NFL owners earlier this week held their annual Spring Meeting in Minneapolis and the sessions produced a few items that might interest you.
- Green Bay, the smallest market in the league, for the first time will be the primary site for the 2025 NFL Draft. The Draft next year will be held in Detroit as previously announced.
- The 49ers and the Bay Area will host Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026. The game will be played 10 years and a day after the first Super Bowl was played in that stadium.
- The owners approved “flex scheduling” for Thursday night games on Weeks 13-17 only and with at least 28-days notice given to participating teams and their fans. This means that limited Sunday afternoon games may be switched to Thursday night during those five weeks. Flex scheduling already exists for Sunday night and Monday night games late in the season.
- In on-the-field news, the owners approved a rule that allows teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two quarterbacks on the active roster are injured during a game.
- Finally, a rule change involving fair catches on kickoffs was approved. The ball now will be placed on the 25-yard line if a team makes a fair catch inside the 25-yard line. The vote for this new rule was for the 2023 season only. The rule already exists in college ball.
A pending sale of the Washington Commanders and a contract extension for Commissioner Goodell were discussed in Minneapolis but no final decision was made on either item.
