Now that the Seattle Seahawks have been crowned Super Bowl champions, the 2026 season arrives. That will begin with the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis from February 23 to March 2.
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Free agency continues on March 9 with the two-day negotiation period. The league’s annual meeting begins March 29 in Phoenix.
The 10 teams that hired a new head coach can begin offseason training programs on April 6. Other teams can start on April 20.
The NFL draft will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.
Here are some of the top upcoming NFL stories:
International games
The league will play a record nine international matches, including regular season openers in Melbourne, Australia, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
The San Francisco 49ers will face the division rival Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue with a capacity of about 100,000.
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The Dallas Cowboys will be one of the teams that will play in Rio. The league has played two other games in Brazil in São Paulo. The teams that will face each other in Paris have not yet been determined.
The other sites include three games in London, one in Madrid, one in Mexico City and one in Munich.
The league aims to play 16 international games per season, but negotiations with the NFL Players Association will be necessary to make that happen.
“I think there are a few things to keep in mind,” NFL executive Jeff Miller told the AP last week. “One is, obviously, our operations team needs to make sure that the markets where we could potentially play are good for us. That’s everything from the medical infrastructure to the hotels, the practice facilities and, of course, the surface, which has been a talking point. The round trips are important. How are they going to be able to acclimate upon returning? … So we have to determine from a scheduling perspective, knowing that we will only play one game a week for the clubs, how that works with the travel that is necessary.” and the distances they have to travel.”
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David White, the union’s interim executive director, said players “appreciate a global stage,” but the experience hasn’t always been great.
“Here’s the problem: They’ve gotten a lot of feedback about not having good experiences because it’s inconsistent,” White said.
Expanding to 18 games
The league likely won’t reach 16 games internationally until it expands to 18 regular-season games, which is “not a given,” according to commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We’re only limited by supply, not demand,” Miller said of international games. “There is a huge international demand for NFL football to play. If it expands to a larger inventory, then maybe it will be in a place where each team can play a game internationally. That would be great for the group.”
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Goodell pointed to concerns about player safety, competitive issues, the possible need to add another break and roster size as areas that must be addressed through collective bargaining before the league can expand to 18 games. The current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players union expires in 2030.
White said the players “have no appetite” for expanding the schedule, so talks aren’t even imminent.
Rule changes
The NFL Competition Committee and teams are expected to propose several rule changes that would require approval from owners.
Banning butt pushing could be among them. Although the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t have the same success calling the play this season, referees had trouble officiating it. A proposal prohibiting pushing and pulling by ball carriers might have enough support.
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The league is exploring revising replay to potentially include counter blocks, low blocks/cuts, blind-side blocks, intentional touches (determining a receiver’s position on the field) and illegal formation on kickoffs (determining feet on the ground when the ball is touched).
Throwing a penalty flag after reviewing video would be a significant change if it happens. Currently, replay review only allows you to pick up a flag that was thrown incorrectly.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL