2021 NFL season

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This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2021 National Football League (Ireland).

2021 National Football League season
Regular season
DurationSeptember 9, 2021 (2021-09-09) – January 9, 2022 (2022-01-09)
Playoffs
Start dateJanuary 15, 2022
Super Bowl LVI
DateFebruary 13, 2022
SiteSoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Pro Bowl
DateFebruary 6, 2022
SiteAllegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

The 2021 NFL season is the 102nd season of the National Football League (NFL). This is the first to feature a 17-game regular season schedule as the league expanded the season from 16 games.[1] The regular season started on September 9, 2021, with defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay defeating Dallas in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season is scheduled to end on January 9, 2022. The playoffs are scheduled to start on January 15 and will conclude with Super Bowl LVI, the league's championship game, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13.

Player movement[]

The 2021 NFL league year and trading period began on March 17. On March 15, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2021 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 2020 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. Teams were 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 17, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.

Positions key
C Center CB Cornerback DB Defensive back DE Defensive end
DL Defensive lineman DT Defensive tackle FB Fullback FS Free safety
G Guard HB Halfback K Placekicker KR Kick returner
LB Linebacker LS Long snapper OT Offensive tackle OL Offensive lineman
NT Nose tackle P Punter PR Punt returner QB Quarterback
RB Running back S Safety SS Strong safety TB Tailback
TE Tight end WR Wide receiver        

Free agency[]

Free agency began on March 17. Notable players to change teams included:

  • Quarterbacks Andy Dalton (Dallas to Chicago), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami to Washington), and Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago to Buffalo)
  • Running backs Matt Breida (Miami to Buffalo), Tevin Coleman (San Francisco to New York Jets), James Conner (Pittsburgh to Arizona), Kenyan Drake (Arizona to Las Vegas), Wayne Gallman (New York Giants to San Francisco), Mark Ingram Jr. (Baltimore to Houston), Phillip Lindsay (Denver to Houston), and Damien Williams (Kansas City to Chicago)
  • Wide receivers Nelson Agholor (Las Vegas to New England), John Brown (Buffalo to Las Vegas), Corey Davis (Tennessee to New York Jets), Will Fuller (Houston to Miami), A. J. Green (Cincinnati to Arizona), Kenny Golladay (Detroit to New York Giants), Marvin Jones (Detroit to Jacksonville), Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago to Atlanta), Curtis Samuel (Carolina to Washington), Emmanuel Sanders (New Orleans to Buffalo), and Sammy Watkins (Kansas City to Baltimore)
  • Tight ends Jared Cook (New Orleans to Los Angeles Chargers), Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers to New England), Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota to New York Giants), and Jonnu Smith (Tennessee to New England)
  • Offensive linemen Pat Elflein (New York Jets to Carolina), Matt Feiler (Pittsburgh to Los Angeles Chargers), Eric Fisher (Kansas City to Indianapolis), Ted Karras (Miami to New England), Corey Linsley (Green Bay to Los Angeles Chargers), Alex Mack (Atlanta to San Francisco), Riley Reiff (Minnesota to Cincinnati), Joe Thuney (New England to Kansas City), Trai Turner (Los Angeles Chargers to Pittsburgh), Alejandro Villanueva (Pittsburgh to Baltimore), and Kevin Zeitler (New York Giants to Baltimore)
  • Defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney (Tennessee to Cleveland), Maliek Collins (Las Vegas to Houston), Trey Hendrickson (New Orleans to Cincinnati), Justin Houston (Indianapolis to Baltimore), Melvin Ingram (Los Angeles Chargers to Pittsburgh), Malik Jackson (Philadelphia to Cleveland), Carl Lawson (Cincinnati to New York Jets), Yannick Ngakoue (Baltimore to Las Vegas), Aldon Smith (Dallas to Seattle), Solomon Thomas (San Francisco to Las Vegas), Dalvin Tomlinson (New York Giants to Minnesota), Carlos Watkins (Houston to Dallas), and J. J. Watt (Houston to Arizona)
  • Linebackers Jeremiah Attaochu (Denver to Chicago), Bud Dupree (Pittsburgh to Tennessee), Samson Ebukam (Los Angeles Rams to San Francisco), Kamu Grugier-Hill (Miami to Houston), Matthew Judon (Baltimore to New England), Christian Kirksey (Green Bay to Houston), Keanu Neal (Atlanta to Dallas), Kyle Van Noy (Miami to New England), Denzel Perryman (Los Angeles Chargers to Carolina), Haason Reddick (Arizona to Carolina) and Nick Vigil (Los Angeles Chargers to Minnesota)
  • Defensive backs Chidobe Awuzie (Dallas to Cincinnati), A. J. Bouye (Denver to Carolina), Justin Coleman (Detroit to Miami), Ronald Darby (Washington to Denver), Kyle Fuller (Chicago to Denver), Shaquill Griffin (Seattle to Jacksonville), Troy Hill (Los Angeles Rams to Cleveland), Mike Hilton (Pittsburgh to Cincinnati), Malik Hooker (Indianapolis to Dallas), Adoree Jackson (Tennessee to New York Giants), William Jackson III (Cincinnati to Washington), Janoris Jenkins (New Orleans to Tennessee), Rayshawn Jenkins (Los Angeles Chargers to Jacksonville), John Johnson (Los Angeles Rams to Cleveland), Lamarcus Joyner (Las Vegas to New York Jets), Damontae Kazee (Atlanta to Dallas), Desmond King (Tennessee to Houston), Jalen Mills (Philadelphia to New England), and Patrick Peterson (Arizona to Minnesota)
  • Kicker Matt Prater (Detroit to Arizona)
  • Punters Matt Haack (Miami to Buffalo) and Cameron Johnston (Philadelphia to Houston)

Trades[]

The following notable trades were made during the 2021 league year:

