2025 NFL season
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 4, 2025 – January 4, 2026 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | January 10, 2026 |
| Super Bowl LX | |
| Date | February 8, 2026 |
| Site | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Date | February 1, 2026 |
| Site | TBD |
The 2025 NFL season is scheduled to be the 106th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season is scheduled to begin on September 4, 2025, with the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season is set to end on January 4, 2026.
The playoffs are then scheduled to start on January 10, and conclude with Super Bowl LX, the league's championship game, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8.
Player movement
[edit]The 2025 NFL league year and trading period will start on March 12. On March 10, teams will be allowed to exercise options for 2025 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 2024 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 12, clubs will be allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.[1]
| C | Center | CB | Cornerback | DB | Defensive back | DE | Defensive end[a] | |||
| DL | Defensive lineman | DT | Defensive tackle | FB | Fullback | FS | Free safety | |||
| G | Guard[b] | K | Kicker[c] | KR | Kickoff returner | LB | Linebacker | |||
| LS | Long snapper | MLB | Middle linebacker[d] | OT | Offensive tackle | OL | Offensive lineman | |||
| OLB | Outside linebacker[a] | NT | Nose tackle | P | Punter | PR | Punt returner | |||
| QB | Quarterback | RS | Return specialist | RB | Running back | S | Safety | |||
| SS | Strong safety | TE | Tight end | WR | Wide receiver |
Draft
[edit]The 2025 NFL draft will take place around Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 24–26.[2]
Preseason
[edit]The majority of training camps will be opened on July 23. The preseason will begin on July 31 with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
Regular season
[edit]The season is planned to be played over an 18-week schedule, beginning on September 4. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week. The regular season is then scheduled to end on January 4, 2026; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since 2010.[1]
Each team plays 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.[3]
The division pairings for 2025 are as follows:[3]
|
Four intra-conference games |
Four interconference games |
Interconference game by 2024 position |
Highlights of the 2025 season are planned to include the following:
- NFL Kickoff Game: The season will begin with the Kickoff Game on September 4, 2025, hosted by the defending Super Bowl LIX champion.
- NFL International Series: NFL owners voted in 2023 to increase the number of International Series games on the 2025 schedule to eight.[4] London, England will host three games, with two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley Stadium. One game will be played in Germany at Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Another will be played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, in Madrid, Spain.[5][6] The venues for the other games will be announced at a later date.
- Thanksgiving: Three Thanksgiving Day games are planned to be held on November 27, with Detroit and Dallas expected to host traditional afternoon doubleheader, and a primetime game between opponents yet to be announced.
- Christmas: Christmas Day, December 25, lands on a Thursday for the first time since the league expanded from a 16-game schedule to 17 games in 2021. It is thus expected that this will be the first time that the league will stage Thursday Christmas games, including one or two afternoon contests and the regular Thursday Night Football game. Prior to 2021, a Thursday Christmas Day normally fell on the final week of the regular season when the league preferred not to schedule any Thursday games that would have given teams a competitive advantage with more rest between it and the opening round of the playoffs.
Flexible scheduling rules
[edit]NFL owners will vote on whether the flexible scheduling rules will continue to include Thursday Night Football. They were initially approved in 2023 on a trial basis, then carried over into 2024 after no Thursday games were flexed during that first season.[7] Under these rules, only two Thursday Night Football games can be flexed between weeks 14 and 17, teams are not allowed play two away Thursday games during the season, the same team can not be flexed into TNF both times, and the league is required to give a 28-day notice.[7]
Assuming the other flexible scheduling rules remain the same as in 2024, any Monday Night Football game is allowed to be flexed between weeks 12 and 17, provided that the league announces its rescheduling no later than 12 days before the contests. For Sunday Night Football, no more than two games could be flexed between weeks 5 and 10, while any game between weeks 11 to 17 could be flexed; the league was required to give weeks 5 to 13 SNF games a 12-day notice, and weeks 14 to 17 a 6-day notice.[8][9]
CBS and Fox are still able to protect games from being moved, whether from a change to another network or a change of the Sunday afternoon time slot. When the initial season schedule was created, the two networks select 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.[10] After the season starts, the two networks are allowed to protect one game each week from getting flexed.[11]
Postseason
[edit]The 2025 playoffs are scheduled to begin with the wild-card round, with three wild-card games played in each conference. Wild Card Weekend is planned for January 10–12, 2026. In the Divisional round, scheduled for January 17–18, the top seed in the conference will play the lowest remaining seed and the other two remaining teams will play each other. The winners of those games advance to the Conference Championship games scheduled for January 25. Super Bowl LX is scheduled for February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Head coaching and front office changes
[edit]Head coaches
[edit]| Team | Departing coach | Interim coach | Incoming coach | Reason for leaving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | Matt Eberflus | Thomas Brown | TBA | Fired | After a 4–8 (.333) start including a 6-game losing streak, Eberflus was fired as head coach on November 29, 2024, after being hired in 2022. During his two and a half season tenure, Chicago was 14–32 (.304) with no playoff appearances.[12]
Brown, the team's offensive coordinator, was named as interim head coach. This was his first head coaching position at any level. |
| New Orleans Saints | Dennis Allen | Darren Rizzi | TBA | After a 2–7 (.222) start including a 7-game losing streak, Allen was fired on November 4, 2024, after two and a half seasons as the team's head coach. During his tenure, the Saints were 18–25 (.419) with no playoff appearances.[13]
Rizzi, the team's special teams coordinator, was elevated as interim head coach. This was his first experience as NFL head coach. He was the head coach of New Haven and Rhode Island with a combined record of 18–23 (.439). | |
| New York Jets | Robert Saleh | Jeff Ulbrich | TBA | Saleh was fired as head coach on October 8, 2024, with a 20–36 (.357) record (2–3 in 2024) after being hired in 2021.
