We now have a date for the 2026 schedule release

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 23: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looks on prior to Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If that headline put your brain in a twist, don’t worry, you aren’t losing it. It’s simply how the NFL operates on this front.

Yes, this is an announcement about the date of the release of the 2026 NFL schedule.

The NFL schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14 in its entirety, and primetime games or contests in standalone spots on streaming networks will be announce said games on network shows in the days leading up to the full release next week.

Earlier this week, our Sara Larson wrote on the schedule release, and it’s recent history of landing somewhere between May 11 – 16 and noted a circulating rumor about the potential of a later release date given the late start of the 2026 regular season.

The original report in Sara’s piece proved to be correct, as the league has now confirmed the May 14 date.

Earlier this morning on Twitter/X, a tweet was floating around that was more generic, stating the schedule release date was coming soon, thereby meaning that was an announcement about the announcement of the schedule.

The NFL has smartly turned May into “schedule release month,” and like the NFL Draft being in primetime, knowing the nature of the business of this league, it’s insane in hindsight the schedule was released in mid-April also known as prime draft season, not too long ago.