The NFL indeed has the right to opt out on a one-time basis from each of the new TV deals.
Per a source with knowledge of the transactions, each contract gives the league the ability to pull the plug after seven years.
It’s a safe bet that the league will exercise the opt-out rights, under each deal. The game undoubtedly will continue to grow in popularity over the coming years, especially as more and more states adopt legalized sports betting. The real boost will come when the technology is implemented to show in homes and bars exactly what it happening in stadiums, allowing for in-game, play-at-a-time betting from mobile devices.
That’s when the revenue will explode. That’s when the NFL will be able to rip up the remaining TV deals and seek to double them again.
Even if the new deals are backloaded from a revenue standpoint, the league surely will be able to get at least the same numbers it currently has secured for those years, barring something unforeseen that causes interest in the game to crater or the economy to collapse.