Ulbrich, the team's defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach.[14] This is his first head coaching position. |
General managers
[edit]| Team | Departing general manager | Interim replacement | Incoming general manager | Reason for leaving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | Joe Douglas | Phil Savage | TBA | Fired | Douglas was fired on November 19, 2024, after six seasons. Savage, the team's senior personnel advisor, was named interim GM. Savage previously served as general manager of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008.[15] |
Stadiums
[edit]This will be the final season in which the Buffalo Bills will play their home games at their current Highmark Stadium, as their New Highmark Stadium is scheduled to open in time for the 2026 season.[16]
Media
[edit]National
[edit]Linear television
[edit]This will be the third season under 11-year U.S. media rights agreements with CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC along with its Spanish counterparts ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, and Telemundo Deportes.[17] Under these linear television rights:
- Sunday afternoon games are split between CBS and Fox. Both networks will continue to carry the Sunday afternoon AFC and NFC packages, respectively. Each network is scheduled to air ten doubleheaders, with both networks airing one in Week 18 and another week yet-to-be announced. When the initial schedule is created, CBS and Fox will be able to specify a limited amount of games involving teams from their respective conference that they want to air, but otherwise the league was free to schedule games regardless of conference.[18] On Thanksgiving, Fox will have the early Detroit game and CBS the late Dallas game.[17] CBS also has the option of producing alternative broadcasts of select games on Nickelodeon.[17] Fox also has the option to air a Christmas game.[19]
- NBC will continue to air Sunday Night Football, the NFL Kickoff Game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game.[17]
- ESPN will continue to produce Monday Night Football and the doubleheader on the last Saturday of the season. Four MNF games and the Saturday doubleheader will be ESPN/ABC simulcasts. Three weeks will feature two MNF games split between ABC and ESPN.[17][20][21] Selected games will also feature the alternative Manningcast on ESPN2.[22]
- NFL Network will air selected International Series and late-season Saturday games.
Streaming
[edit]- This will be the fourth year of a 12-year deal with Amazon Prime Video and Twitch to exclusively stream Thursday Night Football.[23] This will also be the third season that Prime Video/Twitch will stream the game on the Friday after Thanksgiving under the title Black Friday Football.[24] DirecTV has an agreement with Amazon to distribute Thursday Night Football games to business establishments.[25]
- Peacock will simulcast NBC's games.[17] This will also be the third season in a six-year deal that the platform will exclusively stream one selected regular season game.[26] Peacock's exclusive game was distribute to business establishments via Peacock Sports Pass on EverPass Media.[27]
- ESPN+ will simulcast select games on ABC, including games being simulcast on ESPN, as well as select Manningcasts.[17] This will also be the fourth year of a 12-year deal that the platform will exclusively stream one selected regular season game.[28] ESPN+'s exclusive games will be distributed to business establishments via the ESPN+ for Business package on DirecTV.[29]
- Paramount+ will simulcast in market and national CBS games.[17]
- Netflix will exclusively stream at least one Christmas Day game in 2025, as part of a three year deal.[30]
- This will be the third season out of a seven year deal that the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market sports package will stream on YouTube TV, as well as on YouTube's Primetime Channels service as a standalone subscription option.[31] DirecTV and EverPass Media will also distribute NFL Sunday Ticket to business establishments.[32][33][34]
- The league's streaming service NFL+ will continue to live stream in-market 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.[35]
Postseason
[edit]All four broadcast partners will air at least one Wild Card round game, with CBS and Fox airing a AFC and NFC Wild Card game, respectively. NBC will air the Sunday night game under the fifth year of its seven-year deal.[36][37][38] ESPN/ABC will broadcast the Monday night Wild Card game, its last in a five-year deal.[39][40] Fox will air a second game in the wild card round as part of its rotation with CBS and NBC. This will also be the second postseason that Amazon Prime Video will exclusively stream a Wild Card playoff game under a multi-year deal.[41]
This will be the third season that all four broadcast television partners air one divisional playoff game per season (ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC).[42]
NBC will televise Super Bowl LX in the annual rotation of Super Bowl broadcasters.[43] Under this rotation, NBC has the Super Bowl during the same years it has its Winter Olympics coverage. Super Bowl LX will join Super Bowl LVI as the second time that the game is scheduled on a date within the date range of an ongoing Olympics event, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.[44]
References
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- ^ "Dates announced for 2024 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light in Detroit". DetroitLions.com. March 23, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 National Football League Record & Fact Book". National Football League. 2023. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023.
