This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see2025 National Football League (Ireland).
2025 NFL season
Regular season
Duration
September 4, 2025 (2025-09-04) – January 4, 2026 (2026-01-04)
The 2025 NFL league year and trading period began on March 12. On March 10, teams were 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 are 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 were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus becameunrestricted free agents.[3] The season's salary cap increase $23.8 million per team for a total of $279.2 million per team.[4]
The following notable trades were made during the 2025 league year:
March 12: San Francisco traded WRDeebo Samuel to Washington in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round selection.[5]
March 12: Kansas City traded GJoe Thuney to Chicago in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round selection.[6]
March 12: The Los Angeles Rams traded GJonah Jackson to Chicago in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round selection.[7]
March 12: Houston traded OTLaremy Tunsil and a 2025 fourth-round selection to Washington in exchange for 2025 third- and seventh-round selections and 2026 second- and fourth-round selections.[8]
March 12: Seattle traded WRDK Metcalf and a 2025 sixth-round selection to Pittsburgh in exchange for 2025 second- and seventh-round selections.[9]
March 12: Philadelphia traded SC. J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round selection to Houston in exchange for GKenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round selection.[10]
March 13: Seattle traded QBGeno Smith to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2025 third-round selection.[11]
May 7: Pittsburgh traded WRGeorge Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round selection to Dallas in exchange for 2026 third-round and 2027 fifth-round selections.[13]
August 18: Philadelphia traded TEHarrison Bryant and a 2026 fifth-round selection to Houston in exchange for WRJohn Metchie III and a 2026 sixth-round selection.[18]
August 20: Denver traded WRDevaughn Vele to New Orleans in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round selection and a 2027 seventh-round selection.[20]
August 27: Carolina traded WRAdam Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round selection, and a 2027 fifth-round selection to Minnesota in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round selection and a 2027 fourth-round selection.[21]
August 28: Dallas traded DEMicah Parsons to Green Bay in exchange for DTKenny Clark and 2026 and 2027 first-round selections.[22]
October 7: Baltimore traded LBOdafe Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round selection to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for SAlohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round selection.[23]
October 8: Cleveland traded CBGreg Newsome II and a 2026 sixth-round selection to Jacksonville in exchange for CBTyson Campbell and a 2026 seventh-round selection.[24]
October 29: Philadelphia traded WRJohn Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round selection to the New York Jets in exchange for CBMichael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round selection.[25]
November 1: Baltimore traded CBJaire Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection.[26]
November 3: Miami traded LBJaelan Phillips to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2026 third-round selection.[27]
November 4: Las Vegas traded WRJakobi Meyers to Jacksonville in exchange for 2026 fourth- and sixth-round selections.[28]
November 4: The New York Jets traded CBSauce Gardner to Indianapolis in exchange for WRAdonai Mitchell and 2026 and 2027 first-round selections.[29]
November 4: New Orleans traded WRRashid Shaheed to Seattle in exchange for 2026 fourth- and fifth-round selections.[30]
November 4: The New York Jets traded DTQuinnen Williams to Dallas in exchange for DTMazi Smith, a 2026 second-round selection, and a 2027 first-round selection.[31]
OTTerron Armstead – Five-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro. Played for New Orleans and Miami during his 12-year career.[32]
LBAnthony Barr – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Minnesota and Dallas during his 10-year career.[33]
QBDerek Carr – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Oakland/Las Vegas and New Orleans during his 11-year career.[34]
WRAmari Cooper – Five-time Pro Bowler. Played for Oakland, Dallas, Cleveland, and Buffalo during his 10-year career.[35]
TEJimmy Graham – Five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team). Played for New Orleans, Seattle, Green Bay, and Chicago during his 13-year career.[36]
WRJulio Jones – Seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three second-team). Played for Atlanta, Tennessee, Tampa Bay, and Philadelphia during his 13-year career.[37]
GZack Martin – Nine-time Pro Bowler and nine-time All-Pro (seven first-team, two second-team). Played for Dallas during his entire 11-year career.[39]
STyrann Mathieu – Three-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (three first-team, one second-team), andSuper Bowl LIV champion. Played for Arizona, Houston, Kansas City, and New Orleans during his 12-year career.[40]
LBC. J. Mosley – Five-time Pro Bowler and five-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Baltimore and the New York Jets during his 11-year career.[41]
OTJason Peters – Nine-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro (two first-team, four second-team), andSuper Bowl LII champion. Played for Buffalo, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, and Seattle during his 21-year career.[42]
CBPatrick Peterson – Eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. Played for Arizona, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh during his 13-year career.[43]
CFrank Ragnow – Four-time Pro Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Detroit during his entire seven-year career.[44]
GBrandon Scherff – Five-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro. Played for Washington and Jacksonville during his 10-year career.[45]
OTTyron Smith – Eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three second-team). Played for Dallas and the New York Jets during his 14-year career.[46]
DTNdamukong Suh – Five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (three first-team, two second-team), andSuper Bowl LV champion. Played for Detroit, Miami, the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay, and Philadelphia during his 13-year career.[47]
Easley played seven seasons in the NFL as a safety with theSeattle Seahawks, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (four first-team, one second-team) and NFLDefensive Player of the Year in 1984. He died on November 14, age 66.[91]
McMichael played 15 seasons in the NFL as a defensive tackle with theNew England Patriots,Chicago Bears, andGreen Bay Packers, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), andSuper Bowl XX champion. He died on April 23, age 67.[92]
Davis was co-owner of theLas Vegas Raiders, assuming co-control in 2011 with her sonMark following the death of her husbandAl Davis. She died on October 24, age 93.[94]
Irsay was the owner, chairman and CEO of theIndianapolis Colts, assuming the position in 1997 following the death of his fatherRobert Irsay. He wonSuper Bowl XLI as team owner. He died on May 21, age 65.[95] He was officially replaced by his daughter,Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
The following rule changes for the 2025 season were approved at the NFL Owners' Meeting on March 30–April 2:[98]
Thekickoff rules approved on a trial basis in 2024 were made permanent, with the below change:
The receiving team will now receive the ball at its 35-yard line if the kick sails into or beyond the end zone for a touchback (previously this was the 30-yard line). The receiving team will still receive the ball at its 20-yard line on a touchback if the ball bounces into the end zone after first landing in the field of play.
