The 2022 NFL league year and trading period began on March 16. On March 14, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2022 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 2021 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 16, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.
The following notable trades were made during the 2022 league year:
March 16: Seattle traded QB Russell Wilson and a 2022 fourth round selection to Denver in exchange for QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and DE Shelby Harris along with 2022 first, second, and fifth round selections, and 2023 first and second round selections.[3]
March 16: Indianapolis traded QB Carson Wentz and a 2022 second round selection to Washington in exchange for a 2022 second round selection and a 2023 conditional third round selection.[4]
March 16: Chicago traded LB Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for 2022 second and sixth round selections.[5]
March 17: Green Bay traded WR Davante Adams to Las Vegas in exchange for 2022 first and second round selections.[9]
March 18: Houston traded QB Deshaun Watson and a 2024 sixth round selection to Cleveland in exchange for 2022 first and fourth round selections, 2023 first and third round selections, and 2024 first and fourth round selections.[10]
March 21: Atlanta traded QB Matt Ryan to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2022 third round selection.[11]
March 23: Kansas City traded WR Tyreek Hill to Miami in exchange for 2022 first, second, and fourth round selections along with 2023 fourth and sixth round selections.[12]
April 5: Miami traded WR DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth round selection to New England in exchange for a 2023 third round selection.[13]
April 28: Tennessee traded WR A. J. Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for 2022 first and third round selections.[14]
April 28: Baltimore traded WR Marquise Brown and a 2022 third round selection to Arizona in exchange for a 2022 first round selection.[15]
October 9: Atlanta traded LB Deion Jones and a 2024 seventh round selection to Cleveland in exchange for a 2024 sixth round selection.[17]
October 20: Carolina traded RB Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco in exchange for 2023 second, third, and fourth round selections, and a 2024 fifth round selection.[18]
October 26: Chicago traded DE Robert Quinn to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 fourth round selection.[19]
October 27: The New York Giants traded WR Kadarius Toney to Kansas City in exchange for 2023 third and sixth round selections.[20]
October 31: Chicago traded LB Roquan Smith to Baltimore in exchange for LB A. J. Klein along with 2023 second and fifth round selections.[21]
November 1: Detroit traded TE T. J. Hockenson a 2023 4th round and a conditional 2024 4th round to Minnesota in exchange for a 2023 second-round selection and a 2024 third-round selection.[22]
November 1: Pittsburgh traded WR Chase Claypool to Chicago in exchange for a 2023 second-round selection.[23]
November 1: Denver traded LB Bradley Chubb along with a 2025 fifth-round selection to Miami for RB Chase Edmonds, a 2023 first-round selection, and 2024 fourth-round selection.[24]
November 1: Buffalo traded RB Zack Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick to Indianapolis for RB Nyheim Hines.[25]
Retirements
Notable retirements
RB Frank Gore – Five-time Pro Bowler and 2006 second-team All-Pro. Played for San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Buffalo, and the New York Jets during his 16-year career.[26]
G Richie Incognito – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo, Miami, and the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders during his 15-year career.[29]
SS Malcolm Jenkins – Three-time Pro Bowler, 2010 second-team All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl champion (XLIV and LII). Played for New Orleans and Philadelphia during his 13-year career.[30]
LB Ryan Kerrigan – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Washington and Philadelphia during his 11-year career.[31]
C Alex Mack – Seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Cleveland, Atlanta, and San Francisco during his 13-year career.[32]
LB Clay Matthews III – Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), and Super Bowl XLV champion. Played for Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams during his 11-year career.[33]
OT Mitchell Schwartz – Four-time All-Pro (one first-team, three second-team) and Super Bowl LIV champion. Played for Cleveland and Kansas City during his nine-year career.[35]
FS Eric Weddle – Six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three second-team), and Super Bowl LVI champion. Played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 14-year career.[36]
The NFL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee announced the following policy changes on March 28:[96]
All teams are required to have a female or minority offensive assistant on staff for the 2022 season.
The Rooney Rule has been expanded to include women, regardless of their racial or ethnic background.
The following rule changes were approved at the NFL Owner's Meeting on March 28:[97]
In the postseason only, both teams are assured of one possession in overtime, even if the first team with possession scores a touchdown. This change was made in response to several recent playoff games in which the first team to possess the ball in overtime scored a touchdown and the other team did not have a chance to respond.
Made permanent a 2021 experimental rule change to limit the receiving team on kickoffs to no more than nine players in the "set-up zone" (the area between 10 and 25 yards from the kickoff spot).
