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2026 NFL season

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The 2026 NFL season is the 107th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season began on September 9, 2026, with reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle defeating New England in the NFL Kickoff Game,[1] and will end on January 10, 2027. The playoffs will begin on January 16 and conclude with Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 14.

DurationSeptember 9, 2026 (2026-09-09) – January 10, 2027 (2027-01-10)
Start dateJanuary 16, 2027 (2027-01-16)
DateFebruary 14, 2027
SiteSoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Quick facts Regular season, Duration ...
2026 NFL season
Regular season
DurationSeptember 9, 2026 (2026-09-09) – January 10, 2027 (2027-01-10)
Playoffs
Start dateJanuary 16, 2027 (2027-01-16)
Super Bowl LXI
DateFebruary 14, 2027
SiteSoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Close
2026 NFL season is located in the United States
Patriots
Patriots
Bills
Bills
Dolphins
Dolphins
Jets
Jets
Bengals
Bengals
Ravens
Ravens
Steelers
Steelers
Browns
Browns
Colts
Colts
Titans
Titans
Jaguars
Jaguars
Texans
Texans
Broncos
Broncos
Chiefs
Chiefs
Raiders
Raiders
Chargers
Chargers
AFC teams: West, North, South, East
2026 NFL season is located in the United States
Cowboys
Cowboys
Giants
Giants
Eagles
Eagles
Commanders
Commanders
Bears
Bears
Lions
Lions
Packers
Packers
Vikings
Vikings
Falcons
Falcons
Panthers
Panthers
Saints
Saints
Buccaneers
Buccaneers
Cardinals
Cardinals
Rams
Rams
Seahawks
Seahawks
49ers
49ers
NFC teams: West, North, South, East

Player movement

The 2026 NFL league year and trading period began on March 11. Beginning March 9, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2026 on players with option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2025 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. Teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "top 51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a combined salary cap). On March 11, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.[2]

This season's salary cap was set to $301.2 million per team, a $22 million per team increase from the previous season.[3]

More information Offense, Defense ...
Positions key
OffenseDefenseSpecial teams
  1. [a]
    Includes nose tackle (NT)
  2. [b]
    Includes middle linebacker (MLB/MIKE), weakside linebacker (WILL), strongside linebacker (SAM), off-ball linebacker, and outside linebacker (OLB)
  3. [c]
    Includes free safety (FS) and strong safety (SS)
  4. [d]
    Also known as a placekicker (PK)
  5. [e]
    Includes kickoff and punt returners
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Free agency

Free agency began on March 11. Notable players to change teams include:[2]

Trades

The following notable trades were made during the 2026 league year:

  • March 11: Las Vegas traded QB Geno Smith and a 2026 seventh-round selection to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection.[4]
  • March 11: Detroit traded RB David Montgomery to Houston in exchange for C Juice Scruggs, 2026 fourth-round and 2027 seventh-round selections.[5]
  • March 11: Chicago traded WR D. J. Moore and a 2026 fifth-round selection to Buffalo in exchange for a 2026 second-round selection.[6]
  • March 11: Kansas City traded CB Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for their 2026 first- (No. 29), fifth-, and sixth-round selections and a 2027 third-round selection.[7]
  • March 11: Miami traded S Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round selection.[8]
  • March 11: Green Bay traded DT Colby Wooden to Indianapolis in exchange for LB Zaire Franklin.[9]
  • March 11: Green Bay traded DE Rashan Gary to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round selection.[10]
  • March 11: Tennessee traded DT T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets in exchange for DE Jermaine Johnson II.[11]
  • March 11: Dallas traded DT Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco in exchange for a 2026 third-round selection.[12]
  • March 11: Buffalo traded CB Taron Johnson and a 2026 seventh-round selection to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection.[13]
  • March 18: Miami traded WR Jaylen Waddle and a 2026 fourth-round selection to Denver in exchange for a 2026 first- (No. 30), third-, and fourth-round selections.[14]
  • March 20: Philadelphia traded S Sydney Brown and 2026 fourth- and sixth-round selections to Atlanta in exchange for 2026 fourth- and sixth-round selections.[15]
  • March 24: Carolina traded QB Andy Dalton to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round selection.[16]
  • April 17: Atlanta traded DT Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville in exchange for DT Maason Smith.[17]
  • April 19: The New York Giants traded DT Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati in exchange for a 2026 first-round selection (No. 10).[18]
  • April 24: Minnesota traded LB Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2026 third-round selection and a 2027 third-round selection.[19]
  • June 1: Cleveland traded DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for DE Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round selection, a 2028 second-round selection and a 2029 third-round selection.[20]
  • June 1: Philadelphia traded WR A. J. Brown to New England in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round selection and a 2028 first-round selection.[21]
  • August 23: New Orleans traded LB Deion Jones to San Francisco in exchange for RB Zamir White.[22]
  • August 24: New England traded WR Kayshon Boutte to Houston in exchange for S Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round selection.[23]
  • August 27: Miami traded WR Tutu Atwell to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for RB Jarquez Hunter.[24]
  • August 30: Pittsburgh traded OT Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth-round selection to Dallas in exchange for 2027 third- and sixth-round selections.[25]
  • August 30: Chicago traded DT Gervon Dexter to Atlanta in exchange for CB Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round selection.[26]
  • October 1: Pittsburgh traded CB Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round selection and a 2028 second-round selection.[27]
  • October 7: Philadelphia traded C Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round selection to Baltimore in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round selection and a 2028 second-round selection.[28]