Both teams will have a chance to possess the ball in overtime, aligning regular season and postseason overtime rules. Unlike in the postseason, regular season overtime will remain limited to 10 minutes.
Replay rules were expanded, allowing replay officials to advise on-field officials on "specific, objective aspects of a play" and to address game administration issues.
The "nose-wipe" gesture was added to the list of acts that will draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of 15 yards.[99]
Virtual line-to-gain measurements powered byHawk-Eye technology ("virtual measurement system") will be employed instead of the chain crew, who will still be used as a secondary system for first downs.[100][101]
The following rule change for the 2025 season was approved at the Spring League Meeting on May 20–21:[102]
Teams can declare anonside kick at any point of a game when trailing (for the 2024 season this could only be done in the fourth quarter) and can line up one yard closer to the opponent. Onside kicks will also be taken from the 34 yard line instead of the 35 yard line used previously.[103]
The season was played over an 18-week schedule which began on September 4. Each of the league's 32 teams played 17 games, with onebye week. The regular season ended on January 4, 2026. All games during the final weekend of the regular season consisted of intra-division games, as it has been since2010.[3]
Each team played 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.[105]
Thanksgiving: Three Thanksgiving Day games were held on November 27, withGreen Bay atDetroit and Kansas City at Dallas in the traditional afternoon doubleheader, andCincinnati atBaltimore as the primetime game.[114] Green Bay, Dallas, and Cincinnati won the games. The kickoff time for Detroit's game was moved from 12:30 p.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. this season so it matches that of the early Sunday games.[115]
Christmas: Christmas Day, December 25, landed on a Thursday for the first time since the league expanded from a 16–game schedule to 17 games in2021. Therefore, the league played Thursday Christmas games for the first time, including two afternoon contests (Dallas at Washington and Detroit at Minnesota) and the regularThursday Night Football game (Denver at Kansas City).[116] Dallas, Minnesota, and Denver won the games. 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.
In March 2025, NFL owners voted to change the deadline to flexThursday Night Football games from 28 to 21 days before kickoff. The other rules regardingTNF remain the same: only two games can be flexed between weeks 14 and 16,[119][120] teams are not required to flex intoTNF 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 awayTNF games during the season without their approval.[119]
The other flexible scheduling rules remained the same as in 2024. AnyMonday Night Football game was allowed to be flexed between weeks 12 and 17; the league was required to announce its rescheduling no later than 12 days before the contests. ForSunday 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 13SNF games a 12-day notice, and weeks 14 to 17 a 6-day notice. All Week 18 games were initially listed as "TBD", with the league announcing its schedule after Week 17 games are completed.[120]
Additionally, CBS and Fox still had 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 Sunday afternoon 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.[121] After the season starts, the two networks are allowed to protect one game each week from getting flexed.[117]
TheChicago–Green Bay game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET, trading time slots with theCincinnati–Buffalo game; both games remained on Fox.[123]
Week 16:
Two games were set aside to be played on Saturday, December 20: Philadelphia–Washington and Green Bay–Chicago, with both games played on Fox. On December 2, the times for these games were set for 5:00 p.m. ET and 8:20 p.m. ET, respectively.[124]
The New England–Baltimore game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was flexed intoNBC Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET, replacing the originally scheduled Cincinnati–Miami game, which was moved to 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.[125]
Week 17:
On December 10, the NFL announced that two games have been moved into a doubleheader on Saturday, December 27:Houston–Los Angeles Chargers at 4:30 p.m. ET onNFL Network and Baltimore–Green Bay at 8:00 p.m. ET onPeacock. The other three games that the league had the option of scheduling on Saturday,Arizona–Cincinnati,Seattle–Carolina, andNew York Giants–Las Vegas, were scheduled for Sunday, December 28.[126]
The New England–New York Jets game was cross-flexed from CBS to Fox, and it remained at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Week 18:
All Week 18 games were initially listed with a kickoff time of "TBD"; the schedule was released on December 28 following the conclusion of the Sunday games for Week 17.[120]
Two games were selected for the Saturday doubleheader onESPN andABC: Carolina–Tampa Bay at 4:30 p.m. ET and Seattle–San Francisco (which decided theNFC West champion and the NFC's top-seed) at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Baltimore–Pittsburgh game, which decided theAFC North champion, was selected as the final NBC Sunday Night Football game at 8:20 p.m. ET.