The following changes to roster management were made on May 25:[98]
Players on injured reserve (IR) are eligible to return to the roster after missing four games. This is up from the temporary three-game requirement in place during 2020 and 2021 to account for the impact of COVID-19 on rosters, but down from the eight games required prior to 2020.
Teams can allow up to eight players to return from IR to the active roster per season. This limit was previously two players prior to 2020, but the limit was temporarily removed for 2020 and 2021. A player may return from injured reserve multiple times in a single season, but each return counts against the team's allotment of eight.
Practice squads will remain at 16 players. The temporary increase from 12 to 16 players originally introduced in 2020 was made permanent.
Teams may continue to elevate up to two players from the practice squad to the game-day roster for each game. A practice squad player may be elevated up to three times per season before the team is required to sign him to the active roster (up from the previous limit of two games).
The following change to the concussion protocol was made on October 8, following Tua Tagovailoa's injury in week 3:[99]
added the diagnosis of ataxia to the mandatory "no-go" symptoms that determine whether or not a player re-enters a game.
The following enhancements and updates to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts was announced at the NFL Fall League Meeting on October 18:[100]
Key decision makers in a head coach or general manager search, including owners, are required to participate in inclusive hiring training prior to head coach or general manager search.
Guy played 14 seasons in the NFL as a punter with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, eight-time All-Pro (six first-team, two second-team), and three-time Super Bowl champion (XI, XV, and XVIII). He died on November 3, age 72.[102]
Maynard played 15 seasons in the NFL and AFL as a wide receiver with the New York Giants, the New York Jets, and the St. Louis Cardinals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), and Super Bowl III champion. He died on January 10, age 86.[103]
McElhenny played 13 seasons in the NFL as a halfback with the San Francisco 49ers, the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro. He died on June 17, age 93.[104]
Taylor played 14 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver/halfback with the Washington Redskins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro (one first-team, five second-team). He died on February 19, age 80.[105]
Trippi played nine seasons in the NFL as a halfback/quarterback with the Chicago Cardinals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team) and 1947 NFL Champion. He died on October 19, age 100.[106]
Wright played 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro (three first-team, three second-team), and two-time Super Bowl champion (VI and XII). He died on April 7, age 76.[107]
In March, the league passed a resolution to require the use of "Guardian Caps," oversized outer layers of padding placed on the helmet, from the start of training camp through the second preseason game for offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends.[109] A guardian cap is a soft-shell padding aimed to decrease forces sustained during head-to-head contact and limit head injuries that may come with such contact.[110]
Regular season
The NFL released the 2022 regular season schedule on May 12, with select games announced in advance of the full schedule release.[111]
The season is planned to be played over an 18-week schedule beginning on September 8. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week for each team. The regular season is scheduled to end on January 8, 2023; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since 2010.
Each team plays 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, 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), and one game against a team in another division in the other conference that also finished in the same position in their respective division the previous season.
The division pairings for 2022 are as follows:[112]
Thanksgiving: As has been the case since 2006, three games were played on Thursday, November 24, with Buffalo at Detroit and the New York Giants at Dallas in the traditional afternoon doubleheader, and New England at Minnesota in the nightcap.[117] Buffalo, Dallas, and Minnesota won the games.
Christmas: Christmas Day, December 25, falls on a Sunday. When this occurs, the normal Sunday afternoon games are instead played on Saturday, Christmas Eve, while Sunday Night Football and other special national games are scheduled for Christmas Day. For 2022, the league will play three games on Christmas Day for the first time, consisting of an afternoon doubleheader featuring Green Bay at Miami and Denver at the Los Angeles Rams,[118] and the Sunday Night Football game featuring Tampa Bay at Arizona. The league also scheduled a primetime game on Christmas Eve: Las Vegas at Pittsburgh.