  • March 17: Detroit traded QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for QB Jared Goff, a 2021 third round selection (No. 101), a 2022 first round selection, and a 2023 first round selection.[2]
  • March 17: Philadelphia traded QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2021 third round selection and a conditional 2022 second round selection.[3]
  • March 17: Las Vegas traded C Rodney Hudson and 2021 seventh round selection to Arizona in exchange for a 2021 third round selection.[4]
  • March 17: New England traded OT Marcus Cannon and 2021 fifth and sixth round selections to Houston in exchange for 2021 fourth and sixth round selections.[5]
  • March 17: Houston traded LB Benardrick McKinney and a 2021 seventh round selection to Miami in exchange for DE Shaq Lawson and a 2021 sixth round selection.[6]
  • March 17: Las Vegas traded OT Trent Brown and a 2021 fifth round selection to New England in exchange for a 2021 seventh round selection.[7]
  • April 5: The New York Jets traded QB Sam Darnold to Carolina in exchange for a 2021 sixth round selection and 2022 second and fourth round selections.[8]
  • April 23: Baltimore traded OT Orlando Brown Jr., a 2021 second round selection, and a 2022 sixth round selection to Kansas City for 2021 first, third, and fourth round selections and a 2022 fifth round selection.[9]
  • April 28: Carolina traded QB Teddy Bridgewater to Denver in exchange for a 2021 sixth round selection.[10]
  • May 18: Philadelphia traded CB Jameson Houston and a 2023 sixth round selection to Jacksonville in exchange for CB Josiah Scott.[11]
  • June 6: Atlanta traded WR Julio Jones and a 2023 sixth round selection to Tennessee in exchange for a 2022 second round selection and a 2023 fourth round selection.[12]
  • July 28: Houston traded WR Randall Cobb to Green Bay in exchange for a 2022 sixth round selection.[13]
  • August 12: Jacksonville traded LB Joe Schobert to Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2022 sixth round selection.[14]
  • August 17: Green Bay traded CB Josh Jackson to the New York Giants in exchange for CB Isaac Yiadom.[15]
  • August 30: Cincinnati traded C Billy Price to the New York Giants in exchange for DT B. J. Hill.[16]
  • August 31: Baltimore traded G Ben Bredeson and a 2022 fifth round selection to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2022 fourth round selection and a 2023 seventh round selection.[17]
  • August 31: The New York Jets traded TE Chris Herndon and a 2022 sixth round selection to Minnesota in exchange for a 2022 fourth round selection.[18]
  • September 8: Houston traded CB Bradley Roby to New Orleans in exchange for a 2022 third round selection and a conditional 2023 sixth round selection.[19]
  • September 27: Jacksonville traded CB C. J. Henderson and a 2022 fifth round selection to Carolina in exchange for TE Dan Arnold and a 2022 third selection.[20]
  • October 6: New England traded CB Stephon Gilmore to Carolina in exchange for a 2023 sixth round selection.[21]
  • October 15: Philadelphia traded TE Zach Ertz to Arizona in exchange for CB Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth round selection.[22]
  • October 27: Houston traded RB Mark Ingram Jr. to New Orleans in exchange for a 2024 seventh round selection.[23]
  • November 1: Denver traded LB Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for 2022 second and third round selections.[24]
  • November 2: Pittsburgh traded LB Melvin Ingram to Kansas City in exchange for a 2022 sixth round selection.[25]
  • November 2: Kansas City traded G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the New York Jets in exchange for TE Daniel Brown.[26]

Retirements[]

Notable retirements

  • QB Drew Brees – Thirteen-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (one first-team, four second-team), two-time Offensive Player of the Year (2008 and 2011), Super Bowl XLIV Champion and MVP, 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and 2006 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans during his 20-year career.[27][28]
  • DT Jurrell Casey - Five-time Pro Bowler and 2013 second-team All-Pro. Played for Tennessee and Denver during his 10-year career.[29]
  • LB Thomas Davis – Three-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team) and 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for Carolina, the Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington during his 16-year career.[30]
  • WR Julian Edelman – Three-time Super Bowl Champion (XLIX, LI, and LIII) and Super Bowl LIII MVP. Played for New England during his entire 12-year career.[31]
  • LB Tamba Hali – Six-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Kansas City during his entire 12-year career.[32]
  • G Mike Iupati – Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team). Played for San Francisco, Arizona, and Seattle during his 11-year career.[33]
  • RB LeSean McCoy – Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl Champion (LIV and LV). Played for Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City and Tampa Bay during his 12-year career.[34]
  • C Maurkice Pouncey – Nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three first-team, two second-team). Played for Pittsburgh during his entire 11-year career.[35]
  • C Mike Pouncey – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers during his 10-year career.[35]
  • QB Philip Rivers – Nine-time Pro Bowler and 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis during his 17-year career.[36]
  • WR Demaryius Thomas - Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time second-team All-Pro, and Super Bowl 50 Champion. Played for Denver, Houston, New England, and the New York Jets during his 10-year career.[37]
  • K Adam Vinatieri – Three-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, four-time Super Bowl Champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLI), and the NFL's all-time leading scorer. Played for New England and Indianapolis during his 24-year career.[38]
  • TE Jason Witten – Eleven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), and 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for Dallas and Las Vegas during his 17-year career.[39]

Other retirements

Draft[]

The 2021 NFL Draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1.[99] Jacksonville, by virtue of having the worst record in 2020, held the first overall selection and selected QB Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson.[100]

Officiating changes[]

The NFL hired Maia Chaka as its second female official (joining Sarah Thomas) and first African-American female official.[101]

NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Alberto Riveron retired, leaving two other senior vice presidents, Walt Anderson and Perry Fewell, to co-head the NFL's officiating department.[102][103] Without Riveron, multiple people in the officiating department will be making the final decisions over replay reviews instead of a single person.[104]

Replay official Carl Madsen died on October 24. He was in his 12th season as a replay official, after an extended career as an on-field official.[105]

Rule changes[]

The following rule changes were approved at the NFL Owner's Meeting on April 21:[106]

  • The jersey numbering system was modified as follows:[107]
    • Running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers can wear 1–49 and 80–89
    • Defensive backs can wear 1–49
    • Linebackers can wear 1–59 and 90–99
    • The following remain unchanged: offensive linemen (50–79); defensive linemen (50–79, 90–99); and quarterbacks, punters, and kickers (1–19).
    • Per the league's existing rules, any player who changes his number this season must buy out the inventory of his existing jersey before the change can be made. A player who intends to change his number for the 2022 season can do so without cost.
  • Overtime in preseason games was eliminated. This is the first season since 1973 in which overtime is not used in the preseason.[108]
  • All accepted penalties by either team during consecutive extra point or two-point conversion attempts are to be enforced.[109]
  • The penalty for a second forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage and for a pass thrown after the ball returns behind the line will now include a loss of down.[110]
  • During kickoffs, the receiving team may have no more than nine players in the "set-up zone" (the area between 10 and 25 yards from the kickoff spot).[111]
  • An expansion of the booth-to-official communication on replays, allowing replay officials to advise on "specific, objective aspects of a play when clear and obvious video evidence is present and/or to address game administration issues."[106]

COVID-19 protocols[]

The league introduced COVID-19 protocols intended to encourage vaccination among players, coaches, and staff. On July 22, the NFL warned that if teams have COVID-19 outbreaks among unvaccinated players and a game cannot be rescheduled within the 18-week regular season schedule, the team responsible for the outbreak will be charged with a loss by forfeit. They will also be responsible for financial compensation to the other team, as normally players on both teams are not paid for canceled games.[112] On July 24, it was reported that the league will fine players $14,650 for each violation of COVID-19 protocol if they are unvaccinated.[113]

On July 23, the league announced the following temporary rules for on 2020 would remain in place for 2021, allowing roster flexibility due to uncertainty regarding the pandemic.

