Sports Analysis

As August begins to wind down, the National Football League is finally starting to wind up for the 2025-26 season. The 106th season of the NFL will officially kick off on Sept. 4, with the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Playoffs will begin on Jan. 10, 2026, culminating at Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8.

Free Agency

Free agency, the period during which players not signed to a contract can negotiate with any team, began on March 12. League officials approved a salary cap increase of $23.8 million per team, bringing the total to $279.2 million per team. Several notable future Hall of Famers switched teams, including quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, moving from the New York Jets to the Pittsburgh Steelers; Russell Wilson, who went from Pittsburgh to the New York Giants; and linebacker Von Miller, who swapped from the Buffalo Bills to the Washington Commanders. 

Trades

With the start of free agency also came a flurry of trades, some of which seriously changed the outlook on the season for some teams. Most notably, the San Francisco 49ers kicked off with a stunner, trading standout receiver Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for a 2025 fifth-round Draft selection. The 49ers have subsequently struggled to keep their remaining wide receivers healthy, leading to some serious question marks about who will fill this position of need. As for the Commanders, they filled a large position of need, especially with their current star receiver, Terry McLaurin, in the midst of a lengthy contract dispute. 

That same day, the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs traded their starting offensive guard, Joe Thuney, to the Chicago Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick. The Bears have reloaded in recent years, hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season, when they were defeated by the New Orleans Saints. With a young, promising quarterback in Caleb Williams, the Bears hope that Thuney can provide some much-needed protection on the offensive line.

On March 13, the Seattle Seahawks officially entered rebuild mode by trading their starting quarterback, Geno Smith, to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick in 2025. Smith only had one year left on his contract with Seattle and was unlikely to receive a serious offer from the Seahawks, who were likely seeking a younger player they could develop. 

In June, the Steelers and Miami Dolphins pulled off an interesting trade, which signaled that the Dolphins were attempting to move older players on expiring contracts. The Steelers sent safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami, where he was drafted in 2018. Pittsburgh also gave up a 2027 fifth-round selection, and in return received former star defensive back Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

Retirements

Amidst the chaos of the offseason, which includes free agency, trades, rule changes and more, many players end up retiring as they begin to age and feel the effects of the game on their physical health. Several players who retired during this offseason will likely end up being future Hall of Fame selections. 

Tight end Jimmy Graham, offensive tackle Tyron Smith, receiver Julio Jones and offensive guard Zack Martin, who many NFL fans grew up watching over the last decade or so, all decided to officially retire. They will, by all metrics, likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame once they become eligible after five years. 

Rule Changes

The NFL owners meet every offseason to approve rule changes and set standards for each upcoming season. This year, the meeting took place from March 30 to April 2. Last year’s kickoff rule change was made permanent, with touchbacks being moved slightly from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line. This change penalizes teams for kicking into or through the end zone — resulting in a touchback — and instead encourages more dynamic kickoff returns. 

In addition, 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, which previously had not been allowed. Branching off of this change was the revolutionary addition of “Hawk-Eye technology,” which employs a virtual measurement system to track the line-to-gain, also called the first down line, much more accurately than the previously used chain crew. 

The last major change will make many fans happy, and that is the alignment of regular-season overtime rules with postseason overtime rules, which will guarantee both teams a chance to possess the ball in overtime periods. A tie may still occur if the score remains knotted after ten minutes in regular-season overtime.

Highlight Games

The 2025 regular season will be one of the most eventful on record, with more international games being added to the schedule, along with flexible scheduling changes. There are also new “rivalry” games for every team, in which special “rivalry” uniforms will be worn by both teams. 

There are seven scheduled international games this season, although up to eight are allowed by league rules. The Chiefs will take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 5 in São Paulo, Brazil. Then, the Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings will travel to Dublin on Sept. 28 for the first-ever NFL game played in Ireland. Three games will be played in London, which continues to be a hotspot for NFL games internationally. The subsequent international game will be on Nov. 9 in Berlin, Germany, with the final game coming on Nov. 16 in Madrid for the first-ever NFL game in Spain. The NFL continues to expand into popular international markets, increasing its revenue and worldwide recognition ahead of flag football’s introduction in the  2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

As usual, there will be three Thanksgiving games on Nov. 27. The Green Bay Packers will head to Detroit to play the Lions, and the Chiefs will play the Cowboys in the annual afternoon doubleheader. The primetime game, Thanksgiving evening, will feature the Cincinnati Bengals taking on their rival, the Baltimore Ravens. 

After an exciting 2024 season, the NFL will once again return, along with college football, much to the delight of die-hard football fans who have suffered through a long summer of mostly baseball. The offseason featured many changes, both to team rosters and league-wide rules. No matter what, there will be something to watch for on every NFL team this season.