NFL Owners are expected to vote on a 5-year contract extension with EA Sports to be the exclusive video game of the NFL next week. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the vote will be to ratify the deal, which means the deal is already in place, it just needs to be approved on.

The new deal if approved would run through 2026. Over a decade ago, EA Sports beat out 2K for exclusive rights to be the video game maker for the NFL. There were many gamers that enjoyed the 2K series, which caused Madden to receive a lot of criticism. One concern for some with no competition for Madden is that they aren't putting out as good of game as they could be. With a little competition maybe Madden would be pushed to continue to improve their game.

2k does have a new deal with Madden that was agreed upon earlier this year for “non-simulation type games.” No one is quite sure what exactly that means, but as the 2021 release date gets closer, we should have more information.

“Expanding the NFL’s presence in the world of gaming has become a focus for the League as we look to grow the next generation of our fanbase and reviving our partnership with 2K was a natural step in that effort,” NFL senior vice president of consumer products Joe Ruggiero said in a statement. “2K is a worldwide leader in sports video games, with a proven track record of creating best-in-class and award-winning games and we look forward to sharing more about the projects we are working on with them in the future.”

Video games are a staple of American culture, and this could be a sign we are getting back to the glory days when 2k and Madden were competing year in and year out for the best football video game.