EA's exclusivity deal with the NFL is bad news. Why? Competition is good for the consumer. FIFA only got better as a soccer game, for example, because of competition from Konami's Pro Evo.
So those hoping to see a return to the days when other companies could make games that not only competed, but outperformed EA's own efforts in the football market will want to keep an eye on a lawsuit by the name of American Needle vs New Orleans Saints, et al.
Why? The EA arrangement isn't the only one the NFL has made. It's the same with, for example, clothing: only Reebok are allowed to make official NFL apparel. But the above case - brought forward by a company that used to make NFL caps - seeks to overturn not just the NFL's deal with Reebok, but any and all exclusive deals that grant such a monopoly, claiming they're in violation of federal antitrust statutes.
Should American Needle - the cap company - be successful, it'd be the end of exclusivity deals with the NFL, and other companies (like 2K) would be free to come in and resume competition with EA. Which would make 2K happy, except...well, it would end 2K's similar deal with Major League Baseball.
Supreme Court Case May Impact EA's NFL Exclusive [GamePolitics]