New Year's Day: New Year's Day, January 1, 2023, lands on a Sunday. When this occurs, the NFL plays a regular Sunday schedule as the college football bowl games and NHL Winter classic, normally played on New Year's Day, are moved to Monday, January 2.[118]
Week 14: The Miami–Los Angeles Chargers game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS, was flexed into NBC Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET, replacing the originally scheduled Kansas City–Denver game, which was moved to 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.[121]
Week 15: Five games have been set aside to potentially be moved into an NFL Network tripleheader on Saturday, December 17 (with game times to be announced at the conclusion of Week 13):[122]Atlanta–New Orleans, Baltimore–Cleveland, Indianapolis–Minnesota, Miami–Buffalo, and New York Giants–Washington. Of these games, three will be selected to play on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET, while the remaining two will be scheduled as Sunday games.[123]
Week 18: All games during the final week of the regular season were initially listed as "TBD" instead of having tentative start times on Sunday afternoon of either 1:00 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET like in previous seasons.[124] Two games with playoff implications will be moved to Saturday, January 7, at 4:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. ET, both airing on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+. A third game with playoff implications will be moved into NBC Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET. The rest will be scheduled as Sunday afternoon games on CBS or Fox.[125]
^ abBuffalo wins tie break over Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
^ abBaltimore wins tie break over Cincinnati based on head-to-head victory.
^ abCincinnati wins tie break over Miami based on head-to-head victory.
^ abNew England wins tie break over LA Chargers based on conference record.
^ abLas Vegas wins tie break over Cleveland based on conference record. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Pittsburgh (see below).
^ abCleveland wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory.
^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
^ abAtlanta wins tie break over Green Bay based on strength of victory.
^ abArizona wins tie break over Carolina based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate New Orleans (see below).
^ abCarolina wins tie break over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
^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
The 2022 playoffs are scheduled to begin with the wild-card round, with three wild-card games played in each conference. Wild Card Weekend is planned for January 14–16, 2023. In the Divisional round scheduled for January 21–22, 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 Championship games scheduled for January 29. Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.[126]
Records, milestones, and notable statistics
Week 1
Matthew Stafford became the 12th player to reach 50,000 career passing yards. He also tied Drew Brees' record for the fastest player to reach this mark, doing so in 183 games.[127]
Matt Ryan became the eighth player to reach 60,000 career passing yards.[128]
Cade York kicked a 58-yard field goal, setting a record for longest field goal by a rookie in a season opener. The previous record of 55 yards was shared by John Hall and Blair Walsh.[129]
Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback to start a game since quarterback starts were first recorded in 1950, at 45 years and 39 days old. The previous record of 44 years, 279 days was held by Steve DeBerg.[130] However, John Nesser is assumed to have started a game at 45 years and 138 days old in 1921, before quarterback starts were recorded.[citation needed]
Week 2
Lamar Jackson set the record for most games with 100 rushing yards by a quarterback with 11. The previous record of 10 was held by Michael Vick.[131]
Jackson also became the first player to record at least 300 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 100 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown in a game.[132]
Amon-Ra St. Brown became the first player in NFL history to record at least eight receptions and one receiving touchdown in six consecutive games.[133]
Tyreek Hill tied the record for the most games with at least 10 receptions, 150 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns, with four. He shares the record with Jerry Rice.[132]
Aaron Rodgers became the fifth player in NFL history to reach 450 career touchdown passes.[134]
Carson Wentz became the first player since quarterback starts were first tracked in 1950 to pass for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in his first two starts with a new team.[135]
Week 3
Tom Brady became the first player to reach 85,000 career passing yards.[136]
Aaron Donald became the second defensive tackle to record 100 career sacks since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, joining John Randle.[137]
Lamar Jackson became the first player in NFL history with three passing touchdowns and 100 rushing yards in consecutive games.[138]
Jackson also became the first player in NFL history with at least 10 passing touchdowns and 200 rushing yards in the first three games of the season.[138]
Jalen Hurts became the first player with at least 900 passing and 100 rushing yards through three games since at least 1950.[138]
Week 4
Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 20,000 career passing yards, doing so in 67 games. The previous record of 71 games was held by Matthew Stafford.[139][140]
Justin Herbert tied the record for most games with 300 passing yards in a player's first three seasons, with 19. He shares the record with Andrew Luck.[139]
The Detroit Lions set the record for most combined points scored and points allowed through a team's first four games, with 281.[139]
Marcus Mariota became the second player since at least 1950 with at least two passing touchdowns, one or fewer incompletions, at least 50 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a game, joining Walter Payton.[141]
Week 7
Mecole Hardman became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era with two or more rushing touchdowns and one or more receiving touchdowns in a single game.[142]
Joe Burrow became the first player in NFL history to record two games with 500 combined offensive yards and four touchdowns.[143]
Burrow also set the record for most games with at least 400 passing yards in a player's first three seasons, with five. The previous record of four was held by Dan Marino.[144]
Tom Brady set the record for most sacks taken by a quarterback, with 556. The previous record of 554 was held by Ben Roethlisberger.[145]Fran Tarkenton, however, holds the unofficial record with 572.
