The NFL’s popularity knows no bounds as is evident by the fact that its annual schedule release shows have TV ratings on par with MLB Playoff games and the leaking of team schedules dominates the day on social media. So when is the NFL schedule release date this year and what day will it be announced? Below we dive into what the league has done in the past and will update you when more NFL schedule release date information does become available.
When is the NFL schedule release date and what day will it be announced?
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Update: The NFL has announced that the full schedule for 2022 – 2023 will be made available on Thursday, May 12 at 8 p.m. on NFL Network. Prior to the release of the entire slate, the league will announce select games. Check out those dates below.
- Thursday, April 28: The first Thursday Night Football game that will be broadcast on Prime Video was announced as the LA Chargers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 15.
- Wednesday, May 4: International games for 2022 were announced as the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will tangle in Munich, Germany on Nov. 13. There will also be three London games played with the Minnesota Vikings facing off with the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 2, the New York Giants playing the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 9, and the Denver Broncos squaring off with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 30. Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City on Nov. 21.
- Week of May 9: Select games will be announced. ABC/ESPN announced on Monday that there will be a Week 2 Monday Night Football double-header. The Titans will play at Buffalo at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC will broadcast Vikings at Eagles, which will start at 8:30 p.m. ET. FOX announced the date of one of the most anticipated games of the season, Cowboys at Packers. That game will take place on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4:25 p.m. ET. CBS announced on Tuesday that it will present a Christmas Day game featuring the Broncos at Rams. The holiday game will be played at 4:30 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, May 12: Teams to announce their first home game opponent at 6 p.m. ET. At 8 p.m. ET the full schedule for all 32 teams will be made available.
For many years, the league announced its full slate in mid-April – just ahead of the NFL Draft. Roger Goodell and company have recently pushed that date until after the Draft, however, so our educated guess is that the full schedule will be released in early to mid-May. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on April 18 that “the league plans to release the schedule during the second week of May, with the final date likely landing in the range of Tuesday, May 10 through Thursday, May 12.”
The announcement of when the pro football schedule would be released occurred on April 21 of last year and in 2022 it also was announced on April 21.
Key games
We don’t yet know the dates and times of National Football League games this year but we do already know some of the marquee matchups that will take place based on the league’s rotating schedule. Here is a look at which pro football division is playing which division when it comes to non-conference scheduling.
- AFC East vs. NFC North
- AFC North vs. NFC South
- AFC South vs. NFC East
- AFC West vs. NFC West
And here are some of the most anticipated matchups of the 2022 season.
- Broncos at Seahawks: Russell Wilson returns to Seattle
- Browns at Texans: Deshaun Watson returns to Houston
- Bills at Chiefs: Buffalo seeks some measure of revenge for its epic loss in last year’s divisional round
- Chiefs at Buccaneers: Patrick Mahomes versus Tom Brady
- Patriots at Raiders: Bill Belichick versus disciple Josh McDaniels
NFL futures
Here is a look at NFL odds to win the Super Bowl. Compare futures below and click to wager.