  • A player on injured reserve can return after missing three games, instead of the normal eight.
  • Teams can return an unlimited number of players from injured reserve throughout the year, instead of the normal limit of three.
  • Practice squads can include up to 16 players for each team, up from 12.
  • After 4:00 p.m. ET on the Tuesday of a game week, a team can designate up to four practice squad players as "protected," meaning they are not allowed to sign with another team until after their current team plays its next game.
  • Up to two practice squad players can be elevated to the active roster each game week without removing any current players, 4:00 p.m. ET the day before a game.[114]

On August 30, the league and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) agreed to COVID testing protocols for the season. Fully vaccinated players are tested at least once per week and can opt for additional testing. As was the case in 2020, unvaccinated players are tested every day during the regular season and postseason except game days.[115]

By mid-December 2021, 94.6% of NFL players are fully vaccinated from COVID-19.[116]

2021 deaths[]

Pro Football Hall of Fame members[]

Curley Culp
Culp played 14 NFL seasons at defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers, and Detroit Lions, winning Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. He died on November 27, age 75.[117]
Sam Huff
Huff played 13 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. He died November 13, age 87.[118]
Claude Humphrey
Humphhrey played 14 seasons in the NFL as a defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He died on December 3, age of 77.[119]
Floyd Little
Little spent all nine seasons of his professional career as a running back with Denver and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. He died January 1, age 78.[120]
Mick Tingelhoff
Tingelhoff spent all 17 seasons of his professional career as a center with Minnesota and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. He died September 11, age 81.[121]

Others[]

Preseason[]

Training camps were held from late July through August.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was played on August 5, as Pittsburgh defeated Dallas. The two teams were previously scheduled to play the 2020 game before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[122]

Corresponding with the expansion of the regular season to 17 games, the preseason was reduced to three games per team.[1] NFC teams each hosted two preseason games and AFC teams each hosted one.[123] There was a league-wide bye week the weekend of September 4–5, between the final preseason game and the start of the regular season.

The August 28 game between Arizona and New Orleans was canceled due to Hurricane Ida.[124] This was only the second time severe weather canceled a preseason game (a 2017 Dallas–Houston game was canceled due to Hurricane Harvey).[125]

Regular season[]

The NFL released its regular season schedule on May 12.[126] The season is being played over an 18-week schedule beginning on September 9. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week for each team. The regular season will conclude on January 9, 2022; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since 2010.

The 2020 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed by team owners and the NFLPA allowed for an expansion of the regular season from 16 to 17 games. On March 30, 2021, owners approved the expanded schedule.[1] The extra game was added to the existing scheduling formula. Each team continues to play 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, and 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).

The added game is a fifth interconference matchup between divisions that had played each other two years earlier, based on the position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g. the team that finished fourth in its division plays a club that finished fourth in a division of the other conference). AFC teams host the extra game in odd-numbered years, including 2021, with NFC teams getting the extra home game in even-numbered years.[127][128]

The division pairings for 2021 are as follows:

Four intra-conference games
AFC East vs AFC South
AFC North vs AFC West
NFC East vs NFC South
NFC West vs NFC North

Four inter-conference games
AFC East vs NFC South
AFC North vs NFC North
AFC South vs NFC West
AFC West vs NFC East

Added game
NFC East at AFC East
NFC West at AFC North
NFC South at AFC South
NFC North at AFC West

Highlights of the 2021 season include:

  • NFL Kickoff Game: The 2021 season began with the Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 9 with Dallas at defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay .[129] Tampa Bay won the game.
  • NFL London Games: Two games were played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in 2021: New York Jets at Atlanta on October 10 and Miami at Jacksonville on October 17, with Atlanta and Jacksonville winning. The games started at 9:30 am EDT (2:30 pm BST).[130] These games marked the return to international play after previous season's international games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting overseas travel restrictions.
  • Thanksgiving: As has been the case since 2006, three games were scheduled for Thursday, November 25: Chicago at Detroit and Las Vegas at Dallas in the traditional daytime doubleheader,and Buffalo at New Orleans for the nightcap,[131] with Chicago, Las Vegas, and Buffalo winning.
  • Christmas Day: Two games were scheduled for Christmas Day, which landed on a Saturday in 2021: Cleveland at Green Bay as a late-afternoon game, and Indianapolis at Arizona in primetime, with Green Bay and Indianapolis winning.

Saturday flexible scheduling[]

When the entire season schedule was released on May 12, the league announced that in Weeks 15 and 18, two games would be moved to their respective Saturdays.

Week 15

On November 23, the NFL announced that two games would be moved to Saturday, December 18: Las Vegas–Cleveland at 4:30 p.m. ET and New England–Indianapolis at 8:15 p.m. ET, both exclusively on the NFL Network (though the Las Vegas-Cleveland game was later moved to Monday, December 20 due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Cleveland players[132]) with the Colts and Raiders winning . The three other games that the league had the option of scheduling on Saturday (Carolina–Buffalo, New York Jets–Miami, and Washington–Philadelphia), remained on Sunday, December 19 (though the Washington-Philadelphia game was delayed to Tuesday, December 21 due to a COVID-19 outbreak by Washington) [133]

Week 18

For the first time in league history, two games with playoff implications will be moved to the last Saturday of the regular season, January 8 at 4:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. ET airing on ESPN and ABC. This move will be in the same manner that the final Sunday Night Football game will be announced following the conclusion of Week 17.[134][135]

Scheduling changes[]

This section lists games that were moved or canceled because of severe weather, COVID-19 outbreaks, by way of flexible scheduling, or for other reasons:

  • Week 1: Due to damage caused by Hurricane Ida in the New Orleans metropolitan area, the Green Bay–New Orleans game was moved to Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field.[136]
  • Week 12: The Atlanta–Jacksonville game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was cross-flexed to Fox, remaining at 1:00.
  • Week 13:
  • The Denver–Kansas City game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was flexed into NBC Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET; replacing the originally scheduled San Francisco–Seattle game, which was flexed to 4:25 p.m. on CBS.
  • The Los Angeles Chargers–Cincinnati game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was cross-flexed to CBS, remaining at 1:00.
  • The Jacksonville–Los Angeles Rams game originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS was cross-flexed to 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox.
  • Week 14:
  • The New Orleans–New York Jets game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was cross-flexed to CBS, remaining at 1:00.[137]
  • The San Francisco–Cincinnati game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was flexed to 4:25 p.m ET, still on CBS.[137]
  • Week 15:
  • The Green Bay–Baltimore game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed to 4:25 p.m ET, still on Fox.[137]
  • The Las Vegas–Cleveland game, originally scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, was moved to Monday at 5:00 PM ET, remaining on the NFL Network, due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among Cleveland.[132]
  • The Philadelphia–Washington game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was moved to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox, due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among Washington.[132]
  • The Los Angeles Rams–Seattle game, originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox, was moved to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox, due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among Los Angeles.[132]
  • Week 17:
  • The Los Angeles Rams–Baltimore game, originally scheduled at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed to 1:00 p.m ET, still on Fox.[138]
  • The Carolina–New Orleans game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed to 4:25 p.m ET, still on Fox.[138]
  • The Arizona-Dallas game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was flexed to 4:25 p.m. ET, still on FOX.[139]
  • The Las Vegas-Indianapolis game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was cross-flexed to Fox, remaining at 1:00.[140]

Regular season standings[]

Division[]

Conference[]

