The final major event of the NFL offseason is about to happen, marking the end of the spring lull and setting the stage for summer and the inevitable flood of social media posts counting down to football season. Yes, I’m talking about the NFL schedule release.
The league has been tight-lipped about the exact timing, saying only that it’s coming “this month.” But when exactly? Here’s what we know.
It’s not likely to be this week. However, next week seems more promising. It aligns with the big TV industry events happening in New York, where networks unveil their fall lineups during the “upfront” presentations. Given that the NFL lets each network tease a game or two before the full schedule is revealed, it would make sense for them to use the upfronts to build some buzz.
If it doesn’t happen next week, then we’re looking at the week before Memorial Day weekend, which isn’t ideal for grabbing attention. That makes it less likely.
I still think the NFL could make this a week-long event. There’s plenty of prime-time football to build around: Thursday nights, Sunday nights, Monday nights, Thanksgiving, and Christmas games. Here’s a thought: start with Sunday Night Football on Monday, reveal Monday Night Football on Tuesday, announce the Thursday Night games on Wednesday, and then cap it off on Thursday with the holiday games and the rest of the schedule.
No matter when it happens, we know it’s soon. We’re getting close to finding out who plays whom and where. And once the schedule is out, look out for the fun team videos—the Chargers are the reigning champs in that department. This is the moment when football season starts to feel real. Get ready.