Alvin Kamara became the first player in NFL history to record 10 games with at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown in his first six seasons.[146]
Christian McCaffrey became the 11th player in NFL history to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game.[147]
Henry also became the first player in NFL history to record at least 200 rushing yards four times against a single opponent, doing so in four consecutive games against Houston.[149]
Jalen Hurts became the third quarterback under the age of 25 to start and win each of his team's first eight games of a season since at least 1950, joining Dan Marino and Jared Goff.[151]
Justin Fields set the record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback, with 178 yards. The previous record of 173 yards was held by Michael Vick.[152]
Fields also became the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 150 yards and pass for at least three touchdowns in a game.[153]
Tom Brady set the record for most career game-winning drives[154] with 55. The previous record of 54 was held by Peyton Manning.[155]
Brady also tied the record for the most career fourth quarter comebacks, with 43. He shares the record with Manning.[156]
Week 10
Justin Jefferson set the record for most games with 100 receiving yards in a player’s first three seasons, with 20. The previous record of 19 was shared by Odell Beckham Jr. and Randy Moss.[157]
Jefferson also set the record for most games with 150 yards in a player's first three seasons, with seven. The previous record of six was shared by Moss and Lance Alworth.[157]
Jefferson also tied the record for fastest player to reach 4,000 career receiving yards, doing so in 42 games. He shares the record with Beckham and Alworth.[157]
Patrick Mahomes set the Super Bowl era record for most touchdown passes in a player's first 75 games, with 174. The previous record of 173 was held by Dan Marino.[158]
Justin Fields became the first player in NFL history to have multiple rushing and passing touchdowns and rush for at least 100 yards in the same game.[159]
Derek Carr became the quarterback with the best win percentage (.800) in overtime games in NFL history (min 10 overtime appearances). The previous record of .714 was held by Tom Brady.[161]
Travis Kelce set the record for most games with at least 100 receiving yards by a tight end, with 33. The previous record of 32 was held by Rob Gronkowski.[162]
Week 12
Justin Jefferson set the record for most receiving yards in a player’s first three seasons, with 4,248. The previous record of 4,163 yards was held by Randy Moss.[163]
Patrick Mahomes set the record for most games with 300 passing yards in a player's first seven seasons, with 38. The previous record of 37 games was held by Dan Marino.[164][165]
Mahomes also set the record for most wins in a quarterback's first 75 starts since quarterback starts were first tracked in 1950, with 59. The previous record of 58 wins was held by Ken Stabler.[165]
Travis Kelce set the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in his first eleven seasons, with 9,918. The previous record of 9,882 yards was held by Tony Gonzalez.[164][165]
Jalen Hurts became the first player with at least 150 rushing yards, 150 passing yards, and two passing touchdowns in a single game since at least 1950.[166]
On February 1, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL, the Dolphins, the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos, alleging racism, violations of federal employment law, and that his interviews were a sham meant solely to fulfill the Rooney Rule.[184] The lawsuit also alleges that during Flores' tenure with the Dolphins, team owner Stephen M. Ross pressured him to deliberately lose games, offering him $100,000 for each game he lost in order for the Dolphins to get better draft picks for the following season and that Ross fired Flores after he refused to comply with this pressure.[185] The lawsuit seeks damages and injunctive relief in the form of changes to hiring, retention, termination, and pay transparency practices for coaching and executive positions in the NFL.[186]
On March 11, 2022, a grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges related to "harassment and sexual misconduct." On that date he still faced 22 civil lawsuits, many alleging sexual misconduct and assault.[189] After being cleared of criminal charges, Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and agreed to a new, fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, the most guaranteed money in NFL history.[190]
After two more accusers joined the lawsuit in June 2022, Watson settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits in July and August.[191]
On August 1, as a result of these allegations, Watson was suspended for six regular season games to start the 2022 season by judge Sue Lewis Robinson.[192] Two days later, the NFL appealed the suspension, seeking to extend the suspension to at least a full season as well as seeking a fine and establishing a requirement for Watson to seek treatment for his conduct.[193] The appeal was reviewed by former New Jersey Attorney GeneralPeter C. Harvey.[194][195]
On August 18, after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the season and was fined $5 million.[196]
Miami Dolphins tampering
On August 2, it was announced that following a six-month independent investigation by Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers, the Miami Dolphins would forfeit their 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round pick for violating the league's anti-tampering policy on three occasions from 2019 to 2022 by engaging in impermissible conversations with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton, both of whom were under contract with other teams. Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross was also fined $1.5 million and suspended through October 17, and was prohibited from being at the Dolphins' facility or representing the team at any event until then. He was also prohibited from attending any league meeting before the annual meeting in 2023 and was removed from all league committees indefinitely.[197] Vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal was fined $500,000 and will not be permitted to attend any league meetings for the rest of the 2022 season.[198]
