EA Sports College Football 26 was released in early July. Fans have only had their hands on the game for a few months, but already, there is talk about the next iteration of the franchise, College Football 27. On Thursday morning, On3 insider Ross Dellenger posted an article discussing everything he has learned about next year’s EA College Football game. While he mentioned some interesting new features, he also brought up some possible roadblocks, including “one big complication.”
New sports biz, bites & booze for @On3Sports:
🎮 EA Sports’ newest video game contract sent to players may trigger one big complication
💵 Collectives say $11M in deals sent to NIL Go were denied or are under review
🇵🇭 Filipino food in C-Bus?!https://t.co/Sq2qPgBdcR— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 4, 2025
Part of the process for building an EA game is the licensing agreements with the players. In previous years, the base fee for the player’s likenesses was $600 each. However, according to a letter from OneTeam Partners, EA’s exclusive partner in administering the agreements, the base fee is expected to increase to $1500 per player. There are also bonus payments for more high-profile players.
Additionally, the new agreement removed a clause that allowed players to opt out of the deal in future years. The removal of this clause limits players’ flexibility to negotiate bigger deals in the future.
Another aspect of the current situation is that nearly 4000 power conference football players have signed their exclusive video game rights to Pathway Sports & Entertainment, a company focused on monetizing NIL rights for athletes. Pathway has paid more than $6 million to these football players and is looking to negotiate better deals for players from EA Sports. However, based on the latest contract sent by EA, a deal has not been struck with Pathway.
Pathway Sports & Entertainment Releases a Statement After EA Sports Confirmed Changes to the Latest Contract Sent to Players
After EA Sports sent its latest contract to the players, Pathway Sports released a statement.
“We remain committed to our founding principle of supporting athletes in their pursuit of realizing their true value and working with partners, like EA, to bring the best experience for everyone in college football. These things do not have to be at odds and in fact, work better for fans of the game when we can all align,” it read.
Negotiation with players for EA College Football is different from the EA NFL franchise. In the NFL, the NFLPA has collective negotiating rights. That is not the case in college football, which makes the process much more challenging. However, with Pathway Sports stepping into that role for many players, it could result in a similar situation.
Read More:
- College Football 26 Updates: EA Sports Sets Timeline For New Content Including ‘Fresh Faces’, ‘Alumni’ and more
- EA College Football 26 Update: All We Know About Improved Features Post Latest Patch Notes
- WATCH: Insider Shows How EA Sports College Football 26 Commitment Reveal Works and Yes Fake Picks Are Included
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