Retirements

Notable retirements

  • G Joel Bitonio – Seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three second-team). Played for Cleveland during his entire 12-year career.[29]
  • RB Nick Chubb - Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Cleveland and Houston during his eight-year career.[30]
  • LB Lavonte David – One-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro (one first-team, two second-team), and Super Bowl LV champion. Played for Tampa Bay during his entire 14-year career.[31]
  • CB Stephon Gilmore – Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, Super Bowl LIII champion, and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. Played for Buffalo, New England, Carolina, Indianapolis, Dallas and Minnesota during his 13-year career.[32]
  • WR T. Y. Hilton – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Indianapolis and Dallas during his 11-year career.[33]
  • CB Xavien Howard – Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team). Played for Miami and Indianapolis during his nine-year career.[34]
  • C Ryan Kelly – Four-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Indianapolis and Minnesota during his 10-year career.[35]
  • QB Philip Rivers – Eight-time Pro Bowler and 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis during his 18-year career.[36]
  • S Justin Simmons – Two-time Pro Bowler and four-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Denver and Atlanta during his nine-year career.[37]
  • CB Darius Slay – Six-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro, and Super Bowl LIX champion. Played for Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh during his 13-year career.[38]
  • QB Russell Wilson – Ten-time Pro Bowler, one-time second-team All-Pro, Super Bowl XLVIII champion, and 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants during his 14-year career.[39]

Other retirements

Draft

The 2026 NFL draft took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from April 23–25, with events held at Acrisure Stadium, Point State Park, and other venues throughout the city.[109] Las Vegas, by virtue of having the worst record in 2025, held the first overall selection and selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.[110]

The amount of time allotted for each team to make a selection in the first round was reduced from ten to eight minutes beginning with the 2026 draft.[111]

2026 deaths

Pro Football Hall of Fame members

Raymond Berry
Berry played 13 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts, and spent over three decades as a coach, including six seasons as the head coach of the New England Patriots. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. He was a six-time All-Pro (three first-team, three second-team), six-time Pro Bowler, and two-time NFL champion (1958 and 1959). He died May 25, age 93.[112]
Sonny Jurgensen
Jurgensen played 18 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983. He was a four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), five-time Pro Bowler, and won the 1960 NFL Championship with the Eagles. He died February 6, age 91.[113]

Active personnel

Janice McNair
McNair was an owner and co-founder of the Houston Texans, assuming control of the team in 2018, following the death of her husband Bob McNair, until 2024, when she transferred principal ownership duties to her son Cal. She died on July 14, age 89.[114]
Rondale Moore
Moore was a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings for five seasons. He died on February 21, age 25.[115]

Rule changes

The following rule changes were adopted at the NFL Owners' Meeting on March 31, 2026:[116][117]

  • The kickoff rules that were implemented in 2024 were modified for the second consecutive year:
    • Onside kicks will now be permitted at any time during the game. Previously, they were restricted to the fourth quarter, and only by the trailing team.
    • If a kickoff is moved to the 50-yard line due to one or more penalties, a touchback will place the ball at the receiving team's 20-yard line instead of the 35-yard line.
    • The formation rules of the receiving team were adjusted to require five players to have their front foot on the setup line. Previously, six players were required at the setup line.
  • An expansion to the Instant Replay/Replay Assist rules:
    • League officials can consult with the on-field officials and the Replay Assistant to initiate a review about whether a player should be ejected for a flagrant act even if no penalty flag had been thrown.[118]
    • The head coach is allowed to designate a sideline assistant to handle the duty of throwing the red challenge flag to initiate an instant replay review. Previously, only the head coach was permitted to throw the challenge flag. This rule change was made just prior to the preseason.[119]
  • Five on-field penalties with a higher likelihood to result in player injuries have been identified. Any player who commits three offenses of the five penalties will receive a one-game suspension. All players begin the 2026 season with a "clean slate", but violations will carry over to future seasons. The five offenses are as follows:[120]

Preseason

Carolina defeated Arizona in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 6. Arizona was represented in the Hall's class of 2026 by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and Carolina was represented by linebacker Luke Kuechly.[121]

Regular season

The season is to be played over an 18-week schedule, beginning on September 9. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week. The regular season is scheduled to end on January 10, 2027; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since 2010.