AFC
  • v
  • t
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 y – Kansas City Chiefs West 11 4 0 .733 4–1 6–4 .540 .524 W8
2 Tennessee Titans South 10 5 0 .667 4–1 6–4 .478 .487 W1
3[a] Cincinnati Bengals North 9 6 0 .600 4–1 7–3 .451 .426 W2
4[a][b] Buffalo Bills East 9 6 0 .600 4–1 6–5 .491 .459 W2
Wild cards
5[c] Indianapolis Colts South 9 6 0 .600 3–2 7–3 .502 .430 W3
6[b][c] New England Patriots East 9 6 0 .600 3–2 7–3 .502 .430 L2
7[d] Miami Dolphins East 8 7 0 .533 3–2 5–5 .444 .375 W7
In the hunt
8[d][e] Baltimore Ravens North 8 7 0 .533 1–4 5–6 .520 .471 L4
9[d][e][f] Los Angeles Chargers West 8 7 0 .533 2–2 5–5 .522 .504 L2
10[f] Las Vegas Raiders West 8 7 0 .533 2–3 6–4 .522 .529 W2
11 Pittsburgh Steelers North 7 7 1 .500 2–2 5–5 .522 .486 L1
12[g] Cleveland Browns North 7 8 0 .467 2–2 4–6 .516 .405 L2
13[g] Denver Broncos West 7 8 0 .467 1–3 3–7 .462 .357 L2
Eliminated from postseason contention
14[h] New York Jets East 4 11 0 .267 0–5 4–7 .493 .417 W1
15[h] Houston Texans South 4 11 0 .267 3–2 4–7 .480 .367 W2
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 2 13 0 .133 0–5 2–8 .511 .567 L7
Tiebreakers[i]
  1. ^ a b Cincinnati wins tiebreaker over Buffalo based on conference record.
  2. ^ a b Buffalo wins tiebreaker over New England based on division record.
  3. ^ a b Indianapolis wins tiebreaker over New England based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b c Baltimore drops out of tiebreak with Miami and LA Chargers based on conference record; then Miami wins the tiebreak over LA Chargers based on common games. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Las Vegas (see below).
  5. ^ a b Baltimore wins tiebreak over LA Chargers based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ a b LA Chargers win tiebreaker over Las Vegas based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ a b Cleveland wins tiebreaker over Denver based on head-to-head victory.
  8. ^ a b NY Jets wins tiebreaker over Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  9. ^ 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.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye and home-field advantage
NFC
  • v
  • t
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 y – Green Bay Packers North 12 3 0 .800 3–1 8–2 .484 .467 W4
2[a] y – Dallas Cowboys East 11 4 0 .733 5–0 9–1 .480 .430 W4
3[a][b] x – Los Angeles Rams West 11 4 0 .733 3–2 8–3 .464 .391 W3
4[a][b] y – Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 11 4 0 .733 3–2 7–4 .502 .497 W1
Wild cards
5 x – Arizona Cardinals West 10 5 0 .667 4–1 6–4 .473 .447 L3
6[c] San Francisco 49ers West 8 7 0 .533 1–4 6–5 .500 .429 L1
7[c] Philadelphia Eagles East 8 7 0 .533 2–2 6–4 .460 .354 W3
In the hunt
8[d] Minnesota Vikings North 7 8 0 .467 3–1 5–5 .496 .429 L1
9[d][e] Atlanta Falcons South 7 8 0 .467 2–3 4–7 .451 .310 W1
10[e] New Orleans Saints South 7 8 0 .467 2–2 5–5 .533 .552 L1
11 Washington Football Team East 6 9 0 .400 1–3 5–5 .551 .444 L3
Eliminated from postseason contention
12[f] Carolina Panthers South 5 10 0 .333 2–2 3–7 .498 .427 L5
13[f][g] Chicago Bears North 5 10 0 .333 2–3 3–7 .536 .360 W1
14[f][g] Seattle Seahawks West 5 10 0 .333 2–3 2–8 .522 .413 L2
15 New York Giants East 4 11 0 .267 1–4 3–7 .564 .467 L4
16 Detroit Lions North 2 12 1 .167 1–4 2–8 .527 .567 L1
Tiebreakers[h]
  1. ^ a b c Dallas wins tiebreaker over LA Rams and Tampa Bay based on conference record.
  2. ^ a b LA Rams wins tiebreaker over Tampa Bay based on head-to-head victory.
  3. ^ a b San Francisco wins tiebreaker over Philadelphia based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Minnesota wins tiebreaker over Atlanta based on conference record. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate New Orleans (see below).
  5. ^ a b Atlanta wins tiebreaker over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ a b c Seattle drops out of tiebreaker with Chicago and Carolina based on conference record; then Carolina wins tiebreaker over Chicago based on strength of victory.
  7. ^ a b Chicago wins tiebreaker over Seattle based on head-to-head victory.
  8. ^ 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.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye and home-field advantage

Postseason[]

Main article: 2021–22 NFL playoffs

The 2021 playoffs are scheduled to begin with the Wild Card round, with three Wild Card games played in each conference. Wild Card weekend will take place from January 15–17, 2022. This marks the first time that the wild card games will be played over three consecutive days. Two games will be played on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday night,[141] marking the first Monday playoff game since 1988.

In the Divisional round, which is scheduled for the weekend of January 22–23, the top seed in the conference will play the lowest remaining seed and the other two remaining teams will play each other. The winners of those games will advance to the Conference Championships, which are scheduled to be played on January 30.[142]

Super Bowl LVI will be held on February 13 at 6:30 p.m. EST on NBC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.[142]

Records, milestones, and notable statistics[]

Week 1

  • Tom Brady became the first player to start 300 career games at any position.[143]
  • Jameis Winston passed for 145 yards and five touchdowns, setting the record for fewest passing yards in a game with at least five passing touchdowns. The previous record of 158 yards was held by Eddie LeBaron.[144]

Week 2

  • Julio Jones became the fastest player to reach 13,000 receiving yards, doing so in 137 games. The previous record of 154 games was held by Jerry Rice.[145]
  • Aaron Rodgers passed John Elway for tenth place on the all-time passing yards list.[146]
  • Travis Kelce became the fastest tight end to reach 8,000 receiving yards, doing so in 113 games. The previous record of 120 contests was held by Rob Gronkowski.[147]

Week 3

  • Justin Tucker set the NFL record for longest field goal with a 66-yard kick. The previous record of 64 yards was held by Matt Prater.[148]
  • Jamal Agnew tied the record for the longest play with a 109-yard return of a missed field goal for a touchdown. The record is now shared with Antonio Cromartie and Cordarrelle Patterson.[149]
  • Tom Brady became the second player to record 80,000 passing yards, joining Drew Brees.[150]
  • Brady became the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history, breaking Brett Favre's record of 525 times sacked.[151]
  • Matt Ryan became the 10th player to record 350 passing touchdowns.[152]
  • Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 15,000 career passing yards, doing so in 49 games. The previous record of 53 games was held by Matthew Stafford.[153]

Week 4

  • Ben Roethlisberger became the eighth player to record 400 passing touchdowns.[154]
  • Roethlisberger passed Dan Marino for sixth place on the all-time passing yards list.[154]
  • Russell Wilson became the 18th quarterback to win 100 career starts.[155]
  • Tom Brady became the NFL's all-time passing yards leader, breaking Drew Brees' record of 80,358 yards.[156]
  • Brady became the fourth quarterback to defeat all 32 teams, joining Brees, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning.[157]
  • Patrick Mahomes set the records for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a player's first 50 games with 15,348 and 125, respectively. The previous record of 14,372 yards was held by Kurt Warner. The previous record of 116 touchdowns was held by Marino.[158][159]
  • Andy Reid became the first head coach to win 100 games (regular season and playoffs combined) with two different franchises.[160]
  • The Baltimore Ravens had at least 100 rushing yards for the 43rd straight game, tying the 1974–77 Pittsburgh Steelers for the most consecutive such games.[161]

