Commanders will very likely have to deal with the NFL opener trap soon enough.
The Commanders don’t have to worry about being the center of the league, coming off of their very disappointing 5-12 2025 season. In recent years, the NFL has selected some of its marquee teams to open the season in a far-away land. Why? To make money off of international fans who would love to see and will pay handsomely to see an NFL game in their hemisphere.
You recall that in 2024, the NFL sent the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles all the way to Brazil to open their NFL seasons. The NFL played its first game in South America and brought in the dough as a result.
How is this good for American fans of the two teams playing overseas? How is this good for one
of the teams being forced to lose a home game off of their schedule, resulting in their ‘home’ game being played in Australia?
Oh, it’s good for the NFL, all right. It’s good for one particular aspect of the NFL. It brings more, a lot more, to NFL owners’ pockets. Of course, Netflix is televising the game. Yes, part of one of the several television deals NFL owners have worked with various television companies. In this 2026 NFL season, the NFL owners have contracts with CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, the NFL Network, Amazon Prime, Paramount, Peacock, and Netflix.
While Washington and Philadelphia prepare for their Week 1 contest, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their in-state battle. Oh, but no, it won’t be an in-state battle this time. This time the two teams are being forced to fly all the way to Australia to make more money for NFL owners.
On Tuesday, “Grant & Danny” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., had former Redskins head coach Jay Gruden on their program. When asked about this game, Gruden was fantastic; fantastic because he spoke his mind. Gruden should really apply for NFL TV broadcasts because he is sharp, colorful, and not afraid to say what needs to be said.
“I think it’s the worst thing in the history of football,” began Gruden. “You’re so excited for the season to start. The Rams are the favorite to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers are getting (Brock) Purdy back, and maybe (George) Kittle, and they are excited to get going. And then you have to fly on a plane for 17 hours to Australia?”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Gruden said. “What are they doing?! I mean, who cares about Australian fan support? Don’t they have enough money for _____’s sake? It makes me sick! It’s unbelievable! It’s not fair to the players; it’s not fair to the coaches. They (NFL owners) say they want to take care of the players. Let’s stick them on a plane for 17 hours and play full contact against Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett.”
Come to think of it, Gruden will probably never get that job as an NFL TV analyst. Do you think the NFL would actually allow one of their former coaches to tell the public the truth about what is happening to the NFL financially? Can you imagine Gruden telling fans that NFL owners take advantage of them by making season tickets include preseason games at full price?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Former Washington head coach blasts NFL owners