Each team will play the other three teams in its own division twice, one game against each of the four teams from a division in its own conference, one game against each of the four teams from a division in the other conference, one game against each of the remaining two teams in its conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division would play all three other teams in its conference that also finished fourth in their divisions), and one game against a team in another division in the other conference that also finished in the same position in their respective division the previous season.[122]

The division pairings for 2026 are as follows:[122]

Four intra-conference games
AFC East vs AFC West
AFC North vs AFC South
NFC East vs NFC West
NFC North vs NFC South

Four interconference games
AFC East vs NFC North
AFC North vs NFC South
AFC South vs NFC East
AFC West vs NFC West

Interconference game by 2025 position
AFC East at NFC West
AFC North at NFC East
AFC South at NFC North
AFC West at NFC South

Highlights of the 2026 season are planned to include the following:[123][124][125]

  • NFL on Thanksgiving: Five games will be held surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday on November 25–27:
    • For the first time, a game will be held on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday November 25 with Green Bay at the Los Angeles Rams.[136]
    • Thanksgiving Day, November 26, includes the traditional Thanksgiving Day afternoon games with Chicago at Detroit and Philadelphia at Dallas.[137] The primetime game features Kansas City at Buffalo.
    • The Friday afternoon game features Denver at Pittsburgh on November 27.[138][139]
  • NFL on Christmas: As Christmas Day lands on a Friday in 2026, four games will be held surrounding the Christmas holiday on December 24–25:[140]
    • One game will be held on Christmas Eve, Thursday December 24, with Houston at Philadelphia in primetime.
    • Three games will be held on Christmas Day, Friday December 25: Green Bay at Chicago and Buffalo at Denver in the afternoon, and the Los Angeles Rams at Seattle in primetime.

Flexible scheduling rules

This is the fourth season of the league's flexible scheduling system that includes Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and cross-flexing (switching) of Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox.[141][142][143]

Flexible scheduling for TNF games remain the same as the previous season: only two games can be flexed between weeks 13 and 17,[144][145] teams are not required to flex into TNF more than once, teams are not allowed to play more than two Thursday games on short rest during the season, and teams cannot play multiple away TNF games during the season without their approval, and the league has a deadline of 21 days to flex any eligible game into TNF.[144]

The other flexible scheduling rules remained the same as in 2025. Any Monday Night Football game will be allowed to be flexed between weeks 12 and 17; the league is required to announce its rescheduling no later than 12 days before the contests. For Sunday Night Football, no more than two games can be flexed between weeks 5 and 10, while any game between weeks 11 to 17 could be flexed; the league will be required to give weeks 5 to 13 SNF games a 12-day notice, and weeks 14 to 17 a 6-day notice. All Week 18 games will be initially listed as "TBD", with the league announcing its schedule after Week 17 games are completed.[145]

Additionally, CBS and Fox will have the ability to protect games from being moved (except for Week 18 contests), either from a change to another network or a change of the time slot. When the initial season schedule was created, the two networks selected a limited number of games involving a specific number of teams from their respective conference. Otherwise, every game can be initially scheduled on any network regardless of conference.[146] After the season starts, each network is allowed to protect one game each week from being flexed.[147]

Scheduling changes

  • Week 5: The Chicago–Green Bay game was moved from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox.[148]
  • Week 16: Four games have been set aside to potentially be moved into a doubleheader on Saturday, December 26: Tampa Bay–Atlanta, Cincinnati–Indianapolis, Washington–Minnesota, and Carolina–Pittsburgh. Two of those games will be moved to Saturday at 4:30 and 8:00 p.m. ET, both on NFL Network/NFL+. The remaining two games will be played on Sunday, December 27 (subject to additional flexing).[149]
  • Week 17: Four games have been set aside to potentially be moved into a doubleheader on Saturday, January 2: Washington–Jacksonville, Kansas City–Los Angeles Chargers, Denver–New England, and Los Angeles Rams–Tampa Bay. Two of those games will be moved to Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock. The remaining two games will be played on Sunday, January 3 (subject to additional flexing).[150]
  • Week 18: All Week 18 games are initially listed with a kickoff time of "TBD". Three games with playoff implications are planned to be moved to Saturday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. ET on Netflix, and 4:30 and 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN. Another game with playoff implications will be selected as the final Sunday Night Football game on January 10 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. All remaining games will then be scheduled on Sunday afternoon at either 1:00 or 4:25 p.m. ET on either CBS or Fox.[151]

Regular season standings

Division

More information AFC East, W ...
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Conference

