The NFL's ambitious plan to lock in new broadcast deals with all five of its major partners before the 2026 season is looking increasingly like a long shot. For a league that usually calls the shots, this time the networks seem to be holding the cards—and they're not in a hurry to play them.

So far, only CBS has entered formal negotiations with the league. That's not by choice; it's because Skydance's purchase of Paramount last year triggered a change-in-control provision, forcing CBS to the table. Meanwhile, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and Prime Video have remained quiet, with no talks underway.

The growing consensus among sports media analysts is that the NFL may have to wait until its opt-out clauses kick in after the 2029-30 season—or 2030-31 for ESPN—before any new deals materialize. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, speaking on his Marchand Sports Media podcast with Puck's John Ourand, laid out a convincing case for why patience is the smarter play for most partners.

Prime Video is a prime example. The Amazon-owned streamer currently pays around $1 billion per year for Thursday Night Football—a steal compared to NBC's Sunday Night Football package, which costs roughly $2 billion annually. In terms of value, Prime Video might be getting the best deal in the room. And with Amazon's deep pockets and a stellar earnings report fresh in the rearview mirror, there's little incentive to renegotiate early.

"I just think if I'm Amazon, they're probably just gonna sit it out and say, 'We'll see you in '29,'" Marchand noted. "They have trillions of dollars, they just had a great earnings call—like, why are they in a rush?"

For sports fans and apparel enthusiasts alike, this standoff means one thing: the NFL's broadcast future is still up in the air, and the big plays might not come until the end of the decade. Until then, grab your jersey, settle in, and enjoy the game—because the real negotiations are just getting started.