Denver Broncos sale
On August 9, the league owners unanimously approved the sale of the Denver Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust to the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, led by Greg Penner, for a price of $4.65 billion. The new owners were formally introduced the next day.[199][200]
Washington Commanders potential sale
On November 2, it was announced that Commanders' Owner Dan Snyder and his wife had engaged Bank of America Securities to facilitate the potential sale of the team. Any potential transaction would have to be presented to the NFL Finance Committee for review and require an affirmative vote by 75% of the owners (24 of 32). The team is currently valued at $5.6 billion, according to Forbes.[201]
Nagy was fired on January 10 after four seasons with the Bears. During his tenure, the Bears were 34–31 (.523) with one NFC North division title in two overall playoff appearances, both ending with first round losses.[202]
Eberflus, who spent the previous four seasons as the Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator, was hired on January 27. This is his first head coaching position.[203]
Fangio was fired on January 9 after three seasons with the Broncos. During his tenure, the Broncos were 19–30 (.388) with no playoff appearances.[204]
Hackett, who spent the previous three seasons as the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, was hired on January 27. This is his first head coaching position.[205]
Culley was fired on January 13 after one season with the Texans, finishing with a 4–13 (.235) record and missing the playoffs.[206]
Smith, who spent the previous season as Houston's defensive coordinator and associate head coach, was hired on February 7. This will be his third head coaching position in the NFL. As the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004–2012, the team's overall record was 81–63 (.563), with three playoff appearances, three NFC North division titles, an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, and a 3–3 (.500) playoff record. He also won AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2005. As the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014–2015, the team was 8–24 (.250), with no playoff appearances.[207]
Meyer was fired on December 16, 2021, 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).[208][209]
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). He finished out the 2021 season with a 1–3 (.250) record.[208]
Pederson was hired on February 3. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020 with a record of 42–37–1 (.531), three playoff appearances with a record of 4–2 (.667), two NFC East division titles, and the Super Bowl LII championship.[210]
Gruden resigned on October 11, 2021, 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.[211][212]
Bisaccia, the team's special teams coordinator and assistant head coach since 2018, was promoted to interim head coach. This was his first head coaching position after 20 years as an assistant coach in the NFL. He finished out the 2021 regular season with a 7–5 (.583) record, leading the Raiders to a Wild Card playoff appearance.[213]
McDaniels, who spent the previous 10 seasons as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (and a total of 18 seasons as an assistant coach with New England in two stints), was hired on January 31. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009–2010 with a record of 11–17 (.393) and no playoff appearances.[214]
Flores was fired on January 10 after three seasons with the Dolphins. During his tenure, the Dolphins were 24–25 (.490) with no playoff appearances.[215]
McDaniel, who spent the previous five seasons as the San Francisco 49ers offensive and run game coordinator, was hired on February 6. This is his first head coaching position.[216]
Zimmer was fired on January 10 after eight seasons with the Vikings. During his tenure, the Vikings were 72–56–1 (.562) with two NFC North division titles in three overall playoff appearances, one NFC Championship Game appearance, and a playoff record of 2–3 (.400).[217]
O'Connell, who spent the previous two seasons as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator, was hired on February 16. This is his first head coaching position.[218]
Payton retired on January 25 after 15 seasons with the Saints. His overall record was 152–89 (.631), with nine playoff appearances including seven NFC South titles, the Super Bowl XLIV title, and a playoff record of 9–8 (.529). He also won AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2006.[219][220][221]
Allen, who spent the previous seven seasons as the Saints defensive coordinator (and a total of 12 seasons as an assistant coach with New Orleans in two stints), was hired on February 8. This is his second head coaching position; he had previously served as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2012–2014, with a record of 8–28 (.222) and no playoff appearances.[222]
Judge was fired on January 11 after two seasons with the Giants. During his tenure, the Giants were 10–23 (.303) with no playoff appearances.[223]
Daboll, who spent the previous four seasons as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, was hired on January 28. This is his first head coaching position.[224]
Arians announced his retirement on March 30 after three seasons with the Buccaneers. During his tenure, the Buccaneers were 31–18 (.633) with two playoff appearances including one NFC South title, the Super Bowl LV title, and a playoff record of 5–1 (.833). Arians had previously retired following the 2017 season after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, spending one year as a commentator for CBS before returning to coaching.
