"Dollars will hit level that'll seem unsustainable" - Mike Florio warns NFL's reported plan to abandon current TV deals could destroy old media system

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar enterprise with some of the richest owners, teams and players in professional sports. The league is powered by impressively lucrative TV deals with an array of media partners.

NFL analyst Mike Florio issued a warning that the league's reported plan of abandoning the current TV deals might ruin the old media system.

"The league's current television deals technically run through 2033," Florio wrote on Tuesday, via Pro Football Talk. "But the NFL has the ability to pull the plug four years early, and it most certainly will.

"The possibility of open season after the 2029 campaign could result in another potential answer. John Ourand of Puck reports that the league “could” approach the networks before the 2029 season, with the aim of negotiating deals that would last a year or two beyond 2033.'

Florio added that the money will hit a level that will "seem unsustanable."

"Regardless of how it plays out, the league has a knack for squeezing more and more cash out of its television rights," Florio wrote. "So, whatever the NFL does, new deals will happen and the dollars will hit a level that'll seem unsustainable. Until the next time around, when the numbers get even higher."

The NFL has numerous partnerships with the likes of CBS, FOX and Paramount. However, it could objectively work more flexible deals with Netflix, Amazon, Apple and YouTube.

The average NFL team valued at $6.49 billion, according to CNBC’s Official 2024 NFL Team Valuations. There's a lot of power wielded by the league if and when it opts out of most of its media deals at the end of the 2028 season.

When will the 2025 NFL season start?

While the league's front office figures out how to maximize revenue for its product, fans can look forward to the start of the 2025 season. It begins with a game between the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, and their archrivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

The first game of the campaign will be on Sept. 4, with the Cowboys traveling to Lincoln Financial Field to face the Philadelphia. The game begins at 8:20 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC, with streaming available via Peacock.

The Nick Sirianni-coached Eagles are a few months removed from their famous 2025 Super Bowl win over Andy Reid's star-studded Kansas City Chiefs. They've been active in the offseason and will look to lay down a marker against the Brian Schottenheimer-led Cowboys.

Philadelphia and Dallas share a long and illustrious rivalry, and it's a top-notch showdown to start the season. Both teams will look to give their fans something to smile about come Sept. 4.