More information Seed, Team ...
AFC
Seed Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Kansas City Chiefs West 4 0 0 1.000 2–0 4–0 .438 .438 W4
2 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 1 0 .750 0–0 3–1 .563 .583 W2
3 Buffalo Bills East 3 1 0 .750 0–1 2–1 .250 .167 L1
4 Cleveland Browns North 3 1 0 .750 1–0 1–1 .438 .333 W3
Wild cards
5 Baltimore Ravens North 3 1 0 .750 0–0 2–0 .313 .333 W2
6 Las Vegas Raiders West 3 1 0 .750 1–1 2–1 .313 .083 L1
7 New England Patriots East 2 2 0 .500 1–0 2–1 .688 .625 W1
In the hunt
8 Denver Broncos West 2 2 0 .500 0–1 1–1 .813 .625 L1
9 Pittsburgh Steelers North 2 2 0 .500 1–1 1–2 .563 .500 L1
10 Indianapolis Colts South 2 2 0 .500 1–0 1–2 .500 .125 W2
11 Cincinnati Bengals North 2 2 0 .500 0–1 1–2 .313 .000 L2
12 New York Jets East 1 3 0 .250 0–0 1–0 .438 .000 L3
13 Miami Dolphins East 0 4 0 .000 0–0 0–2 .938 .000 L4
14 Los Angeles Chargers West 0 4 0 .000 0–1 0–2 .625 .000 L4
15 Tennessee Titans South 0 4 0 .000 0–0 0–2 .563 .000 L4
16 Houston Texans South 0 4 0 .000 0–1 0–3 .563 .000 L4
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More information Seed, Team ...
NFC
Seed Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 San Francisco 49ers West 4 0 0 1.000 2–0 2–0 .313 .313 W4
2 Minnesota Vikings North 4 0 0 1.000 2–0 3–0 .313 .313 W4
3 New York Giants East 3 1 0 .750 1–0 2–1 .313 .250 W2
4 Carolina Panthers South 2 2 0 .500 1–0 2–1 .625 .500 W1
Wild cards
5 Chicago Bears North 3 1 0 .750 0–1 2–1 .563 .417 W2
6 Seattle Seahawks West 3 1 0 .750 1–0 1–1 .250 .250 W1
7 Los Angeles Rams West 2 2 0 .500 0–1 2–1 .688 .625 W1
In the hunt
8 Atlanta Falcons South 2 2 0 .500 1–1 2–1 .438 .375 W2
9 Detroit Lions North 2 2 0 .500 0–0 1–1 .438 .250 L1
10 Green Bay Packers North 2 2 0 .500 0–1 1–2 .438 .125 W1
11 Philadelphia Eagles East 2 2 0 .500 1–0 1–2 .375 .125 L2
12 Dallas Cowboys East 2 2 0 .500 1–1 1–1 .438 .125 W1
13 Washington Commanders East 1 3 0 .250 0–2 1–2 .563 .750 L1
14 New Orleans Saints South 1 3 0 .250 0–1 0–2 .625 .750 L2
15 Arizona Cardinals West 1 3 0 .250 0–2 0–3 .625 .000 L3
16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 0 4 0 .000 0–0 0–2 .688 .000 L4
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Postseason

The 2026 playoffs are scheduled to begin with the Wild Card Round from January 16–18, 2027, with three games played in each conference. In the Divisional Round, scheduled for January 23–24, the top seed in the conference will play the lowest remaining seed and the other two remaining teams play each other. The winners of those games advance to the Conference Championship games scheduled for January 31. Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for February 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This will be the latest date the NFL has ever held a Super Bowl game and the first time the game is scheduled to be held on Valentine's Day.[152]

Awards

Players of the Week / Month

The following were named the top performers during the season:

More information Week / Month, Offensive ...
Week / Month Offensive Defensive Special Teams
AFC NFC AFC NFC AFC NFC
1[153] Kenneth Walker III RB
(Kansas City)		 D'Andre Swift RB
(Chicago)		 T. J. Watt OLB
(Pittsburgh)		 Zack Baun LB
(Philadelphia)		 Evan McPherson K
(Cincinnati)		 Simi Fehoko WR
(Arizona)
2[154] Josh Allen QB
(Buffalo)		 Brock Purdy QB
(San Francisco)		 Hezekiah Masses CB
(Las Vegas)		 Devin Lloyd LB
(Carolina)		 Andre Szmyt K
(Cleveland)		 Isaiah Rodgers LB
(Minnesota)
3[155] Brock Bowers TE
(Las Vegas)		 Bijan Robinson RB
(Atlanta)		 Talanoa Hufanga S
(Denver)		 Sonny Styles LB
(Washington)		 Tyler Loop K
(Baltimore)		 Myles Price WR
(Minnesota)
Sept.[156] Kenneth Walker III RB
(Kansas City)		 Brock Purdy QB
(San Francisco)		 Greg Rousseau LB
(Buffalo)		 Jevón Holland S
(NY Giants)		 Evan McPherson K
(Cincinnati)		 Myles Price WR
(Minnesota)
4[157] Drake Maye QB
(New England)		 Tetairoa McMillan WR
(Carolina)		 Foyesade Oluokun LB
(Jacksonville)		 Deonte Banks CB
(NY Giants)		 Matt Araiza P
(Kansas City)		 Will Reichard K
(Minnesota)
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More information Week, FedEx Air & GroundPlayers of the Week ...
Week FedEx Air & Ground
Players of the Week[158]		 Pepsi Zero Sugar
Rookie of the Week[159]
1 Josh Allen QB
(Buffalo)		 Caleb Williams QB
(Chicago)		 Antonio Williams WR
(Washington)
2 Josh Allen QB
(Buffalo)		 Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR
(Seattle)		 Hezekiah Masses CB
(Las Vegas)
3 Marcus Mariota QB
(Washington)		 Brock Purdy QB
(San Francisco)		 Kenyon Sadiq TE
(NY Jets)
4 Kenneth Walker III RB
(Kansas City)		 Tetairoa McMillan WR
(Carolina)
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More information Month, Rookies of the Month ...
Month Rookies of the Month
Offensive Defensive
Sept.[156] Kahlil Benson T
(Kansas City)		 Anthony Hill Jr. LB
(Tennessee)
Oct.
Nov.
Dec./Jan.
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Notable events

