The NFL will host its first Black Friday showdown in style with a star-studded clash between Aaron Rodgers' New York Jets and Tua Tagovailoa's Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium, it was announced on Wednesday.
The game on November 24 is sure to attract huge numbers across the United States, landing the day after Thanksgiving, and it will be big business for broadcaster Amazon Prime.
Amazon already pays $1billion per year to be the home of Thursday Night Football, and NBC Sports reports the broadcaster has paid between $70-100 million on top to land the rights for the Black Friday game.
Black Friday is among the biggest events in the retail calendar and Amazon is sure to capitalise on the game to drive the other arms of its business.
The subscription service made its debut as the NFL's broadcast partner for Thursday Night Football in 2022 and it endured a frustrating start owing to several dud games, but there are few clashes in the league with more star players on show.
There is the added spice of it being a divisional clash in a highly competitive AFC East after Rodgers' blockbuster trade from the Green Bay Packers, with Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner also among the headline acts for two division rivals eyeing a Super Bowl run.
The game will take place at 3pm ET, meaning it will begin at primetime in the UK, and American viewers will be able to watch it for free without a Prime subscription. It will follow the traditional three-game Thanksgiving schedule on November 23.
“We’re excited to be the home of the first-ever NFL Black Friday game, and what better way to kick off this new tradition than with a rivalry matchup between the Dolphins and the Jets,” said Amazon's vice president of global sports video Marie Donoghue.
"On one of the biggest shopping days of the year, we’re thrilled to offer another way to delight Amazon customers and give all fans free access to this AFC East showdown.”
The announcement follows the confirmation of the NFL's international schedule for 2023, with the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on October 1. A week later, the Jags are the road team as they face the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens meet at at Tottenham to round off the trio of London games on October 15.
Two games in Frankfurt, Germany follow, with the Dolphins taking on Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs on November 5th before the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots do battle on November 12.
The full NFL schedule will be released on Thursday at 8pm ET.