Bowles, who spent the previous three seasons as the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator, was promoted the same day. This is his third head coaching position; he had previously served as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins for the last three weeks of the 2011 season, and as head coach of the New York Jets from 2015–2018, with a combined record of 26–41 (.388) and no playoff appearances.[225]
After a 1–4 start, Rhule was fired October 10 after 2+ seasons with the team. During his tenure, the Panthers were 11–27 (.289) with no playoff appearances.
Wilks, the team’s defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach, took over as interim coach. This is his second NFL head coaching position, having previously been the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, with a record of 3–13 (.188) and no playoff appearances.[226]
Reich was fired on November 7 after starting the season 3–5–1 (.389). In 5+ seasons with the Colts, Reich was 40–33–1 (.547), with 2 playoff appearances and a playoff record of 1–2 (.333).[227]
Saturday, a 6-time Pro Bowler who played 14 seasons as a center in the NFL (13 with the Colts), and current consultant for the team, was named interim head coach. His only previous coaching experience at any level was for Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Georgia.[228] He is the first coach hired with no prior coaching experience either in the NFL or college since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961.[229]
Ellis stepped down from his position as president and CEO on August 9 after the sale of the team. He had served with the Broncos for 27 years, the last eight as CEO.[231]
Leech was hired on August 11. He was the COO of NFL International from 2019 until the hiring.[232]
After about 19 years with the Raiders including one season as president, Ventrelle was fired on May 6. Ventrelle alleged he was fired for reporting a hostile work environment.[233]
Douglass Morgan was hired on July 7. She previously served as chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2019 to 2020. She is the first black female president in NFL history.[234]
After seven years with the Bears, Pace was fired on January 10.[202]
Poles was hired on January 25. He previously served for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009 to 2021 in various executive roles and in the final year as the executive director of player personnel.[235]
After three years with the Raiders, Mayock was fired on January 17.[236]
Ziegler was hired on January 30. He previously served for the New England Patriots from 2013 to 2021 in various executive roles and in the final year as the director of player personnel.[237]
After sixteen years with the Vikings and ten years as the GM, Spielman was fired on January 10.[217]
Adofo-Mensah was hired on January 26. He previously served as the vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns from 2020 to 2021 and also served for the San Francisco 49ers in football research and development.[238]
After four years as the Giants GM and fourteen years total over two tenures with the team, Gettleman announced his retirement on January 10.[239]
Schoen was hired on January 21. He previously served as the assistant GM for the Buffalo Bills from 2017 to 2021 and also served for the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins in various executive roles.[240]
After eleven years as the Steelers GM, six years additionally as vice president, and 22 years total with the team in various executive roles, Colbert retired after the 2022 NFL Draft.[241]
Khan was hired on May 25. He has served in various roles with the Steelers for 21 years, most recently as the vice president of football and business administration since 2016.[242]
Stadiums
This is the final year on Buffalo's lease on Highmark Stadium. On March 28, the State of New York announced an agreement with the team to construct a new state owned and funded stadium adjacent to Highmark Stadium, which will be demolished after the new stadium is completed. Buffalo will remain at Highmark Stadium during the new stadium's construction, then will move to the new stadium once it is complete and play there through at least 2052, leasing the stadium from the state.[243]
On July 11, Pittsburgh announced that it sold the naming rights to its home stadium to the insurance broker Acrisure after its deal with Heinz expired, resulting in the stadium being renamed from Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium.[244]
On August 9, Cincinnati announced that it sold the naming rights to its home stadium to human resources software company Paycor, resulting in the stadium being renamed from Paul Brown Stadium to Paycor Stadium.[245]
Uniforms
Uniform changes
Dallas announced the return of their throwbacks inspired by the team's uniforms worn from 1960–1963 on July 21. They will wear this design on Thanksgiving Day and for the first time since the 2012 season.[246]
Green Bay announced the return of the all-white uniforms used in the NFL's former Color Rush program for one game.[247] The uniform features Green Bay's typical white jerseys with white pants. They will use this combination for the first time since 2019.[248]
The Los Angeles Rams swapped the designation of their white uniforms. The throwback-inspired white uniforms introduced as an alternate in 2021 will serve as the team's primary. The "bone" uniform will serve as the third design and will be worn during two games.[249][250]