Referee collective bargaining agreement

The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) was set to expire on May 31, 2026. If no agreement had been reached by that date, the league planned to lockout its regular game officials and then use replacement referees for the first time since the 2012 NFL referee lockout. One issue under dispute was that the referees' union wanted an annual salary increase of 10 percent per year for the next six years, while the league had offered just 6.45 percent. The league also wanted additional performance standards such as increasing the probationary period for new officials from three to five years, and to award more playoff games based on performance instead of seniority.[160] On May 8, 2026, the NFL and the NFLRA ratified a new 7-year CBA, which runs until the 2032 season.[118][clarification needed]

Pro Bowl Honors

On August 26, the NFL announced that the league will no longer hold any future Pro Bowl games, ending the annual event after 88 years and becoming the first of the "Big Four" professional sports leagues to end their all-star event. Instead, a Pro Bowl team consisting of 88 players will be selected each season under the same format, and all players selected to the team will be invited to a ceremony after the season to be honored.[161]

Records, milestones and notable statistics

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

  • Matthew Stafford set the record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown thrown, with 33. He shared the previous record of 32 with Brett Favre.[167]
  • Stafford also became the first player to have 20,000 passing yards for two different franchises.[168]
  • Josh Allen became the second quarterback to have multiple rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games, joining Billy Kilmer.[168]
  • Jahmyr Gibbs became the second player with at least 300 rushing yards, 150 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns in the first three games of a season, joining Billy Sims.[168]
  • Jaxon Smith-Njigba became the second player to have at least 400 receiving yards and six total touchdowns in the first three games of a season, joining Marvin Harrison.[168]
  • The New York Jets extended their NFL-record streak of consecutive games without a defensive interception to 20. It was ended the following week.[169]

Head coaching and general manager changes

Head coaches

Off-season

More information Team, Departing coach ...
Team Departing coach Interim coach Incoming coach Reason for leaving Notes
Arizona Cardinals Jonathan Gannon Mike LaFleur Fired Gannon was fired on January 5, after three seasons with a 15–36 (.294) record (3–14 in 2025) and no playoff appearances as the Cardinals' head coach.[170]

LaFleur was hired on February 1. Previously he was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams from 2023 to 2025. This is his first head coaching job at any level.[171]

Atlanta Falcons Raheem Morris Kevin Stefanski Morris was fired on January 4, after two seasons with a 16–18 (.471) record (8–9 in 2025) and no playoff appearances as a full time head coach.[172]

Stefanski was hired on January 17. Previously he was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2020 to 2025 with a 45–56 (.446) record and two playoff appearances.[173]

Baltimore Ravens John Harbaugh Jesse Minter Harbaugh was fired on January 6, after 18 seasons with the Ravens. During his tenure, the team had a 180–113 (.614) record (8–9 in 2025), with the Super Bowl XLVII championship, six AFC North division titles in 12 overall playoff appearances, and a playoff record of 13–11 (.542).[174]

Minter was hired on January 22, after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 and 2025. He was the interim head coach for Michigan during their first game in 2023 when Jim Harbaugh was suspended for recruiting violations.[175]

Buffalo Bills Sean McDermott Joe Brady McDermott was fired on January 19, after nine seasons with a 98–50 (.662) record (12–5 in 2025) and eight playoff appearances as the Bills' head coach.[176]

Brady, the team's offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025, was promoted to head coach on January 27. This is his first head coaching job at any level.[177]

Cleveland Browns Kevin Stefanski Todd Monken Stefanski was fired on January 5, after six seasons with the team. During his tenure, the Browns had a 45–56 (.446) record (5–12 in 2025), with two playoff appearances.[178]

Monken was hired on January 28. He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2023 to 2025 and was the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013 to 2015 with a 13–25 (.342) record.[179]

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll Klint Kubiak Carroll was fired on January 5, with a 3–14 (.176) record after being hired in 2025, with no playoff appearances.[180]