- ^ "NFL ownership votes to double international games inventory beginning in 2025". NFL.com. December 13, 2023.
- ^ "Spain to host NFL game at Real Madrid stadium in 2025". ESPN.com. February 9, 2024.
- ^ "Berlin to host regular-season NFL game in 2025". NFL.com. December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Williams, Charean (May 22, 2023). "NFL passes flex scheduling for Thursday Night Football by a vote of 24–8". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Flexible Scheduling Procedures and Scheduling for Week 18". NFL.com. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "Flex scheduling expanded in 2023 NFL schedule". Yahoo! Sports. May 11, 2023. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "While details remain sparse, the NFL's TV packages on CBS and Fox will seemingly look much different in 2023". Awful Announcing. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "NFL flex scheduling rules gives CBS and Fox more power to protect games". Awful Announcing. May 13, 2023. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ "Bears relieve Eberflus of duties, elevate Brown". chicagobears.com. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Saints relieve head coach Dennis Allen of his duties". neworleanssaints.com. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Eric (October 8, 2024). "Jets Part Ways With Robert Saleh, Name Jeff Ulbrich Interim Head Coach". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Eric (November 19, 2024). "Jets Part Ways With Joe Douglas; Name Phil Savage Interim GM". newyorkjets.com. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
- ^ Licciardi, Anthony (February 24, 2024). "Bills Reveal Key Details for New Highmark Stadium: 'Loud And Intimidating'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "NFL announces TV deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Amazon". ESPN.com. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ Lerner, Drew (January 23, 2023). "NFL media rights refresher: What can viewers expect next season?". Sports Media Watch. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Fox Corporation Announces New Eleven-Year Media Rights Agreement with the National Football League". PR News Wire. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ Dixon, Michael (May 3, 2024). "Fewer 'Monday Night Football' games will be simulcast on ABC". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "Who is playing in NFL Monday Night Football? Here's the complete 2024 MNF schedule". USA Today. May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 10, 2024). "ESPN, Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions Set Long-Term Content Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "NFL completes long-term media distribution agreements through 2033 season". NFL. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Prime Video to stream 'Black Friday' NFL game in 2023". NFL.com. October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ "DIRECTV Inks Deal With Amazon Prime Video to Provide Thursday Night Football to 300,000+ Sports Bars and Other Venues". Sports Video Group. August 23, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "NFL completes long-term media distribution agreements through 2033 season". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "NBCUniversal and EverPass Media Announce Multi-Year Licensing Agreement to Bring Exclusive Sports Content on Peacock to Commercial Businesses". EverPass. August 11, 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Lawler, Richard (May 4, 2022). "ESPN Plus streams its first exclusive NFL game on October 30th". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Insider, DirecTV (August 11, 2023). "Up Your Game: Get ESPN+ for BUSINESS Through DIRECTV". DIRECTV Insider. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (May 15, 2024). "Netflix Scores Two NFL Christmas Day 2024 Games Under Three-Year Deal With League". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Flint, Joe; Kruppa, Miles (December 22, 2022). "YouTube Cements Its TV Shift With NFL Sunday Ticket Deal". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Sunday Ticket Continues to be Available to Commercial Establishments Nationwide Through DIRECTV". www.prnewswire.com. May 25, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ Insider, DirecTV (August 23, 2022). "DIRECTV & Prime Video bring Thursday Night Football to sports bars & more". DIRECTV Insider. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "NFL Sunday Ticket for Your Commercial Establishment". EverPass. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "NFL launches exclusive streaming subscription service NFL+". www.nfl.com. July 25, 2022. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ Lewis, Jon (May 15, 2023). "Peacock shocker: Streamer gets exclusive NFL playoff game". Sports Media Watch. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ "NBCUniversal and NFL Reach 11-Year Extension & Expansion for Sunday Night Football, Primetime TV'S #1 Show". NBC Sports Pressbox. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Toonkel, Joe Flint and Jessica (May 15, 2023). "Peacock to Carry One NFL Playoff Game Exclusively Next Season". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "ESPN to broadcast Super Wild Card Weekend's Monday night game for next five years". www.nfl.com. October 13, 2021. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "ViacomCBS and NFL Reach New Long-Term Multiplatform Rights Agreement Through the 2033 Season". www.businesswire.com. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Alper, Josh (March 26, 2024). "Amazon will be home to an annual Wild Card game starting in 2025". Pro Football Talk. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Volner, Derek (March 18, 2021). "The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and National Football League Reach Landmark Long-Term Agreement". ESPN Press Room U.S. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (May 16, 2023). "Super Bowl Spanish-Language Rights Claimed By TelevisaUnivision In U.S.; Company Tells Upfront Buyers Its Vix Streaming Service Has Passed 30 Million Users". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ Reedy, Joe (February 6, 2022). "Super Bowl/Olympics Sunday about to become routine for NBC". Associated Press. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
When the NFL's 11-year television contract starts in 2023, NBC's spot in the Super Bowl rotation lines up the same year as the Winter Olympics.