ESPN Could Make Major Change to 'Monday Night Football' Schedule

ESPN has aired its final Monday Night Football double-header of the 2025 season and they may not return in 2026, according to a report from Front Office Sports. The network has trotted out overlapping or back-to-back matchups in each of the last three seasons, sparking some frustration with some viewers and delighting those who want to gorge on football for just a bit longer as they embark on a work week.

Per Front Office Sports:

In August, Disney and the NFL agreed to a deal that will see ESPN acquire NFL Network and the distribution rights to NFL RedZone, among other assets, in exchange for giving the league a 10% equity stake in ESPN (valued at $2 billion). The deal is subject to standard regulatory approval from the U.S. government.

As part of that pending deal, ESPN’s total number of games will increase to 28 (not including the Super Bowl). ESPN opted to buy three of the seven games NFL Network currently has the rights to each season. The league will take the other four to market.

All 28 of those ESPN-controlled games are guaranteed to be stand-alone TV windows, an ESPN spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports; 21 will air on ESPN (including some ABC simulcasts) and 7 on NFL Network.

An ESPN source confirmed to FOS that all of those games will be in stand-alone windows with single MNF games in Weeks 1-17 to go along with a Week 18 Saturday double-header. The deal, which needs to be approved and finalized, would have to be done before the NFL embarks on putting together and releasing its 2026 schedule. If not, then the double-headers may be on the docket for another season.

So in short, it seems as though there are some caveats and details to hammer out. And that all of that is going to happen on an uncertain timeline. But given this reporting, there's reason for those who don't much care for two football games—one that can extend past midnight on the East Coast—on their Monday nights to have some optimism.