On February 8, after winning Super Bowl LX, Kubiak confirmed that he would be the head coach for the Raiders. He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2025 season. This is his first head coaching job at any level.[181]

Miami Dolphins Mike McDaniel Jeff Hafley McDaniel was fired on January 8, with a 35–33 (.515) record (7–10 in 2025) after being hired in 2022 and appearing in the playoffs twice in 2022 and 2023, with no playoff wins in four full seasons as coach.[182]

Hafley was hired on January 19. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers from 2024 to 2025 and was the head coach at Boston College from 2020 to 2023 with a 22–26 (.458) record.[183]

New York Giants Brian Daboll Mike Kafka John Harbaugh Daboll was fired as head coach on November 10, 2025, with a 20–40–1 (.336) record (2–8 in 2025[184]) and achieved one playoff appearance with a 1–1 playoff record.

Kafka, the team's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, took over as interim coach. This was his first head coaching position at any level. He finished the season with a 2–5 (.286) record.[185]

Harbaugh was hired on January 17. Previously he was the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to 2025 with a 180–113 (.614) record, 12 playoff appearances, and the Super Bowl XLVII championship.[186]

Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin Mike McCarthy Resigned Tomlin resigned on January 13. During his 19-season tenure, the Steelers had a 193–114–2 (.628) record (10–7 in 2025), winning Super Bowl XLIII and eight AFC North titles in 13 overall playoff appearances, with an 8–12 (.400) playoff record.[187]

McCarthy was hired on January 24. Previously he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2024 with a combined record of 174–112–2 (.608), winning Super Bowl XLV, and making multiple playoff appearances.[188]

Tennessee Titans Brian Callahan Mike McCoy Robert Saleh Fired Callahan was fired as head coach on October 13, 2025, with a 4–19 (.174) record (1–5 in 2025) after being hired in 2024.[189]

McCoy, the team's senior offensive assistant, took over as interim coach. This was his second NFL head coaching position, having previously been the head coach of the San Diego Chargers from 2013 to 2016, with a record of 27–37 (.422) and one playoff appearance. He finished the season with a 2–9 (.182) record.[190]

Saleh was hired on January 22. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 and was the head coach of the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024, with a 20–36 (.357) record and no playoff appearances.[191]

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General managers

Off-season

More information Team, Departing GM ...
Team Departing GM Interim replacement Incoming GM Reason for leaving Notes
Atlanta Falcons Terry Fontenot Ian Cunningham Fired Fontenot was fired on January 4, after five seasons with the team as a general manager with a 36–48 (.429) record and no play-off appearances.[172]

Cunningham was hired on January 29. Previously he was the assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2022 to 2025.[192]

Miami Dolphins Chris Grier Champ Kelly Jon-Eric Sullivan Mutual agreement Grier and the Dolphins mutually agreed to part ways on October 31, 2025, after almost ten seasons as Dolphins' general manager with a 77–80 (.490) record and three play-off appearances.

Kelly, the team's senior personnel executive, was named interim general manager. Previously, he was the interim general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.[193]

Sullivan was hired on January 9. He previously served for the Green Bay Packers from 2003 to 2025 in various executive roles and in the final four years as the vice president of player personnel.[194]

Minnesota Vikings Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Nolan Teasley Fired Adofo-Mensah was fired on January 30, 2026, after four seasons as Vikings' general manager and two playoff appearances.[195]

Teasley was hired on June 1. He previously served in multiple roles within the Seattle Seahawks for the past 13 years, most recently having served as an assistant general manager since 2023.[196]

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Stadiums

This is the first season in which the Buffalo Bills play at the new Highmark Stadium. The team had played at its former venue, also called Highmark Stadium (originally known as Ralph Wilson Stadium) since 1973.[197]

This is the final season in which the Tennessee Titans play their home games at their current Nissan Stadium. The new stadium, also to be called Nissan Stadium, is scheduled to be completed for the 2027 season.[198]

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing in EverBank Stadium with a reduced capacity due to commencing renovations. The upper deck will be closed, cutting the capacity to around 43,500.[199][200]

NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, returned to its former monicker of Reliant Stadium after the 2026 FIFA World Cup and before the preseason.[201]

Uniforms

Rivalries series

AFC South and NFC North teams unveiled their "rivalries" uniforms in 2026, to be worn at one home divisional game per season.[202]

The second set of "Rivalries" uniforms were unveiled on August 25.[203]

  • Chicago: navy jerseys with orange pants and orange helmets, nicknamed the "Return of the Monsters."[204]
  • Detroit: white uniforms with black and Honolulu blue accents, along with Honolulu blue helmets, nicknamed "Defend the Den."[205]
  • Green Bay: vintage green jerseys with alabaster and gold stripes, paired with alabaster pants and helmets, nicknamed "Making History Since 1919."[206]
  • Houston: all-white uniforms with battle red and H-Town blue accents, nicknamed "Houston/Us."[207]
  • Indianapolis: all-anvil steel uniforms with metallic blue accents and helmets, nicknamed "Anvil Strike."[208]
  • Jacksonville: alabaster jerseys with teal helmets and black pants with jaguar spots, nicknamed "Bold City."[209]
  • Minnesota: all-deep purple uniforms with ivory and metallic gold accents, nicknamed "Feel the North."[210]
  • Tennessee: navy uniforms with Titans Blue accents and helmets, nicknamed "Music City."[211]