All remaining games were scheduled on Sunday afternoon at either 1:00 or 4:25 p.m. ET on either CBS or Fox.
^abDenver finished ahead of New England based on common games (Denver 6–0 to New England 5–1 against: Cincinnati, Las Vegas, NY Giants, NY Jets and Tennessee).
^abHouston finished ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory.
^abIndianapolis finished ahead of Baltimore based on conference record (Indianapolis 6–6 to Baltimore 5–7).
^abCincinnati finished ahead of Kansas City based on conference record (Cincinnati 5–7 to Kansas City 3–9).
^abcLas Vegas finished ahead of NY Jets and Tennessee based on conference record (Las Vegas 3–9 to NY Jets 2–10 and Tennessee 2–10).
^abNY Jets finished ahead of Tennessee based on strength of victory (NY Jets .373 to Tennessee .275).
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
^abChicago finished ahead of Philadelphia based on head-to-head victory.
^abcCarolina finished ahead of Tampa Bay and Atlanta based on head-to-head record (Carolina 3–1 to Tampa Bay 2–2 and Atlanta 1–3).
^abLA Rams finished ahead of San Francisco based on common games (LA Rams 9–3 to San Francisco 8–4 against: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Tennessee).
^abMinnesota finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head sweep.
^abTampa Bay finished ahead of Atlanta based on common games (Tampa Bay 6–6 to Atlanta 5–7 against: Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, LA Rams, Miami, New England, New Orleans, NY Jets, San Francisco and Seattle).
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
The 2025 playoffs began with the wild card round, which ran from January 10–12, 2026, with three games that were played in each conference. The divisional round, which ran from January 17–18, had the top seed in the conference playing the lowest remaining seed; the other two remaining teams played against each other. The winners of those games advanced to the conference championship games, which were played on January 25.Super Bowl LX was played on February 8 atLevi's Stadium inSanta Clara, California with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Marion Motley now holds the record for highest yards per carry for a running back, with 5.7. The previous record of 5.4 was held byJamaal Charles.[128]
The 1948 49ers also set the record for most yards per carry in a season, with 6.1. The previous record of 5.8 was held by the2024 Baltimore Ravens.[130]
The 1947–1949 Browns also set the record for the longest unbeaten streak in NFL history, at 27 games. The previous record of 25 was held by the 1922–1923Canton Bulldogs.[131]
Week 1
Aaron Rodgers tied the record for most games with at least four passing touchdowns and no interceptions, with 28. He shares the record withTom Brady.[132]
Pete Carroll became the first head coach to win in his coaching debut for four different teams.[133]
Matthew Stafford became the tenth player with at least 60,000 career passing yards .[134]
Week 2
Brandon Aubrey became the first player to convert a game-tying field goal with no time remaining in regulation and a game-winning field goal with no time remaining in overtime.[135]
TheIndianapolis Colts became the first team to score on each of its first ten possessions in a season.[136] Indianapolis also became the first team in the Super Bowl era to have no punts in its first two games of a season.[136]
Isaiah Rodgers became the first player to have two forced fumbles, a fumble returned for a touchdown, and an interception returned for a touchdown in the same game.[138]
Tory Horton became the first player in the Super Bowl era to have multiple receiving touchdowns and a punt return touchdown in his first three career games.[139]
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to win each of its first three games of a season with game-winning scores in the final minute.[140]
Week 4
Chase McLaughlin set the record for the longest field goal kicked in an outdoor stadium, at 65 yards. The previous record of 64 yards was held byMatt Prater.[141]
Patrick Mahomes became the youngest player to reach 250 passing touchdowns, at age 30 years, 11 days. The previous record of 30 years, 49 days was held byDan Marino.[142] Mahomes also became the fastest player to reach this milestone, doing so in 116 games. The previous record of 121 games was held byAaron Rodgers.[142]
Week 5
Puka Nacua set the record for most receptions in the first five games of a season, with 52. The previous record of 49 receptions was held byCooper Kupp.[143]
Emeka Egbuka became the first player with at least 25 receptions, 400 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns in his first five career games.[145]
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to win four of its first five games with game-winning scores in the final minute,[144] and the first team with four wins by three or fewer points in its first five games.[146]
TheSan Francisco 49ers set the record for most consecutive games without recording an interception, with their 12th such game. The previous record of 11 was held by the2024 New York Giants.[147]
TheArizona Cardinals became the first team since the NFL merger in 1970 to lose three straight games on a field goal in the game's final play.[148]
Bo Nix became the first player to have two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a single quarter.[150]
TheDenver Broncos set the record for most points scored in the fourth quarter after being held scoreless in the first three quarters, with 33. The previous record of 31 was held by the1981 Atlanta Falcons.[150]
TheArizona Cardinals became the first team to lose three straight games after leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter.[151]
Josh Allen set the record for most games with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown, with 46. The previous record of 45 was held byCam Newton.[153]
