December 13^th, 2004 (4:30pm) - Electronic Arts has announced that is has signed a five-year deal with the National Football League and its players that gives EA the exclusive rights to put NFL players and teams in its videogames.

"The five-year agreements will usher NFL fans through the console technology transition with new ideas and innovative game play experiences," said EA CEO Larry Probst.

In a statement issued earlier today, the company also stated that "For the first time, all aspects of the interactive experience - including console-based fantasy football features and handheld game devices - will be fully integrated within one EA game," This suggests that handheld connectivity and fantasy football features will be involved in the company’s future plans for their NFL-licensed products.

The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, however, the deal may very well mean that Sega’s ESPN NFL series of games may be coming to an end, due to the fact that the games will no longer be able to feature real-name players and teams.