Uniform changes

  • Atlanta unveiled new uniforms on April 2.[212]
  • Baltimore unveiled new uniforms on April 16.[213]
  • Buffalo unveiled a new alternate uniform dubbed “Nickel City” on July 27. This uniform features an all-gray pant and jersey combo inspired by the Buffalo nickel, royal blue socks, and an alternate helmet listed below. It will be worn for two games.[214]
  • The Los Angeles Rams unveiled new primary uniforms on April 16 under the marketing slogan "Threaded with Greatness".[215] The redesigned jerseys incorporate the team's Rivalries uniform's shoulder horns while omitting the "Rams" wordmark from the front and changes the home jersey's gradient numbers to solid yellow numbers. White pants were also reintroduced to the team's uniform. The team also unveiled two new alternate uniforms on July 23 titled "Classic Sol" and "Fearsome White".[216] The Classic Sol uniform features a yellow-on-white jersey and pants combination with three blue stripes on the sleeves. The Fearsome White uniform features an all white jersey and pants combination with a Rams-themed shoulder stripe that matches the helmet.
  • Tampa Bay announced the return of their all-pewter alternate uniform after a two-year absence. This replaces the home version of their creamsicle throwback uniforms.[217]
  • Tennessee unveiled new uniforms on March 12. In addition to the uniforms, the team also redesigned its logo, eliminating the flames from the previous logo. The colors of the uniforms and logo were changed to reflect the original colors of the Houston Oilers.[218]
  • Washington unveiled new uniforms on April 15 templated after the white "Super Bowl Era" alternate uniforms introduced in the previous season, with a corresponding burgundy uniform being released. The uniforms are based on the set introduced by the franchise in 1979 and used in various forms until 2022. White and gold pants were also released. An alternate all-black uniform, nicknamed the "Hail Raiser", was also unveiled using the same template.[219]

Alternate helmets

  • Baltimore's new uniform set features a new alternate helmet dubbed the "Darkness Helmet."[220]
  • Buffalo will pair their alternate “Nickel City” uniform with an alternate helmet, nicknamed “The Charge.” This helmet features an all-blue base with the red charge from their logo as the decals.[221]
  • The New York Jets unveiled an alternate “White Out” helmet. The design of the helmet is an inverse of the typical green-and-white coloring of the team’s primary helmet with a white facemask. The team paired the helmet with their white jersey and white pants in their home opener.[222] Although NFL rules state that teams can only have a maximum of three alternate helmets, the team will stay within this rule by swapping the decals and facemask on their white "The Classic" throwback helmet.
  • Washington’s alternate "Hail Raiser" uniform includes a black helmet featuring a new "Spear W" decal and burgundy-gold-burgundy striping pattern.

Patches

Media

National

Under an agreement that was first announced on August 5, 2025, and approved by government regulators on January 31, 2026, ESPN acquired NFL Network, television distribution rights to NFL RedZone and the RedZone brand. In exchange, the league received a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN. The NFL's existing deal with ESPN remained unaffected.[226][227][228][229]

Netflix signed a four-year extension to its original three-year deal that was previously set to expire after the 2026 season, expanding its schedule of games.[230]

This will also be the fourth year of the existing 11-year U.S. media deals with CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports; the fifth year of a 12-year deal with Amazon Prime Video;[231][232] and the fourth year under a seven-year deal with YouTube.[233]

Linear television

  • Sunday afternoon regional games continue to be split between CBS and Fox, with the two networks carrying the AFC and NFC packages, respectively.[234] Each network is scheduled to produce ten Sunday doubleheaders (with games at 1:00 and 4:25 p.m. ET), and eight single games (each media market airs either a 1:00 or 4:05 p.m. ET game). During most Sundays, one network will have the doubleheader and the other network will have the single game, on weeks 1 and 18, both networks will air a doubleheader.[128][235][236] On Thanksgiving, CBS and Fox will nationally air the 1:00 p.m. ET Detroit game and the 4:30 p.m. ET Dallas game, respectively, Fox will also air a primetime game on Christmas Day (using the option in its contract to air a game on the holiday for the first time).[231][237]
  • NBC continues to air Sunday Night Football games, the NFL Kickoff Game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game.[231][237][238]
  • ESPN continues to produce Monday Night Football games, and a Week 18 Saturday doubleheader. ABC will simulcast 10 MNF games and the Saturday doubleheader. There are no longer "split" weeks of MNF with separate games on ESPN and ABC.[231][239][240][241]
  • NFL Network continues to air a package of seven national games, including five International Series games in Sunday morning (9:30 a.m. ET) windows, and a Saturday doubleheader in Week 16.[242] Due to the acquisition of NFL Media by ESPN, four games from NFL Network's package were returned to the league and contractually replaced by four games that were previously part of ESPN's current contract (the three MNF split games, and a game previously exclusive to ESPN+). The NFL resold these four games to its television partners under one-year deals:[237][239][240]
    • CBS and Fox will air a Saturday doubleheader during Week 15 on December 19, 2026, with Fox airing a 5:00 p.m. ET game, and CBS airing an 8:20 p.m. ET primetime game.[237][243][242]
    • Fox acquired the rights to the International Series game in Munich, which will air in a Sunday morning window as part of a tripleheader.[237][243]
    • NBC will carry a Saturday afternoon game during Week 17 on January 2 (NFL Holiday Special), forming a doubleheader with its Peacock-exclusive primetime game.[244][237]

