Remember the Goff/Stafford trade in 2021? That season Goff had his return to LA.
In 2024 it's Stafford's turn to return to his former city.
And as the Rams have the longest-active Thanksgiving drought, not having appeared since 1975, they should be given the honor of playing at Detroit on Thanksgiving next year. I mean Stafford's return to Detroit, along with the fact LA is the second-largest market, is sure to bring in ratings.
While we're at it, the Cowboys should host the home opponent with the longest-active Thanksgiving drought next year. Right now that would be Tampa Bay, but if the Cowboys and Jaguars finish in the same position in their divisions next year, then the Jaguars would take precedence never having played on Thanksgiving.
The night game would right now have the Browns, who last appeared on Thanksgiving in 1989, hosting the Chiefs, who last appeared in 2006, in the very first night Thanksgiving game. This would be the team with the longest-active Thanksgiving drought not already playing at Detroit or Dallas playing the opponent on their schedule with the longest drought.
This should be the way the Thanksgiving matches are determined every year. And ratings will be just fine if they do that. Popular teams have plenty of opportunities to appear on national TV every year, Thanksgiving should be the one slot where the participants outside Detroit and Dallas more or less rotate, especially since Christmas games aren't always part of the schedule, and won't be next year because it falls on a Wednesday, which never has NFL games unless it's an emergency (like in 2020, ironically a game originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night).