James Cook joined his brother,Dalvin Cook, to become the first set of brothers to each have a game with at least 200 rushing yards.[153]
Myles Garrett set the record for most sacks before a player's 30th birthday, currently with 112.5. The previous record of 108.0 was held byReggie White.[153]
TheIndianapolis Colts became the first team in the Super Bowl era to allow fewer than ten sacks and have fewer than five turnovers in its first eight games of a season.[153]
Week 9
Marcedes Lewis became the oldest person to play tight end, at 41 years and 167 days old.[154]
Lamar Jackson set the record for fewest interceptions in a quarterback's first 100 starts, with 50. The previous record of 54 was held byAaron Rodgers.[156]
Matthew Stafford became the first player to have 20 passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a six-game span.[156] He also became the ninth player to throw for at least 400 career touchdown passes.[157]
Demarcus Lawrence became the fourth player to have multiple fumbles returned for touchdowns in the same game, joiningJeremy Chinn,Fred Evans, andAl Nesser. Lawrence became the first to have multiple fumbles returned for touchdowns of at least 20 yards.[156]
Josh Allen set the record for most games with at least three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, with ten, having previously shared the record of nine withTom Brady andDrew Brees.[158] Allen also set the record for most games with at least three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns, with three, having previously shared the record of two withKordell Stewart.[158] Allen also extended his own record with his second game of three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns.[158]
TheNew York Jets set the Super Bowl era record for fewest takeaways in a team’s first ten games of a season, with one. The previous record of five was shared by four teams.[160]
Myles Garrett set the record for most sacks in a five-game stretch, with 14. The previous record of 12.5 was held byMichael Strahan.[161]
Marcus Jones became the second player in the Super Bowl era to have multiple interception return touchdowns, multiple punt return touchdowns, and a receiving touchdown in his career, joiningDeion Sanders.[161]
Week 13
Aaron Rodgers became the fifth player to throw for over 65,000 career passing yards.[162]
Josh Allen set the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, with 76. The previous record of 75 was held byCam Newton.[163]
Christian McCaffrey tied the record for most seasons with at least 800 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards, with three. He shares the record withMarshall Faulk.[163]
Trey McBride set the record for most receptions by a tight end in his first four seasons, with 309. The previous record of 301 was held byJimmy Graham.[163]
Brandon Aubrey became the first player to kick three field goals of at least 55 yards in the same game. He also became the first player to kick three field goals of at least 60 yards in the same season.[165]
Shedeur Sanders became the second rookie to have at least 350 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in one game, joiningJoe Burrow.[166]
Puka Nacua set the record for most receptions in the first 40 games of a player's career, with 277. The previous record of 274 was held byMichael Thomas.[167]
Jalen Hurts became the first player to commit two turnovers on the same play. Hurts threw an interception, recovered a fumble, and later lost a fumble.[168]
Week 15
Trevor Lawrence became the first player to have at least five passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and at least 50 rushing yards in a game.[169]
Bo Nix became the second quarterback to have 20 wins, 7,000 passing yards, and 50 passing touchdowns in his first two seasons, joiningDan Marino.[170]
TreVeyon Henderson tied the record for most rushing touchdowns of at least 50 yards by a rookie, with four. He shares the record withSaquon Barkley andLenny Moore.[170] Henderson also tied the record for most career games with multiple rushing touchdowns of at least 50 yards, with two. He shares this record with Barkley andChris Johnson.[170]
Taysom Hill became the first player in the Super Bowl era to have 1,000 passing, rushing, and receiving yards.[172]
TheLos Angeles Rams became the first team to lose a game despite having at least 500 total yards of offense, at least three takeaways, and no turnovers. Such teams were previously 93–0.[173]
ThePittsburgh Steelers set the record for most consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better, with 22. They shared the previous record of 21 with the 1965–1985Dallas Cowboys.[171]
Week 17
Trey McBride set the record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season with 119. The previous record of 116 was held byZach Ertz.[174]
Drake Maye became the first player to have at least 250 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and complete at least 90% of his pass attempts in a game.[175]
Cam Little set the record for the longest field goal kicked in an outdoor stadium, at 67 yards. The previous record of 65 yards was held byChase McLaughlin.
Travis Kelce tied the record for most consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions, with ten. He shares the record withTim Brown.[178]
Jason Myers set the record for most points by a kicker in a single season with 171 points. The previous record of 166 was held byDavid Akers.[179]
Kaʻimi Fairbairn tied the record for most field goals made in a season with 44. He shares the record with Akers.[180]
TheIndianapolis Colts became the first team in NFL history to start 8–2 and finish with a losing record.[181]
TheNew York Jets set the record for fewest defensive interceptions in a season, with zero.[182] New York also set the record for fewest overall takeaways in a season, with four.[183] The previous records of two interceptions and seven takeaways were held by the2018 San Francisco 49ers.