New England announced the return of their red "Pat Patriot" throwback uniforms as an alternate uniform on June 22. They will don this design for the first time since the 2012 season.[251][252] The Patriots reintroduced their silver pants on October 24, wearing them for the first time since the team's 2020 uniform redesign.[253][254]
New Orleans announced the return of their late-1960s home throwbacks on November 16.[255] These will be worn for one game.[256] The team last wore this uniform in 2016.[257]
The New York Giants announced they would bring back their uniforms worn between 1980–1999 for two games on July 20.[258]
Philadelphia introduced a new wordmark, replacing the previous design installed in 1996.[259]
Pittsburgh will wear a throwback uniform modeled after their design worn during the 1972 season for one game. These uniforms commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.[260]
San Francisco modified their uniforms to feature their classic wordmark, matching their home end zone design. The uniforms include three shoulder stripes, replacing the two stripe design.[261][262]
Washington revealed new branding as the Washington Commanders on February 2.[263] They retained their burgundy and gold colors while introducing a new "W" logo and new uniforms.[264] The new burgundy uniforms have gold numerals trimmed in white, while the new white uniforms feature burgundy and white gradient numerals with black trim. The team also introduced black third jerseys with gold numerals trimmed in burgundy.[265]
Alternate helmets
In June 2021, the NFL approved a rule that would allow teams to wear alternate helmets for the 2022 season, repealing a one-helmet rule put in place in 2013. Alternate helmets are required to be accompanied with alternate uniforms.[266]
Arizona introduced a black helmet with a red undertone on July 24. The helmet was worn for one preseason game[267] and will be worn for two regular season games.[268][269]
Atlanta reintroduced a red helmet to pair with their throwback uniform on June 1 after previously using the helmet with this set from 2009–2012. These will be worn for two games.[270]
Carolina introduced a new black helmet on July 19. This helmet will be worn with the team's all-black uniform for one game.[271] Carolina's black uniform remains their primary colored design despite the rule which requires that alternate helmets be paired with alternate uniforms.[272]
Chicago introduced an orange helmet on July 24. It will be paired with Chicago's alternate orange uniforms for two games.[273]
Cincinnati introduced a white alternate helmet on July 14. The design retains the helmet's black stripes and will be accompanied with their all-white uniforms used in the former "Color Rush" program.[274][275][276]
Dallas announced their alternate throwback uniform listed above will include the white helmet worn by the team from 1960–1963.[277] Additionally, Dallas will wear an alternative set of decals with the white shell to pair with the "Color Rush" uniform introduced in 2015.[278]
Houston introduced a "Battle Red" helmet to pair with their like-colored alternate uniform on July 12. It is the first time that the team will utilize a different colored helmet in franchise history (the team has used "Deep Steel Blue" helmets since their inception in 2002). The helmet will be worn for one game.[279]
New England announced their alternate throwback uniform listed above will include the white helmet with the former "Pat Patriot" logo.[251]
New Orleans introduced a new black helmet to pair with their white alternate uniform on June 16.[280]
The New York Giants announced as part of the above throwback uniform, they will bring back the navy blue helmets with the "GIANTS" wordmark worn in the 1980s and 1990s.[258]
The New York Jets introduced a new black helmet to pair with their black alternate uniforms on July 22.[281]
Philadelphia introduced a new black helmet to pair with their black alternate uniform on March 29.[282]
Washington introduced a new alternate set with black helmets in their rebrand on February 2, becoming the first team in the league to unveil secondary helmets. The helmets feature the gold "W" logo on the front of the shell, the player's jersey number on each side, and the flag of Washington, D.C. in burgundy and gold on the back.[283]
Patches
Pittsburgh will accompany their 1972-inspired throwback uniforms with a patch to commemorate the Immaculate Reception's 50th anniversary. The patch features a silhouetted Franco Harris.[260]
Miami announced a patch to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the team's 1972 undefeated season on August 3. The patch will be featured on their throwback uniform for one game.[284]
Washington unveiled a logo commemorating the 90th anniversary of the franchise.[285]
Diversity initiative
During Weeks 4 and 5, players, executives, and coaches wore patches and decals of international flags to represent their national heritage. Over 50 countries and territories were represented, with over 200 individuals participating.[286][287][288]
Media
Television
This is the ninth and final season under the current broadcast contracts with CBS, Fox, and NBC, before new 11-year contracts for all three networks begin in 2023.[289] 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. Super Bowl LVII will be televised by Fox.
