The indemnity deal the AFL had to pay was ridiculous. Especially with the Giants, 49ers and Rams not even being relevant at the time they we worried about the Jets, Raiders and Broncos on their 'territories'. Al Davis and Sonny Werblin believed the NFL should have dropped it, knowing full well the league would take their best players away, including Gabriel and others. Lamar Hunt was shrewd and knew the NFL with Rozelle and Schramm would want peace, feeling that preseason games alone with the full merger would help bring back future money from the indemnity price.
I will always believe that had the merger not happened, the AFL would have easily bankrupted the proud NFL. The owners simply had deeper pockets, even though they were still learning the business of football and could have gotten both NBC and ABC behind them in case they needed more network support. During merger talks, I am sure CBS reminded the NFL of this. Also, another reason why Joe Namath is in the HOF. Once his lawyer, Mike Bite, demanded that Namath get huge money to play for either league, the AFL showed how serious they would be about competing for entertainment dollars. It helped make every player more money for the future. The NFL owners at that time simply couldnt understand how huge television would change everything.