Week 5

  • Antonio Brown became the fastest player to reach 900 career receptions, doing so in 143 games. The previous record of 149 games was held by Marvin Harrison.[162]
  • Aaron Rodgers passed Dan Marino and Philip Rivers for fifth place on the all-time touchdown passes list.[163]
  • Matt Ryan passed Eli Manning for eight place on the all-time passing yards list.[164]
  • Ryan became the seventh player to reach 5,000 career completions.[165]
  • The Cleveland Browns became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring 40 or more points and not turning the ball over. Teams with 40+ points and no turnovers had previously been 442–0.[166]
  • League-wide, kickers missed 13 point after touchdown attempts, breaking the record for a single week. The previous record of 12 misses was set in week 11 of the 2016 season.[167]

Week 6

  • Lamar Jackson set the record for most wins by a starting quarterback before his 25th birthday with his 35th win. The previous record of 34 wins was held by Dan Marino.[168]

Week 7

  • Tom Brady became the first player to record 600 career passing touchdowns.[169]
  • Matthew Stafford became the 13th player to record 300 career passing touchdowns.[170]

Week 8

  • Tom Brady became the second player to complete 7,000 career passes, joining Drew Brees.
  • Brady set the record for most games with at least three touchdown passes and most games with at least four touchdown passes with 98 and 38, respectively. Both records were previously held by Brees.[171]
  • Mike White set the record for most completions in a first career start with 37.[172]

Week 10

  • Bill Belichick became the fourth head coach to win at least 250 games with one team, joining George Halas, Don Shula, and Tom Landry.[173]
  • The Tennessee Titans became the second team to win five consecutive games over teams who made the playoffs the previous season, joining the 2003 Philadelphia Eagles.[174]

Week 11

  • Jonathan Taylor tied the record for most consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown with eight. He shares the record with Lydell Mitchell and LaDainian Tomlinson.[175]
  • Christian McCaffrey became the fastest player to record 3,000 rushing yards and 3,000 receiving yards, doing so in 57 games. The previous record of 66 games was held by Alvin Kamara.[176]
  • Tom Brady became the first player to attempt 11,000 career passes.[citation needed]

Week 12

  • Aaron Rodgers passed Philip Rivers for eighth on the all-time wins list for a starting quarterback, with 135.
  • Keenan Allen tied the record for fastest player to reach 700 career receptions, doing so in 111 games. He shares the record with Antonio Brown.[177]
  • Tom Brady passed Ben Roethlisberger for the third most career game-winning drives with 51.[178]
  • Ben Roethlisberger passed Philip Rivers for fifth on the career pass completions list.[179]

Week 13

  • Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski passed Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates for second place on the list of most touchdowns by a passer-receiver duo, with 90.[180]
  • Adrian Peterson tied Jim Brown for tenth place on the most total touchdowns list, with 126.[180]
  • The Miami Dolphins became the second team in NFL history to win five straight games immediately following a losing streak of seven or more games, joining the 1994 New York Giants.[180]

Week 14

  • Tom Brady became the all-time pass completions leader, breaking Drew Brees' record of 7,142 completions.[181]
  • Brady became the first player to throw 700 passing touchdowns (regular season and playoffs combined).[182]
  • Aaron Rodgers became the fifth player to throw at least 60 touchdown passes against a single opponent, doing so against the Chicago Bears. [183]
  • Justin Herbert became the first player to record 30 touchdown passes in each of his first two seasons.[184]
  • Herbert set the record for most pass completions by a player in his first two seasons. The previous record of 724 was held by Kyler Murray.[184][185]
  • Josh Allen became the fourth player to pass for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game, joining Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, and Russell Wilson.[186]

Week 15

  • Ben Roethlisberger passed Philip Rivers for fifth place on the all-time passing yards list.[187]
  • Tom Brady became the first player to be selected to 15 Pro Bowls. He previously shared the record of 14 with four other players.[188]

Week 16

  • Justin Jefferson set the record for most receiving yards in a player’s first two seasons. The previous record of 2,755 yards was held by Odell Beckham, Jr.[189]
  • Joe Burrow passed for 525 yards, the fourth most passing yards by a player in a single game in NFL history.[190]
  • Josh Allen became the first player to record 100 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in his first four seasons.[190]
  • The Jacksonville-New York Jets game featured two touchdowns scored by offensive linemen. This marked the first time multiple offensive linemen scored touchdowns in the same game in NFL history.[190]

Awards[]

Players of the week/month[]

The following were named the top performers during the 2021 season:

