NFL exploring potential Thanksgiving Eve game this season: report

In recent years, the NFL has scheduled games on Black Friday, Christmas and the Friday after the first regular-season game of the year while also expanding its international footprint.

"Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making process," the league said Wednesday in a statement. "As Commissioner (Roger) Goodell has said, Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous and, given the continued growth of fan interest around our games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, looking for additional opportunities tied to this special holiday is exciting for us to explore."

If the league goes ahead with a Thanksgiving Eve game, the teams likely would have a bye the previous week since playing a game on a Wednesday is unusual. There have only been four NFL games played on a Wednesday in the sport's modern era.

Thanksgiving Eve would give the league nine major broadcast windows to fill. There also would be the spotlight games in the early and late-afternoon Sunday windows, Sunday night and Monday night.

The regular-season schedule is not expected to be released until the first or second week of May. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.