Streaming

  • Amazon Prime Video and Twitch will exclusively stream Thursday Night Football games and the Friday after Thanksgiving under the title Black Friday Football.[232][245]
  • The ESPN app’s unlimited tier will simulcast all ESPN-produced games (including any alternate telecasts) and have a live stream of NFL Network.[239] Disney+ will also simulcast selected ESPN-produced games.[246]
  • Fox One will simulcast in market and national Fox games, Additionally, after streaming Super Bowl LIX in 2024 and the Detroit Thanksgiving game in 2025, Fox announced that Tubi would simulcast the network's Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas.[247][248][249]
  • Paramount+ will simulcast in market and national CBS games.[231]
  • Peacock will simulcast NBC's games.[231] This will also be the fourth season in a six-year deal that the platform will exclusively stream one regular season game, with the game being a week 17 Saturday game this season.[232]
  • Netflix will have a Christmas Day afternoon doubleheader this season like in previous seasons, the International Series game in Melbourne during Week 1, a Wednesday-night "Thanksgiving Eve" game, and a Saturday afternoon game during Week 18.[230][250][251]
  • NFL Sunday Ticket, the package showing out-of-market CBS and Fox's Sunday afternoon games, will be available on YouTube TV or as a standalone subscription on YouTube's Primetime Channels service.[233]
  • The league will still own and operate NFL+,[239] which will continue to live stream in-market and national preseason, regular season and postseason games on mobile devices only, radio broadcasts for all games, most out-of-market preseason games and a live stream of NFL Network on its base tier, and replays of games along with a live stream of NFL RedZone on its premium tier.[252]

Postseason

During the Wild Card round, CBS and Fox will air an AFC and NFC Wild Card game, respectively. NBC will air the Sunday night game under the sixth year of its seven-year deal.[253][254][255] ESPN/ABC will broadcast a Wild Card game on a date to-be-determined, as its previous deal to air the Monday night Wild Card game expired after the previous postseason.[256] NBC will air a second Wild Card game this season as part of a rotation with Fox and CBS. This will also be the third postseason under a multi-year deal that Amazon Prime Video will exclusively stream a Wild Card playoff game.[257][258]

This will be the fourth season that all four broadcast television partners air one divisional playoff game per season (ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC).[259]

Super Bowl LXI will be broadcast by ABC and ESPN in English, and ESPN Deportes and Univision in Spanish.[260] It will mark the first time ABC will have aired the Super Bowl since 2006's Super Bowl XL, and the first time ever that ESPN will air a live Super Bowl in English.[261][262]

Radio

Personnel changes

  • Following his July 23 operating while intoxicated (OWI) arrest, CBS lead analyst Tony Romo was placed on leave by the network on July 31, and he later parted ways with them on October 2. J. J. Watt, who was promoted to the network's #2 broadcast team last season, has been promoted to the lead team for this season.[273]

International

  • ESPN will air its slate of games in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and the Netherlands; and through Disney+ in select markets in Asia and Europe.[259]
    • In Australia, ESPN's slate includes Thursday Night Football, Sunday afternoon and primetime games; while free-to-air games air on Seven, which include Thursday Night Football and weekly Sunday afternoon games.[274]
  • In the UK and Ireland:
    • This will the second year of a three-year deal that Sky Sports will broadcast select games on either their dedicated Sky Sports NFL Channel or through their Sky Sports+ channels.[275]
    • This will the second year of a multi-year deal that the free-to-air Channel 5 will broadcast games through their main channel as well as 5Action.[276]
  • This will be the fourth year of a ten-year deal that DAZN will distribute NFL Game Pass International.[277]
  • This will be the fifth year of a multi-year deal with Bell Media to continue to distribute all NFL games in Canada (including RedZone) to TSN, CTV channels in English and on RDS in French.[278] In an addition announced in August 2026, the Buffalo Bills Radio Network will be carried across Canada via Bell-owned TSN Radio.[279]

Notes

  1. [a]
    September 10 in U.S. time zones

References

Further reading

External links

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