TheNFC West became the first division to have three teams win at least 12 games.[184]
Wild Card Round
Josh Allen became the first player to complete at least 80% of his passes (minimum five attempts) and have at least two rushing touchdowns in a playoff game.[185]
Allen also set the record for most wins by a quarterback in the playoffs without a without aSuper Bowl appearance, with eight.[186]
ThePittsburgh Steelers became the first franchise to lose five consecutive playoff games by 10 or more points.[189]
In the first four wild card games alone, the league set the record for most fourth quarter lead changes in an entire postseason, with 12. The previous record of 10 lead changes was set in2007.[190]
Divisional Round
C. J. Stroud became the first player to throw four interceptions in one half in divisional round history, and second in postseason history to do so.[191][192]
Josh Allen set the record for most starts by a quarterback in the postseason without aSuper Bowl appearance, with 15.[186]
Conference Championship Round
Jarrett Stidham became the second quarterback to make his first start of a season in the conference championship game, joiningRoger Staubach.[193]
Jason Myers set the record for most field goals kicked in a Super Bowl, with five. The previous record of four was shared by four players.[195]
Drake Maye set the record for most sacks taken by a quarterback in a single postseason, with 21. The previous record of 19 was held byJoe Burrow.[196]
TheNew England Patriots extended their own record with their 12th Super Bowl appearance. New England also set the record for most losses in the Super Bowl, with six. They shared the previous record of five with theDenver Broncos.[197]
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.[227]
Brown, the team's offensive coordinator, was named as interim head coach. This was his first head coaching position at any level. He finished the season with a 1–4 (.200) record.
Johnson, who spent the previous three seasons as theDetroit Lions' offensive coordinator, was hired on January 21, marking his first head coaching position at any level.[228]
Pederson was fired on January 6, after three seasons with the Jaguars. During his tenure, the team was 22–29 (.431), with one playoff appearance.[229]
Coen, who spent the previous season as theTampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator, was hired as the head coach on January 24. It is his first head coaching position at any level.[230]
Pierce was fired on January 7, after one and a half seasons with the Raiders. During his tenure, the team went 9–17 (.346) with no playoff appearances.[231]
Carroll was hired on January 25. He has eighteen seasons of experience as head coach of theNew York Jets,New England Patriots, andSeattle Seahawks, with a combined record of 170–120–1 (.586), twelve playoff berths, two Super Bowl appearances, theSuper Bowl XLVIII championship, and an overall playoff record of 11–11 (.500). Carroll was also head coach ofUSC for nine seasons, accumulating a record of 97–19 (.836) and two national championships. At 73 years old, Carroll will become the oldest head coach in NFL history.[232]
Mayo was fired on January 5, after one 4–13 (.235) season with the Patriots and no playoff appearances.[233]
On January 12, the Patriots hired Vrabel as their new head coach. As the head coach of theTennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023, he compiled a record of 54–45 (.545), with three playoff appearances and a 2–3 (.400) playoff record.[234]
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.[235]
Rizzi, the team's special teams coordinator, was elevated as interim head coach. He finished the season with a 3–5 (.375) record.
Saleh was fired as head coach on October 8, 2024, with a 20–36 (.357) record (2–3 in2024). along with no playoff appearances after being hired in 2021.
Ulbrich, the team's defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach.[237] This was his first head coaching position. He finished the season with a 3–9 (.250) record.
Glenn was hired on January 22 after spending the previous four years as the defensive coordinator for theDetroit Lions. This is his first head coaching job at any level.[238]
McCarthy's contract was not renewed by the Cowboys on January 13 after five seasons together. During his tenure, the team went 49–35 (.583), with twoNFC East division titles in three overall playoff appearances, and a playoff record of 1–3 (.250).[239]
Schottenheimer, who served as Dallas' offensive coordinator for the previous two seasons, was hired as the head coach on January 24. It is his first head coaching position at any level.[240]
Callahan was fired as head coach on October 13 with a 4–19 (.174) record (1–5 in2025) after being hired in 2024.[241]
McCoy, the team's senior offensive assistant, took over as interim coach. This is his second NFL head coaching position, having previously been the head coach of theSan Diego Chargers from2013 to2016, with a record of 27–37 (.422) and one playoff appearance.[242]
Daboll was fired as head coach on November 10 with a 20–40–1 (.336) record (2–8 in2025) after being hired in 2022 and appearing in the playoffs once in 2022.[243]
Kafka, the team's assistant head coach & offensive coordinator, took over as interim coach. This is his first head coaching position at any level.[244]
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 theCleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008.[247]
On January 25, the Jets named Mougey, former assistant general manager of theDenver Broncos, as the new general manager. He previously served for the Broncos from 2012 to 2024 in various executive roles.[248]
Telesco was fired on January 9, after only one season.[249]
Spytek was hired on January 24, previously serving as the vice president of player personnel from 2021 to 2022 and assistant general manager for the past two years, both positions with theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[250]
Carthon was fired on January 7, after two seasons.[251]
Borgonzi was hired on January 17. He previously served for theKansas City Chiefs from 2009 to 2024 in various executive roles and in the final three years as the assistant general manager.[252]
Grier and the Dolphins mutually agreed to part ways on October 31, after almost ten seasons as Dolphins' GM with a 77–80 (.490) record and three play-off appearances.