Week/
Month 		Offensive
Player of the Week/Month 		Defensive
Player of the Week/Month 		Special Teams
Player of the Week/Month
AFC NFC AFC NFC AFC NFC
1[191] Patrick Mahomes QB
(Kansas City) 		Matthew Stafford QB
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Maxx Crosby DE
(Las Vegas) 		Chandler Jones LB
(Arizona) 		Evan McPherson K
(Cincinnati) 		Bradley Pinion P
(Tampa Bay)
2[192] Derrick Henry RB
(Tennessee) 		Kyler Murray QB
(Arizona) 		Odafe Oweh LB
(Baltimore) 		Mike Edwards S
(Tampa Bay) 		Daniel Carlson K
(Las Vegas) 		Mitch Wishnowsky P
(San Francisco)
3[193] Josh Allen QB
(Buffalo) 		Matthew Stafford QB
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Myles Garrett DE
(Cleveland) 		Byron Murphy CB
(Arizona) 		Justin Tucker K
(Baltimore) 		Mason Crosby K
(Green Bay)
Sept.[194] Derek Carr QB
(Las Vegas) 		Cooper Kupp WR
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Von Miller LB
(Denver) 		Trevon Diggs CB
(Dallas) 		Jamal Agnew WR/KR
(Jacksonville) 		Mitch Wishnowsky P
(San Francisco)
4[195] Joe Burrow QB
(Cincinnati) 		Daniel Jones QB
(New York Giants) 		Tremaine Edmunds LB
(Buffalo) 		Trevon Diggs CB
(Dallas) 		Rigoberto Sanchez P
(Indianapolis) 		DeAndre Carter WR/KR
(Washington)
5[196] Lamar Jackson QB
(Baltimore) 		Tom Brady QB
(Tampa Bay) 		Gregory Rousseau DE
(Buffalo) 		Marshon Lattimore CB
(New Orleans) 		Nick Folk K
(New England) 		T. J. Edwards LB
(Philadelphia)
6[197] Derrick Henry RB
(Tennessee) 		Dak Prescott QB
(Dallas) 		T. J. Watt LB
(Pittsburgh) 		Taylor Rapp S
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Matthew Wright K
(Jacksonville) 		Matt Prater K
(Arizona)
7[198] Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati) 		Alvin Kamara RB
(New Orleans) 		Yannick Ngakoue DE
(Las Vegas) 		Deion Jones LB
(Atlanta) 		Rigoberto Sanchez P
(Indianapolis) 		Graham Gano K
(New York Giants)
8[199] Mike White QB
(New York Jets) 		Deebo Samuel WR
(San Francisco) 		Adrian Phillips S
(New England) 		Micah Parsons LB
(Dallas) 		Randy Bullock K
(Tennessee) 		Zane Gonzalez K
(Carolina)
Oct.[200] Jonathan Taylor RB
(Indianapolis) 		Cooper Kupp WR
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Kevin Byard S
(Tennessee) 		De'Vondre Campbell LB
(Green Bay) 		Tyler Bass K
(Buffalo) 		Blake Gillikin P
(New Orleans)
9[201] Justin Herbert QB
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Matt Ryan QB
(Atlanta) 		Josh Allen DE
(Jacksonville) 		Xavier McKinney S
(New York Giants) 		Tommy Townsend P
(Kansas City) 		Kene Nwangwu RB/KR
(Minnesota)
10[202] Patrick Mahomes QB
(Kansas City) 		Deebo Samuel WR
(San Francisco) 		Xavien Howard CB
(Miami) 		Darius Slay CB
(Philadelphia) 		E. J. Speed LB
(Indianapolis) 		Zane Gonzalez K
(Carolina)
11[203] Jonathan Taylor RB
(Indianapolis) 		Justin Jefferson WR
(Minnesota) 		Chris Jones DT
(Kansas City) 		Chandler Jones LB
(Arizona) 		Evan McPherson K
(Cincinnati) 		Jake Elliott K
(Philadelphia)
12[204] Joe Mixon RB
(Cincinnati) 		Leonard Fournette RB
(Tampa Bay) 		Patrick Surtain II CB
(Denver) 		Rasul Douglas CB
(Green Bay) 		Daniel Carlson K
(Las Vegas) 		Thomas Morstead P
(Atlanta)
Nov.[205] Jonathan Taylor RB
(Indianapolis) 		Justin Jefferson WR
(Minnesota) 		J. C. Jackson CB
(New England) 		Robert Quinn LB
(Chicago) 		Tommy Townsend P
(Kansas City) 		Jake Elliott K
(Philadelphia)
13[206] Justin Herbert QB
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Jared Goff QB
(Detroit) 		T. J. Watt LB
(Pittsburgh) 		Jordan Hicks LB
(Arizona) 		Michael Palardy P
(Miami) 		Travis Homer RB/KR
(Seattle)
14[207] Justin Herbert QB
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		George Kittle TE
(San Francisco) 		Mike Hughes CB
(Kansas City) 		Aaron Donald DT
(Los Angeles Rams) 		Brandon McManus K
(Denver) 		Jakeem Grant WR/KR
(Chicago)
15[208] Travis Kelce TE
(Kansas City) 		Aaron Rodgers QB
(Green Bay) 		Darius Leonard LB
(Indianapolis) 		Cameron Jordan DE
(New Orleans) 		Tremon Smith CB/KR
(Houston) 		Riley Patterson K
(Detroit)
16
Week FedEx Air
Player of the Week[209] 		FedEx Ground
Player of the Week[209] 		Pepsi Zero Sugar
Rookie of the Week[210]
1 Tom Brady
(Tampa Bay) 		Joe Mixon
(Cincinnati) 		Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati)
2 Tom Brady
(Tampa Bay) 		Derrick Henry
(Tennessee) 		Asante Samuel Jr. CB
(Los Angeles Chargers)
3 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Derrick Henry
(Tennessee) 		Asante Samuel Jr. CB
(Los Angeles Chargers)
4 Joe Burrow
(Cincinnati) 		Ezekiel Elliott
(Dallas) 		Zach Wilson QB
(New York Jets)
5 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Derrick Henry
(Tennessee) 		Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati)
6 Dak Prescott
(Dallas) 		Jonathan Taylor
(Indianapolis) 		Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati)
7 Joe Burrow
(Cincinnati) 		D'Ernest Johnson
(Cleveland) 		Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati)
8 Mike White
(New York Jets) 		Elijah Mitchell
(San Francisco) 		Micah Parsons LB
(Dallas)
9 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Nick Chubb
(Cleveland) 		Javonte Williams RB
(Denver)
10 Dak Prescott
(Dallas) 		Jonathan Taylor
(Indianapolis) 		Micah Parsons LB
(Dallas)
11 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Joe Mixon
(Cincinnati) 		Elijah Moore WR
(New York Jets)
12 Dak Prescott
(Dallas) 		Joe Mixon
(Cincinnati) 		Patrick Surtain II CB
(Denver)
13 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Jonathan Taylor
(Indianapolis) 		Zach Wilson QB
(New York Jets)
14 Justin Herbert
(Los Angeles Chargers) 		Dalvin Cook
(Minnesota) 		Micah Parsons LB
(Dallas)
15 Jared Goff
(Detroit) 		Jonathan Taylor
(Indianapolis) 		Brandin Echols CB
(New York Jets)
16
Month Rookie of the Month
Offensive Defensive
Sept.[194] Ja'Marr Chase WR
(Cincinnati) 		Asante Samuel Jr. CB
(Los Angeles Chargers)
Oct.[200] Najee Harris RB
(Pittsburgh) 		Nick Bolton LB
(Kansas City)
Nov.[205] Mac Jones QB
(New England) 		Micah Parsons LB
(Dallas)
Dec.

Head coaching and front office changes[]

Head coaches[]

Off-season[]

Team Departing coach Interim coach Incoming coach Reason for leaving Notes
Atlanta Falcons Dan Quinn Raheem Morris Arthur Smith Fired After an 0–5 start, Quinn was fired on October 11, 2020. He had a 43–42 (.506) record during his 5+ season tenure with the Falcons, with two playoff appearances including one Super Bowl appearance.[211]

Morris, the team's defensive coordinator, was previously the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a record of 17–31 (.354) and no playoff appearances. He finished out the 2020 season with a 4–7 (.364) record.[212]

Smith served as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2011 to 2020 and most recently served as offensive coordinator for the last two seasons; the Falcons hired Smith on January 16. This would be his first NFL head coaching job.[213]

Detroit Lions Matt Patricia Darrell Bevell Dan Campbell Patricia was fired on November 28, 2020. He had a 13–29–1 (.314) record during his 2+ season tenure with the Lions, with no playoff appearances and finishing both complete seasons in last place in the NFC North.[214]

Bevell, the team's offensive coordinator, was promoted to interim head coach. This was his first head coaching position. He finished out the 2020 season with a 1–4 (.200) record.[214]

Campbell, who had a 5–7 (.417) record as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins for part of 2015, was hired on January 20. He previously served as the assistant head coach/tight ends coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2016 to 2020.[215]

Houston Texans Bill O'Brien Romeo Crennel David Culley After an 0–4 start, O'Brien was fired on October 5, 2020. He had a 52–48 (.520) record during his 6+ season tenure with the Texans, with four AFC South titles.[216]

Crennel, the team's associate head coach, was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, with a combined record of 28–55 (.337) and no playoff appearances. At age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. He finished out the 2020 season with a 4–8 (.333) record.[217]

On January 29, the Texans hired Culley, whom for the last 42 years was an assistant coach for several teams, most recently for the Baltimore Ravens from 2019 to 2020. From 1999 to 2016, Culley served as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, both coached by Andy Reid. This is his first head coaching job. Culley became the oldest first-time head coach in NFL history at age 65.[218]

