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NFL Key Dates for 2025-26 Season: When is the NFL Schedule Release?

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: April 12, 2025 1:01 PM EDT • 3 min 21 sec read.

With NFL free agency in the rearview mirror, we're looking ahead to the 2025-26 NFL schedule and offseason key dates with the 2025 NFL Draft later this month and the NFL schedule release later in the offseason.

We've already seen plenty of roster movement this offseason after free agency in March, headlined by quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Geno Smith inking long-term deals with new teams and the Washington Commanders loading up via the trade market.

Those moves weren't enough to dislodge the Philadelphia Eagles - who will likely open the NFL schedule with the annual kickoff game as Super Bowl champions - as the favorites by the Super Bowl odds over the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

🤔 When will the 2025-26 NFL schedule be released?

We're still waiting for the NFL schedule to be released, though we can expect it to come sometime in mid-May.

The NFL schedule was released on May 15 last season, and it was released on either May 11 or May 12 each of the previous three years. If previous trends continue, we can expect the NFL to release the schedule on Wednesday, May 14.

2025-26 NFL Schedule & Offseason Key Dates
Pictured: Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) rushes the ball. Photo by Kirby Lee / Imagn Images.

📅 NFL offseason key dates & deadlines

Here's an updated look of the full NFL offseason key dates and deadlines as we await the NFL schedule release:

  • Feb. 18: Teams can designate franchise / transition tags
  • Feb. 24 - March 3: NFL Scouting Combine
  • March 4: Deadline for franchise tag
  • March 10-12: Free agency negotiation period
  • March 12: Free agency and trading period (1st day of league year)
  • March 30 - April 2: Annual league meeting
  • April 7: Offseason workouts begin for teams with new head coaches
  • April 18: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
  • April 21: Offseason workouts begin for teams with returning head coaches
  • April 24-26: NFL rookie draft
  • May 1: Deadline to exercise fifth-year options
  • May 2-5 or May 9-12: Rookie minicamps
  • July 15: Deadline to sign extension for franchise tag players
  • Mid-July: Training camps

⏱️ When is the 2025 NFL draft?

The NFL draft will begin with the first round on Thursday, April 24. The second and third rounds will take place on Friday, April 25, and the fourth through seventh rounds will conclude on Saturday, April 26.

You don't need to wait until April to bet on the 2025 NFL Draft odds, including who will go No. 1 overall and which players will be drafted in the first round.

💪 When are NFL training camps?

Teams will announce their specific training camp schedules as we get into the summer, though we can expect all training camps to begin sometime in mid-July. Last year, the NFL announced training camp dates on June 18, and they were all scheduled to begin between July 13 and July 24.

1️⃣ When is NFL Week 1 2025?

The 2025 NFL regular season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 4, 2025. Traditionally, the defending Super Bowl champions open the season as hosts for a Thursday night kickoff game, so expect this year's game to be in Philadelphia.

The first Sunday of the 2025 NFL season is scheduled for Sept. 7, while the Monday Night Football season opener will be on Sept. 8.

2025-26 NFL Schedule & Offseason Key Dates
Pictured: Detroit Lions players celebrate their NFL Thanksgiving win. Photo by Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

🦃 When are NFL Thanksgiving games?

The annual NFL Thanksgiving games will take place on Thursday, Nov. 27, and will likely feature three games - two of which will include the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, who traditionally play every year on the holiday.

🆚 When do the 2025-26 NFL playoffs start?

The 2025-26 NFL playoffs will start on Saturday, Jan. 10, with the wild-card round likely lasting through Monday, Jan. 12. That will come before the NFL Divisional Round on Jan. 18-19 and the NFL Conference Championships on Sunday, Jan. 26.

🏆 When is the 2026 Super Bowl?

The 2026 Super Bowl is on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. We don't know the Super Bowl 60 matchup yet, though the Chiefs and Eagles opened as the favorites to win the AFC and NFC, respectively.

  • Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)
  • Favorite: Chiefs (+600 via DraftKings)
  • TV: NBC

❓ 2025-26 NFL schedule FAQs

📅 When does the 2025-26 season start?

The 2025 NFL season will start on Sept. 4, 2025. The Eagles will likely host that Thursday night NFL kickoff game.

📅 When do the 2025-26 NFL playoffs start?

The 2025-26 NFL playoffs will start with the wild-card round on Saturday, Jan. 10.

📅 When is the 2026 Super Bowl?

The 2026 Super Bowl is on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. 

🏈 Best NFL betting sites

Looking to bet on the NFL? Here are our best NFL betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best sportsbook promos available for the NFL season.

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Written By:
C Jackson Cowart
C Jackson Cowart is a publishing editor and lead writer for Sportsbook Review. An award-winning writer, reporter, and editor with a decade of sports media experience, "C-Jax" has worked with ESPN, Forbes, theScore, and various daily newspapers before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina, where he served as a beat writer for the Tar Heels' championship run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2017. Jackson has spent the last five years covering sports betting as a predictive analyst, features writer, and industry reporter. Since joining the team in 2023, he's played a key role in Sportsbook Review's coverage of the Super Bowl, March Madness, and NBA playoffs while serving as the lead writer for the growing WNBA and NASCAR betting scenes. Though he's cashed some big bets over the years -- including Lamar Jackson to win MVP (twice) -- he's still haunted by enough second-place bet slips to wallpaper his home office. While Jackson is a committed "process over results" bettor with a keen eye for advanced stats and subtle bias in futures markets, he also embraces sports betting as a vehicle for entertainment and personal investment. He's written about everything from hot dogs to groundhogs and still hasn't forgiven his "inside source" for a sabotaged bet on the Gatorade color in Super Bowl LV.