Kelly, the team's senior personnel executive, was named interim GM. Previously, he was the interim general manager of theLas Vegas Raiders in 2023.[253]
This is scheduled to be the final season in which theBuffalo Bills will play their home games at their currentHighmark Stadium. The new stadium, also to be calledHighmark Stadium, is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2026 season.[254]
The NFL announced a policy change that allows teams to wear their alternate or throwback designs four times per season, up from the previous limit of three. Teams are now permitted to pair alternate helmets with non-alternate uniforms.[255] Additionally, qualifying teams can wear alternate pants during playoff games.[256]
For the first time, five award-winning players from the previous season will have a golden NFL emblem on their jersey collars throughout the season:Josh Allen (Most Valuable Player),Saquon Barkley (Offensive Player of the Year),Patrick Surtain II (Defensive Player of the Year),Jayden Daniels (Offensive Rookie of the Year) andJared Verse (Defensive Rookie of the Year).[257]
During the2025 NFL draft,Nike and the NFL announced a "Rivalries" uniform program, which featured new designs for home teams playing against a divisional opponent.[258] AFC East and NFC West teams debut these uniforms this season. The plan was for teams to wear these uniforms at one home divisional game per season.[259][260] The Arizona Cardinals were the first team to wear the Rivalries uniforms, which they did in their Week 4 match-up with theSeattle Seahawks.
The first set of "Rivalries" uniforms were unveiled on August 28.[261]
Arizona: all-tan uniforms with speckled sand, red and copper accents, nicknamed "Built to Last".[262]
Buffalo: all-white uniforms with silver and blue accents, nicknamed the "Cold Front".[263]
Los Angeles Rams: all-midnight blue uniforms with royal blue, yellow and white accents, nicknamed the "Midnight Mode".[264]
Miami: all-dark blue uniforms with aqua and orange accents, nicknamed the "Dark Waters".[265]
New England: storm blue jerseys with white pants and white helmets, nicknamed the "Nor'easter".[266]
New York Jets: all-Gotham green (a darker green-tinted shade of black) uniforms with silver and tonal grey accents, nicknamed "Gotham City Football".[267]
San Francisco: all-black uniforms with red and gold accents, nicknamed "For the Faithful".[268]
Seattle: wolf grey uniforms with iridescent green and navy blue accents, along with iridescent green helmets, nicknamed "12 As One".[269]
Buffalo announced the return of their "Standing Buffalo" throwback uniforms inspired by the team's road uniform from 1962 to 1973. They were worn for two games (one home and away game each) and for the first time since2021.[270]
Chicago announced that the alternate orange and white throwback uniforms would not be worn during the season as a tribute toVirginia Halas McCaskey, who died on February 6.[271]
Cleveland announced the return of their all-brown alternate uniforms, wearing them for the first time since2022. This time, the uniform was paired with a new alternate helmet listed below dubbed the "Alpha Dawg". This uniform was worn for three games.[272]
Green Bay introduced a new throwback uniform inspired by what they wore in1923, replacing the 1950s throwback uniform worn from 2021 to 2024. This uniform includes navy blue jerseys with dark gold numbers and dark gold stripes, tan pants and navy socks, and an alternate brown helmet listed below.[273]
TheLos Angeles Chargers unveiled "Charger Power" and "Super Charger" alternate uniforms for the season. The Charger Power uniform includes a gold jersey for the first time in franchise history along with gold pants, and was worn for one game. The Super Charger uniform is inspired by the Chargers' home uniform from 1988 to 2006 when the Chargers were based in San Diego, consisting of an all-navy set that includes a modernized helmet, jersey, and pants. The Super Charger uniform was worn for three games. The Chargers also added powder blue pants to its uniform rotation, a first for the team.[274]
New England introduced white pants to be worn with their road jerseys.[275] The team last wore white pants in 2017.[275]
New Orleans introduced an alternate gold uniform paired with their alternate black helmet. The team last wore gold jerseys in 2002.[276]
TheNew York Giants brought back the white vintage uniform first used during the NFL'sColor Rush program after a one-season absence, and will now be worn regularly with the throwback navy blue helmets featuring the "GIANTS" wordmark. This replaced the 2024 "Century Red" throwback uniform which commemorated the franchise's 100th anniversary.[277]
Pittsburgh introduced a newthrowback uniform, replacing the team's previous 1970s-era throwback that was identical to the team's current uniforms but featured block numerals instead of theFutura Condensed that the team switched to in1997.[278] This uniform is inspired by their uniform worn during their inaugural season in1933. The uniform features a gold jersey with black stripes and large white block letters trimmed in black on the front and large black block numbers on the back, beige pants with gold socks, and a gold helmet listed below. This uniform was worn for one game.[279]
Tampa Bay introduced a white road version of their creamsicle throwback uniforms. The jerseys feature fluorescent orange numbers outlined in red, matching what the Buccaneers wore during their inaugural season in1976, as well as fluorescent orange and red stripes on the sleeves/cuffs. The jersey is paired with the helmet and pants that the team wore with the home version of the creamsicle throwback uniforms. This uniform was worn in their home opener and a road game.[280]
Tennessee switched their home jersey color from navy blue to a light "Titans blue", a design that previously served as their alternate uniform. TheirHouston Oilers throwback uniforms were discontinued.[281]
Washington introduced a new alternate inspired by the team's set worn in the 1980s, dubbed the "Super Bowl Era" uniforms. The set features white jerseys with burgundy numbers outlined in gold, a burgundy collar, and burgundy and gold cuffs and numbers on the sleeves, including the original nameplate font and lacking the wordmark above the numbers that was added in 2002. The pants are burgundy, which include gold and white stripes down the sides, as well as white socks with a burgundy and gold striping pattern. This uniform also includes an alternate helmet listed below. It was worn for three games.[282]
Buffalo featured an alternate red helmet resembling the design worn by the team from 1984 to 2001. They wore the helmet during their final regular season game atHighmark Stadium.[283][270]
Cleveland paired their all-brown "Alpha Dawg" alternate listed above with a brown helmet. This helmet features a matte all-brown shell, with a brown stripe between two orange stripes in the middle and an all-brown facemask. It is the first brown helmet in franchise history.[272]
Green Bay paired their new 1923 throwback uniform listed above with a brown hand-painted helmet designed to emulate the vintage leather look of the NFL's earliest helmets. The brown helmets feature realistic distressing and hand-decorated leather strap with stitching effects, and with a navy face mask.[273]
TheLos Angeles Chargers paired the Super Charger alternate uniform listed above with a navy-blue helmet with a modernized version of the team's logo from 1991 to 2006.[274]
New Orleans introduced a new white helmet that was worn with their alternate white uniforms. The helmet has a gold stripe and face mask.[284]
Pittsburgh paired their new throwback uniform listed above with a gold matte helmet that has a gray facemask and a black stripe down the middle. The team's current logo is on one side of the helmet similarly to the Steelers' primary helmet. The Steelers last wore gold helmets in 2011.[279][285]
Washington added an alternate helmet to accompany their new alternate uniform. The helmet is burgundy and displays the Commanders’ primary “W” logo on the sides, but features a gold facemask – which became a fixture on the then-Redskins’ helmets in 1978 – and the classic striping pattern that first appeared in 1972.[282]
Baltimore wore a patch commemorating its 30th season.[286]
Buffalo wore a patch in their first and last regular season home games this season commemorating their farewell season atHighmark Stadium.[287]
Chicago will wear a patch honoring former ownerVirginia Halas McCaskey, who died on February 6. The patch is shaped like a football that displays McCaskey's “VHM” initials, and it was worn for the entirety of the season.[271]
Seattle announced a patch commemorating its 50th season.[289]
Tampa Bay wore a patch commemorating its 50th season. There were three different versions of the team's 50th anniversary patch. The patch that was on their home jerseys were red with a white number 50, while the patch for the away jerseys were white with a red 50. Both patches had an orange and black outline on the 50, a black banner with the word “seasons” below, and the team's current “skulls and swords” logo in-between the years 1976 and 2025 on the bottom. The patch that was worn with both of the team's throwback jerseys was white with the numbers being creamsicle and having a red outline. The banner in the middle was red instead of black, and the logo on the bottom used the “Bucco Bruce” logo.[290]
Sunday afternoon games were split between CBS and Fox. Both networks continued to carry the Sunday afternoon AFC and NFC packages, respectively. When the initial schedule is created, CBS and Fox would 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.[292] Each network is scheduled to air ten Sunday doubleheaders, with both networks airing one in Weeks 15 and 18.[291] Fox also acquired the rights to air a Saturday doubleheader in Week 16 this season, which breaks the single season record for the most doubleheaders by a network at 11.[293][294] On Thanksgiving, Fox will have the early Detroit game and CBS will have the late Dallas game.[291]
ESPN continued to produceMonday Night Football and the doubleheader on the last Saturday of the season. This season, ESPN will air twoMNF traditional doubleheaders (one of the doubleheaders was formed due to an originally scheduled game to air exclusively on ESPN+ in week 7) and two "split doubleheaders" in which ESPN and ABC aired separate games simultaneously. 11MNF games and the Saturday doubleheader would be ESPN/ABC simulcasts.[295] 12 games will also feature the alternativeManningcast onESPN2.[296] additional alternate broadcasts of MNF games was aired which included on Week 14 that aired on ESPN2,Disney Channel, andDisney XD asMonsters Funday Football that useed the league's player tracking data to render a live animated version of the game portrayed byMonsters, Inc. characters and on Weeks 16 and 17 NFL Playbook: Powered by Next Gen Stats.[297][298]
This was the fourth year of a 12-year deal withAmazon Prime Video andTwitch to exclusively streamThursday Night Football.[300] This will also be the third season that Prime Video/Twitch will stream the game on the Friday after Thanksgiving under the titleBlack Friday Football.[301]
Peacock will simulcast NBC's games.[291] This will also be the third season in a six-year deal that the platform will exclusively stream one regular season game,[300] with this year's contest being the Week 17 Saturday night game.[302] Peacock will also produce two alternative casts this season: one will be of NBC's Thanksgiving game that will use the league's player tracking data to render a live version of the game using elements of theMadden 26 video game,[303] and the second will be of the Week 14SNF game asReality Hot Seat featuring reality TV celebrities commenting on the game.[304]
ESPN's newdirect-to-consumer streaming service simulcast all ESPN-produced games, as well as all 12Manningcasts,Monsters Funday Football (the latter and the week 16 traditional telecast also aired onDisney+) and five NFL Playbook powered by Next Gen Stats broadcasts (with Week 18 onward being exclusive to the streaming service).[291][295][305][297][306] This was also to be the fourth year of a 12-year deal that the platform exclusively streams one regular season game under theESPN+ branding, which was set to the second game of aMNF doubleheader in Week 7 (the first game will be the traditional MNF game on ESPN and ABC). However, that game was moved to ESPN as noted above.[295][307][308][309]
Paramount+ was simulcast in market and national CBS games.[291]
Fox One was simulcast in market and national Fox games.[310][311] Additionally, after streamingSuper Bowl LIX, Fox announced thatTubi would simulcast the network's Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit.