Following the expiration of their eight-year contract, ESPN and ABC agreed to a one-year bridge contract. As with the previous season, ESPN will hold rights to a Saturday doubleheader during the final week of the season, simulcast with ABC. Also this year, ABC aired its first exclusive game since 2005 on September 19, as part of a doubleheader with ESPN. ESPN will begin a new 11-year contract in 2023.[290]
ESPN2's Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli was renewed for an additional season, taking it through the 2024 NFL season.[292] CBS will continue to produce alternative, youth-oriented telecasts of selected games on sister channel Nickelodeon; the channel will simulcast CBS's Christmas Day game, marking its first regular-season broadcast.[118]
DirecTV signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video to allow Thursday Night Football to be shown on DirecTV's packages for business customers. This agreement is independent of DirecTV's expiring NFL Sunday Ticket deal, primarily to allow bars, restaurants, casinos, and other venues to continue offering the games without reconfiguring their systems to accommodate a streaming-only platform.[293]
Streaming
The Chargers and Chiefs playing in the first Thursday Night Football game broadcast exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
This is the first year in which Thursday Night Football exclusively streams on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.[294] Fox and NFL Network opted out of their final season of the 2018–2022 TNF deal, allowing Amazon to take over one season before its 2023–2033 TNF agreement was to go into effect.[295]
This will also be the first year in which ESPN+ exclusively streams one International Series game per year along with simulcasts of all ABC games.[296]
Paramount+ will continue to simulcast all CBS games and Peacock will simulcast all NBC games.
This is the final season under DirecTV's deal for exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market sports package. DirecTV has held exclusive rights since the package's launch in 1994. DirecTV executives have questioned the current value of NFL Sunday Ticket after losing money over the past few years. In September 2021, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that NFL Sunday Ticket could be more attractive on a digital platform.[297] In June, it was reported that Disney, Apple, and Amazon submitted bids. In July, Google submitted a bid.[298][299] In October, it was reported that Apple wants flexible and unrestricted global streaming rights, something that the NFL cannot offer due its existing deals with its other broadcasters.[300]
The NFL's mobile streaming contract with Verizon expired following the 2021 season (which included mobile streaming of live local and nationally televised games along with cellular streaming of NFL Network); it was reported that the league was preparing to move these rights behind a paywall of an in-house subscription service.[301][302] In July, the NFL announced that NFL Game Pass would be replaced in the United States by NFL+, which will stream in-market games and the NFL Network on mobile devices only, radio broadcasts for all games, and most out-of-market preseason games. The on-demand full, condensed, and "All 22" bird's-eye view game replays offered by NFL Game Pass will now be under a premium tier of NFL+.[303][304][305]
Radio
In March, the NFL renewed its national radio contract with Westwood One, maintaining its package of radio rights to all primetime, marquee, and playoff games, while adding audio coverage of other events such as the NFL Draft and NFL Honors. It also greatly expands the ability for its broadcasts to be distributed for free via digital platforms, including via local affiliates' "primary digital platforms", and via the NFL app.[306]Compass Media, ESPN Radio and Sports USA will continue to broadcast select Sunday afternoon games nationally on radio.
Personnel changes
With Brian Griese leaving ESPN for a coaching job with San Francisco,[307][308] on March 16, ESPN signed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman — who were Fox's lead commentary team for 20 seasons — to a multi-year deal to become the new lead commentators of Monday Night Football.[309][310] ESPN's previous MNF broadcasters Steve Levy and Louis Riddick continue as ESPN's secondary NFL broadcast team, with Dan Orlovsky replacing Griese.[311]
^"Fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives". Pro Football Reference. Philadelphia: Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 7, 2022. Game-Winning Drive (GWD) must involve these: - team must win game... the offensive scoring drive must conclude in the 4th quarter or [overtime]. It can begin in the 3rd quarter so long as scrimmage plays that are part of the drive are run in the 4th quarter. This means you can't kick a [field goal] on 1st play of 4th quarter to take lead and have it count as GWD. - the scoring play to put the winning points on the board must be the result of an offensive drive.
^"Color Rush is Back for Thursday Night Football in 2022". When the NFL approved the use of alternate helmets beginning in the 2022 season, the revised policy allowed teams to pair a new helmet with their alternate, classic or Color Rush uniforms. The Bengals chose to bring back the fan-favorite Color Rush look. Cincinnati: NFL Media. Retrieved July 26, 2022.((cite news)): CS1 maint: others (link)
