If we rewind a few days back to the NFL annual meetings, we would notice that the NFL is going through bigger changes. From changing the playoffs’ home and away game formula, heated discussions on banning the tush push, to having one more game in the regular season, the reforms are incoming. But while these talks were going on, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs requested that the National Football League have their game on Christmas Day permanently.

Initially, somebody would have thought the league was definitely going to approve it, as the Chiefs’ previous Christmas Day game was a banger. But the league surprised everyone and also gave a sigh of relief to Mahomes and Chiefs haters. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio has a fantastic analysis on the Chiefs’ demand and why the NFL should not accept it. But before getting into the analysis, let’s check out how the NFL vice president, Mike North, views the Chiefs’ desire.

Mike North was on a podcast, It’s Always Gameday in Buffalo, on Saturday. When the NFL VP was asked how he looked at the Chiefs’ will to become the permanent team to play on Christmas Day, he surprised everyone. “I’m not sure that’s gonna become a tradition quite the way Thanksgiving is,” North started by stating clear intentions.

He also added, “I mean, think about what it took for that tradition, right? The Lions since the ‘30s, the Cowboys since the ‘60s. We didn’t commit to a third site on Thanksgiving when we brought that back about 20 years ago. We rotated that around. I imagine we’re gonna keep rotating Christmas around, too.” As we all know, the Lions and the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving Day. That’s a tradition since decades.

And after saying that, he subtly shut down the Chiefs’ request. “Never say never,” North said. “Let’s see what the next few years bring. But I don’t think we’re today gonna commit to a permanent third host for Thanksgiving, a permanent host for Black Friday, or a permanent host for Christmas.” So, it’s now becoming apparent that, apart from the Lions’ and Cowboys’ Thanksgiving games, there won’t be a permanent team to play on a specific day. On the latest Christmas Day, the NFL collectively got more than 30 million views. That’s a pretty huge number. And this is why many teams want to have their game on Christmas.

Florio also agreed with the NFL VP and argued that there is no guarantee that the Chiefs will be a great team forever. They may not have Patrick Mahomes after a few years. And also, there is no guarantee Taylor Swift is gonna be with the team to increase the viewership. So, the NFL won’t give Clark Hunt‘s team the chance to have a permanent fixture. At least not just yet.

But before NFL VP Mike North added this strong take on Christmas Day, the Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said something important about the NFL’s new reforms. As Roger Goodell tries to organize more international games, Hunt has cleared his stance.

Clark Hunt and the Chiefs cleared their stance on international games

A few months ago, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell had already said that the league would prefer to increase the number of international games. And look, it’s happening. Instead of playing one or two international games, the league will organize seven foreign games this season. One of the games will feature Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. After hearing this update, Clark Hunt cleared his stance on their foreign game in the annual meetings at Palm Beach, Florida. 

The Chiefs owner started, “We make the league aware every year that we would be delighted to play (an international game), whether as a home team or as an away team.” Hunt also added, “We hope, at some point, we’ll get picked back up… We’re willing to do it whenever the opportunity presents itself.”  The Chiefs will most likely be the visiting team in Sao Paulo against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil on Sept 5, 2025, per The Athletic. 

The Chiefs have played three international games so far. In 2015, they played in England. Then, in the 2019 season, they played in Mexico for their 2nd international game. And then, in the 2023 season, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were sent to Germany, where the NFL has a tremendous number of fans. 

The NFL kicked off last season with an international game. The Eagles started their Super Bowl journey after beating the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This year again, the league will probably kick the season off with Patrick Mahomes’s Chiefs’ Week 1 game in Sao Paulo. Will this become a tradition in itself?

What are your thoughts on these two culture updates from the NFL? Let us know in the comments below.