You’re definitely going to want to mark your calendars
The 2025 NFL schedule is going to be released in May and although the exact date isn’t set in stone yet, the league is targeting three certain dates next month with plans to have the schedule out by May 15 at the latest.
That information comes from the NFL’s Vice President of Broadcast Planning, Mike North, who did an interview on the It’s Always Gameday in Buffalo podcast this week. During the interview, North was asked if the league had set a date for the schedule release.
“Somewhere in the May 13, 14, or 15 range is probably still our target,” North said.
That means the schedule will likely be released between Tuesday, May 13 and Thursday, May 15. Although the league is eyeing one of those three dates for this year’s release, North did point out that there’s a small chance that the schedule could actually come out a little bit EARLIER.
“No set date because, really, you never know,” North said. “If by some miracle, we’re done on May 7 and we present one to the boss [Roger Goodell] and the commissioner says, ‘Hey, this is perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing, guys.’ We’re done. Pencils down. If so, probably no reason to sit on it.”
The NFL used to release the schedule in April, but the league was forced to push it back to May during the 2020 COVID season and it’s been there ever since.
“One of the benefits of going a little bit later with the schedule release is getting the chance to see what happens in the draft,” North said. “What do any of us know? I think we kind of have a feel for the top couple of picks.”
Besides the draft, North said the schedule-makers will be watching out for a few other things over the next couple of weeks that could impact the schedule from possible trades to where Aaron Rodgers ends up signing.
“Are there some trades that are going to happen? Still waiting on a certain future Hall of Fame quarterback to sign somewhere, maybe this year,” North said. “Hopefully a lot of that is known by draft day.”
At this point, the most likely scenario for Rodgers is that he signs with the Steelers, but he could also retire. The Steelers host the Packers in 2025, so if Rodgers does sign with Pittsburgh, North and his crew will probably give the game a prominent spot on the schedule.
Speaking of the Steelers, they’re one of seven teams that will be sent abroad to host an international game this year. Here’s a look at the seven teams that will be hosting:
- London: Jaguars (Wembley Stadium)
- London: Jets (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- London: Browns (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
- Berlin: Colts (Olympic Stadium)
- Dublin: Steelers (Croke Park)
- Madrid: Dolphins (Santiago Bernabéu Stadium)
- Sao Paulo: Chargers (Corinthians Arena)
There are also three other games where the home teams are set in stone for the upcoming season:
- Week 1 (Sept. 4): Eagles host the Thursday opener
- Thanksgiving (Nov. 27): Lions and Cowboys will both host a home game
Although the full schedule won’t be released until May, we do know the home-and-away opponents for all 32 teams and if you want to see that full list, you can check it out here.