Jacksonville Jaguars Doug Marrone Urban Meyer After 4+ seasons with a 23–43 (.348) record, Marrone was fired on January 4. The Jaguars made the playoffs once during his tenure, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. They finished 1–15 (.063) in 2020, ending the season on a 15-game losing streak.[219]

Meyer, an experienced college football head coach with a combined record of 187–32 (.854) with Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State, and three national championships, was hired on January 14. This would be his first NFL coaching position.[220]

Los Angeles Chargers Anthony Lynn Brandon Staley Lynn was fired on January 4 after four seasons with the team with a 33–31 (.516) record and one playoff appearance. The Chargers finished 7–9 (.438) in 2020.[221]

Staley was hired on January 17. He had spent the previous season as defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. This was his first head coaching position.[222]

New York Jets Adam Gase Robert Saleh Gase was fired on January 3 after finishing the 2020 season 2–14 (.125). He was 9–23 (.281) in two seasons with the Jets, with no playoff appearances.[223]

Saleh, who was a longtime defensive coach in the NFL and on the college level, was hired on January 14. He was most recently the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020. This was his first head coaching position.[224]

Philadelphia Eagles Doug Pederson Nick Sirianni Pederson was fired on January 11 after 5 seasons with the Eagles, with a total regular season record of 42–37–1 (.531), and a playoff record of 4–2 (.667). His tenure included 3 playoff appearances, 2 NFC East division titles, and a Super Bowl LII title. The Eagles finished 4–11–1 (.281) in 2020.[225][226]

Former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni was hired as Eagles' head coach on January 24. This marked Sirianni's first head coaching job.[227]

In-season[]

Team Departing coach Reason for leaving Interim replacement Notes
Las Vegas Raiders Jon Gruden Resigned Rich Bisaccia Gruden resigned due to the publication of controversial emails prior to becoming the Raiders head coach. In Gruden's 3+ seasons during his second stint with Oakland/Las Vegas, the Raiders were 22–31 (.415) with no playoff appearances.[228][229]

Bisaccia, the team's special teams coordinator and assistant head coach since 2018, was promoted to interim head coach. This is his first head coaching position after 20 years as an assistant coach in the NFL.[230]

Jacksonville Jaguars Urban Meyer Fired Darrell Bevell Meyer was fired on December 15 due to a season full of on- and off-the-field issues. During Meyer's single partial season in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were 2–11 (.154).[231][232] Meyer became the first coach to not finish their first season as head coach since Bobby Petrino in 2007 with the Atlanta Falcons.

Bevell, the team's offensive coordinator since 2021, was promoted to interim head coach. This is his second head coaching position, after serving as interim head coach for the Detroit Lions in 2020, where he obtained a record of 1–4 (.200).[231]

Front office personnel[]

Off-season[]

Team Position Departing office holder Interim replacement Incoming office holder Reason for leaving Notes
Atlanta Falcons General manager Thomas Dimitroff none Terry Fontenot Fired After an 0–5 start, Dimitroff was fired on October 11, 2020, after 12 seasons.[211]

Fontenot was hired on January 18. He spent previous 18 seasons with the New Orleans Saints organization, most recently as vice president/assistant general manager of pro personnel.[233]

Carolina Panthers Marty Hurney none Scott Fitterer Hurney was fired on December 21, 2020, after 14+ seasons in two stints (2002–12, 2017–20). In his time with the Panthers he was responsible for drafting star players such as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, and Thomas Davis.[234]

Fitterer, former Seattle Seahawks' vice president of football operations, was hired on January 14. He previously served with the Seahawks for 20 seasons in various executive roles.[235]

Denver Broncos John Elway George Paton Resigned Elway announced on January 4 that he was stepping down from his role as general manager after 10 years, although he would remain as president of football operations.[236]

Paton was hired on January 13. He was previously a member of the Minnesota Vikings organization since 2007. This was his first GM position.[237][238]

Detroit Lions Bob Quinn by committee Brad Holmes Fired Quinn was fired on November 28, 2020, after five seasons.[214] A combination of front office personnel would handle GM duties for the remainder of the season.

On January 14, Holmes was hired as new general manager and executive vice president. He spent last 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and named director of college scouting since 2013.[239]

Houston Texans Bill O'Brien Jack Easterby Nick Caserio O'Brien was named general manager of the team during the 2020 offseason, after splitting general manager duties with Easterby, the executive vice president of football operations, and other team executives in 2019.[216] Easterby took over GM duties for the rest of the season.[240]

Caserio was hired on January 7. He was a long-time member of the New England Patriots organization, as an offensive assistant, a scout, and their director of player personnel from 2008 to 2020.[241]

Jacksonville Jaguars David Caldwell Trent Baalke Caldwell was fired on November 29, 2020, after eight seasons.[242]

Baalke, the team's director of player personnel, would serve as interim GM through the end of the season.[242] Previously, he was the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. On January 21, 2021, Baalke was named permanent GM.[243]

Washington Football Team Ron Rivera (de facto) none Martin Mayhew N/A After four seasons without an official general manager, the team hired Mayhew on January 22. He previously served as the GM for the Detroit Lions from 2008 to 2015, and had been working in the San Francisco 49ers' front office since 2017.[244]

Stadiums[]

Stadium changes[]

  • Kansas City sold naming rights to its home stadium to health insurer GEHA, renaming the facility to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. It is the first time in the stadium's 50-year history that it has had a naming rights sponsor.[245]
  • Buffalo sold naming rights to its home stadium to Pittsburgh-based health insurer Highmark, resulting in the stadium being renamed Highmark Stadium.[246]
  • New Orleans sold naming rights to its home stadium to casino operator Caesars Entertainment, renaming the facility to Caesars Superdome.[247]
  • Carolina changed the playing surface at Bank of America Stadium from natural grass to an artificial FieldTurf surface.[248]

COVID-19 restrictions[]

Aided by the availability of vaccines, by June 29 all 32 NFL teams had received approval to play their games with no restrictions on attendance. This comes after all games in 2020 were played with either a greatly reduced audience or no fans at all due to local or state public health orders.[249] However, after a recent increase in cases due to the Delta variant, several teams implemented fan restrictions, mainly due to local or state-level public health restrictions for events being re-enacted in response to the increase, however this purely involves requirements for masking, testing, vaccination or any combination thereof and not on attendance.

