When will the 2020 NFL schedule be released?

Super Bowl LIV is over. It’s time to think about the 2020 season. Each team’s opponents are set, but when will the league release the full 2020 NFL schedule?

For the majority of the viewing public, Super Bowl LIV marked the end of the NFL season. But since the NFL is a year-round affair, some fans are already clamoring for the 2020 schedule to be released.

The current league year won’t turn for another six weeks, when free agency officially begins on March 18. Meanwhile, the league will fill the time between the excitement of free agency and April’s 2020 NFL Draft to hype the release of the full 2020 schedule.

As soon as the regular season ended, all 32 NFL teams knew which teams they will face in 2020, but the specific dates and times of the matchups have yet to be determined.

In recent years, the NFL transformed its annual schedule release from a casual announcement to a high-profile television event. As teams and fans wait in anticipation, when will the league release the regular season schedule?

2020 NFL Schedule

Scheduling an NFL season is no easy task, as the NFL’s team of schedule makers attempts to maximize revenue while working within the confines of league scheduling rules, avoiding other local events and attempting to limit any blatant disadvantages — like extensive unnecessary travel — for any one team.

The league has a plethora of enticing matchups to choose from to kick off Week 1 of the 2020 regular season, including a potential 2019 NFC Championship game rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. Other possible playoff rematches include the Minnesota Vikings against the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens facing the Tennessee Titans.

Another showdown between the Houston Texans and the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs is also in play for Week 1. Expect the NFL to begin the year by featuring at least one of these playoff rematches in a prime-time slot, as well as another crowd-pleaser.

It’s never too early to mark your calendars for the inaugural game for the 2020 season, which will take place on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. The campaign will conclude on Jan. 3, 2021 and the playoffs will end with Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Feb. 7, 2021.

2020 NFL Schedule Release Date

Historically, the NFL announces its 256-game regular season schedule during the week preceding the draft, although the information is provided to each team prior to the televised public event.

In both 2017 and ’18, the league announced the the upcoming schedule on Thursday, exactly one week prior to the first day of the draft. However, the NFL threw fans a curveball last year when they moved the event to Wednesday night, eight days prior to the first pick of the 2019 draft.

This year’s draft kicks off on April 23, so a 2020 NFL schedule release on a week prior is a likely scenario.

Fans who want to play it safe can also clear their schedules for Wednesday night, since the NFL often waits until the last minute before officially announcing the date of the event. For those itching to see their favorite team suit up for preseason football, this year’s exhibition schedule should be released with minor fanfare during the first full week of April.