Netflix exclusively streamed two Christmas Day games in 2025, in its second year of a three-year deal.[312][313]
This will be the third season out of a seven-year deal that theNFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market sports package will stream onYouTube TV, as well as on YouTube's Primetime Channels service as a standalone subscription option.[314] Additionally under a one-year deal, bothYouTube and YouTube TV will stream the International Series game in Brazil to a worldwide audience for free.[315]
The league's streaming serviceNFL+ continued to live stream in-market and national 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 ofNFL RedZone on its premium tier.[316]
All four broadcast partners aired at least one Wild Card round game, with CBS and Fox airing an AFC and NFC Wild Card game, respectively. NBC aired the Sunday night game under the fifth year of its seven-year deal.[317][318][319] ESPN/ABC will broadcast the Monday night Wild Card game, its last in a five-year deal.[320][321] Fox will air a second Wild Card game this season as part of the rotation with NBC and CBS. This will also be the second postseason under a multi-year deal that Amazon Prime Video will exclusively stream a Wild Card playoff game.[322][323]
This was the third season that all four broadcast television partners air one divisional playoff game per season (ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC).[324]
This was the fourth season of the league's five-year deal withSiriusXM to simulcast all 32 teams' local regular season and postseason broadcasts, including a wraparound show calledSiriusXM NFL Sunday Drive.[330]
On March 26, CBS announced thatJ. J. Watt would replaceCharles Davis as the network's No. 2 color commentator, moving fromThe NFL Today. Watt will work with play-by-play commentatorIan Eagle.[332] Davis would move to the #4 team withAndrew Catalon andJason McCourty, replacingTiki Barber.[333] After a trial during the 2024 season,Adam Schein became the anchor for in-game updates during CBS telecasts; the role had previously been held by a rotation ofThe NFL Today analysts.[334][335]
On August 11, ESPN elevated sideline reporterLaura Rutledge to join the lead broadcast team forMonday Night Football full-time alongsideLisa Salters, who was also given a contract extension with the network. Rutledge had previously been part of ESPN's #2 broadcast team and joined Salters on the sidelines for marquee MNF games and the NFL playoffs. Replacing Rutledge on the #2 team are college football and NBA reporterKatie George and recent hirePeter Schrager.[338]
On November 7, Fox hiredDrew Brees as a game analyst. Brees replacedMark Sanchez on the #3 team withAdam Amin, after Sanchez was arrested on October 4 following a stabbing incident inIndianapolis. Sanchez was subsequently fired by Fox.[339][340]
ESPN additionally aired its slate of games in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and the Netherlands, and will air games throughDisney+ in select markets in Asia and Europe.[324]
In the UK and Ireland,Sky Sports continued broadcasting games from the regular season to the Super Bowl (Including every international games) through their dedicated Sky Sports NFL Channel, but will also broadcast games through their Sky Sports+ channels (originally released in 2024 for theEnglish Football League among other sports). As well as this, free-to-air Channel5, which the NFL has an interest in network ownerParamount Skydance since 2022, broadcast games through their main channel as well as5Action.CBS Sports, also owned by Paramount Skydance, is the production company.[341][342]
Fox Sports additionally aired its slate of games in Argentina, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
NFL Network International aired select games worldwide (with NFL Game Pass International is also available to purchase viaDAZN).[343]
For Doubleheader regional windows (Early DH and Late DH), the viewership total includes all regionally-televised games on the indicated network and specific timeslot.
For Single game regional windows, the viewership total includes all regionally-televised games on the indicated network – both the "early" and "late" timeslots.
(~xx%): Indicates the approximate percentage of viewers nationwide that received thefeatured game regionally.
^Karp, Austin (February 6, 2025)."Prime gets Wild Card game for duration of NFL deal".Sports Business Journal. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2025.The Wild Card deal, which was originally reported as a one-year pact this time last year, will run through the 2032 season ... Amazon reportedly paid around $150 million to stream the game in 2024, but it is not known what the escalators are for the subsequent seven years.
^Reedy, Joe (February 6, 2022)."Super Bowl/Olympics Sunday about to become routine for NBC".Associated Press. RetrievedFebruary 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.