COVID-19 fan restrictions in place by team during season
Team Limitations Source
Buffalo September 14: Beginning September 26, fans ages 12 and older must provide proof of receiving at least one COVID vaccination shot. Beginning October 31, all fans ages 12 and older must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated. Beginning December 22, all fans ages 5 and older must provide proof of receiving at least one COVID vaccination shot. [250]
Chicago August 19: Fans are required to wear masks in indoor areas. [251]
Las Vegas August 17: All fans who attend games will be required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination but will not be required to wear masks. Unvaccinated fans will have the opportunity to receive on-site COVID vaccinations prior to games and can then attend wearing a mask. [252]
Los Angeles August 17: All fans required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, unless eating or drinking. [253]
New Orleans August 12: Either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours prior to a game required for fan entry. Fans also required to wear a mask at all times unless eating or drinking. [254][255]
Philadelphia August 12: Fans and staff required to wear masks when visiting indoor spaces, but not when sitting or standing in outdoor spaces. [256]
Pittsburgh August 21: Fans required to wear masks for preseason game. No determination made for regular season. [255]
Seattle September 7: Proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test taken with 72 hours prior to fan entry required. Fans also required to wear a face mask at all times unless eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status. [257]

In addition, mascots, cheerleaders, and sideline reporters that were not allowed to be on the field in 2020 were allowed to return to the field for 2021.[258]

Uniforms[]

Uniform changes[]

  • Cincinnati unveiled new uniforms on April 19. The uniforms are similar to their previous set, but have removed some features such as colored shoulder pads, TV numbers, side panels and outlined nameplates for a toned-down appearance. The team's trademark stripes were left as the most prominent feature.[259]
  • Cleveland will feature a new white uniform reminiscent of their uniform's 1946 design, commemorating the team's 75th anniversary. Helmet sides are divided with a thin white stripe and have corresponding numbering on either side. Jersey numbers are brown with an orange drop shadow.[260]
  • Detroit unveiled new white pants on September 20.[261]
  • Green Bay revealed a new throwback on August 19.[262] This throwback design is based on their 1950s all-green look, featuring green jerseys and pants, golden stripes, numbers and nameplates, and blank golden helmets with gray facemasks. Prior to the 2020 season, which featured no alternate uniforms for the team, the team used blue jersey based throwbacks as their third uniform from 2010 to 2019.[263]
  • Indianapolis will wear a new throwback uniform on November 28. The design pays homage to the 1956 team, featuring a three-stripe shoulder pattern and helmets with rear logo placement. This design is similar to the one found on the helmet worn with their 2010 alternate uniforms.[264]
  • Jacksonville made its alternate teal jerseys its primary uniform. The team had previously used teal jerseys as the primary uniform from 1995 to 2011.[265]
  • The Los Angeles Rams revealed a modern throwback variation of their away uniforms on July 13. This design incorporates blue and yellow sleeves, similar to the ones worn on team uniforms from 1978 to 1999.[266]
  • The New York Giants will wear new white pants, featuring a stripe pattern resembling their sleeve stripe pattern, with their road uniforms replacing the grey pants. However, the gray pants will be retained for their Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl XLVI win.[267]
  • San Francisco unveiled new red throwback uniforms based on the 1994 Super Bowl team on June 30 in celebration of the franchise's 75th anniversary. The uniforms, which feature white numbers with black drop shadows, are counterpart to the all-white 1994 throwback uniforms used by the team since 2018.[268]

Patches[]

  • Cleveland and San Francisco unveiled logos to commemorate the 75th anniversary (from the founding of their first league, the All-America Football Conference) for each franchise.[269][270]

Media[]

Broadcast rights[]

Television[]

This is the eighth year under the current nine-year broadcast contracts with CBS, Fox, and NBC; and the eighth and final year under the current contract with ESPN. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season, regardless of the conference of the visiting team. NBC airs Sunday Night Football, the Kickoff Game, and oneThanksgiving game. ESPN's rights to Monday Night Football were modified this season, allowing ABC to simulcast select games (Weeks 1, 14, and 15), as well as a new Saturday doubleheader in Week 18.[271][272] Thursday Night Football airs on NFL Network, with Fox, Twitch and Prime Video simulcasting 11 games (weeks 5–15, excluding Thanksgiving, plus a Week 16 Saturday 4:30 pm Christmas game).[273] This is the final season of the TNF contract with Fox and NFL Network.[274]

NBC will televise Super Bowl LVI. CBS was originally scheduled to broadcast the game under the current rotation. However, CBS traded the game to NBC in exchange for Super Bowl LV. Super Bowl LVI falls during the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first to be scheduled during an ongoing Olympic Games. NBC also holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the Olympics.[275] Due to NBC's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics, the network sold its broadcast rights to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game to Fox.[276]

On March 18, the NFL announced its future television deals for 2023–2033, which will see CBS, Fox, and NBC maintain their existing Sunday packages with expanded digital rights for their streaming services (Paramount+, Tubi, and Peacock, respectively). Thursday Night Football will move exclusively to Amazon and Twitch. ESPN also entered into a new agreement for Monday Night Football for 2022, adding the aforementioned Week 18 Saturday doubleheader beginning this season.[271][272] It was later announced in May that Fox and NFL Network had opted out of its final season of Thursday Night Football, so Amazon will take over TNF starting next season.[274] NBC will maintain Spanish-language rights to Sunday Night Football for Universo, while its Spanish broadcast network Telemundo will air selected games, including NBC's primetime Wild Card games and Super Bowl LVI.[277]

On July 19, ESPN announced an agreement with Omaha Productions, the production company of Peyton Manning, to produce alternate telecasts of Monday Night Football with Manning, his brother Eli, and guest celebrities for ten games each season on ESPN2 and ESPN+, from 2021 to 2023.[278]

For the second consecutive season, Nickelodeon will simulcast a wild-card playoff game with CBS, using the same youth-friendly broadcast modifications that were in place the previous season.[279] Nickelodeon will also air a weekly NFL magazine program, NFL Slimetime, throughout the season.[280]

On October 13, the league announced that the Monday Night Wild Card playoff game would be aired on ESPN and ABC, with ESPN2 and ESPN+ providing the “Peyton and Eli” broadcast.[281]

Most watched regular season games[]

  • DH = doubleheader; SNF = Sunday Night Football; MNF = Monday Night Football; TNF = Thursday Night Football
Rank Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions)[282] TV rating Window Significance
1 November 25, 4:30 ET Las Vegas Raiders 36–33 Dallas Cowboys CBS 37.8[283] 13.1 Thanksgiving
2 November 21, 4:25 ET Dallas Cowboys 9–19 Kansas City Chiefs Fox 28.1 14.4 Late DH[a]
3 October 3, 8:20 ET Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19–17 New England Patriots NBC 26.8 14.6 SNF Tom Brady's Return to New England
4 November 25, 12:30 ET Chicago Bears 16–14 Detroit Lions Fox 26.8 10.6 Thanksgiving Bears–Lions rivalry
5 September 9, 8:20 ET Dallas Cowboys 29–31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers NBC 24.8[284] 13.4 Kickoff NFL Kickoff Game
6 November 28, 4:25 ET Los Angeles Rams 28–36 Green Bay Packers Fox 24.7 13.0 Late DH[b]
7 November 7, 4:25 ET Green Bay Packers 7–13 Kansas City Chiefs Fox 24.4 12.6 Late DH[c] Jordan Love’s first start
8 September 19, 4:25 ET Dallas Cowboys 20–17 Los Angeles Chargers CBS 24.3 12.6 Late DH[d]
9 October 17, 4:25 ET Dallas Cowboys 35–29 New England Patriots CBS 23.2 12.1 Late DH[e]
10 November 14, 4:25 ET Seattle Seahawks 0–17 Green Bay Packers CBS 22.7 12.0 Late DH[f] Packers–Seahawks rivalry

*Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.

  1. ^ DAL/KC was shown in 93% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
  2. ^ LAR/GB was shown in 91% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
  3. ^ GB/KC was shown in 93% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
  4. ^ DAL/LAC was shown in 91% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
  5. ^ DAL/NE was shown in 80% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
  6. ^ SEA/GB was shown in 92% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.

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