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]
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.[16]
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.[18]
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.[19]
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.[21]
The NFL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee announced the following policy changes on March 28:[54]
All teams will be 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:[55]
In the postseason only, both teams are assured of one possession in overtime, even if the first team with possession scores a touchdown. This is 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).
Maynard played 15 seasons in the NFL 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.[56]
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.[57]
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.[58]
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.[59]
The NFL released the 2022 regular season schedule on May 12, 2022, with selected games announced in advance of the full schedule release.[61]
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:[62]
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,[67] 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.[67]
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.[69] 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 the 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday Night Football slot. The rest will be scheduled as Sunday afternoon games.[70]
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 Championships scheduled for January 29. Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.[71]
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.[72] 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.[73] 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.[74]
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.[76]
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.[77]
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.[78]
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.[79]
Culley was fired on January 13 after one season with the Texans, finishing with a 4–13 (.235) record and missing the playoffs.[80]
Smith, who spent the previous season as the Texans 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, and 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.[81]
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).[82][83]
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.[82]
Pederson was hired on February 3. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020 with a total regular season 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.[84]
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.[85][86]
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.[87]
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 to 2010 with a total regular season record of 11–17 (.393) and no playoff appearances.[88]
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.[89]
McDaniel, who spent the previous four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers offensive and run game coordinator, was hired on February 6. This is his first head coaching position.[90]
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).[91]
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.[92]
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.[93][94][95]
Allen, who spent the previous seven seasons as the Saints defensive coordinator, 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.[96]
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.[97]
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.[98]
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 part 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.[99]
After seven years with the Bears, Pace was fired on January 10.[76]
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.[101]
After three years with the Raiders, Mayock was fired on January 17.[102]
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.[103]
After sixteen years with the Vikings and ten years as the GM, Spielman was fired on January 10.[91]
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.[104]
After four years as the Giants GM and fourteen years total over two tenures with the team, Gettleman announced his retirement on January 10.[105]
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.[106]
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.[107]
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.[108]
Stadiums
This is the final year on Buffalo's lease on Highmark Stadium. On March 28, 2022, the state of New York announced an agreement with the Bills to construct a new state owned and funded stadium adjacent to Highmark Stadium, which will be demolished after the new stadium is completed. The Bills 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.[109]
Uniforms
Uniform changes
New England confirmed the return of their red home uniform combination used from 1961 to 1992 for select games during the season.[110] The team will don this design for the first time since the 2012 season.[111]
Philadelphia's uniforms will feature a new wordmark, replacing the previous design installed in 1996.[112]
San Francisco modified their uniforms to feature their classic wordmark, matching their home end zone design. The uniforms will now include three shoulder stripes, replacing the two stripe design.[113][114]
Washington revealed new branding as the Washington Commanders on February 2.[115] They retained their burgundy and gold colors while introducing a new "W" logo and new uniforms.[116] 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.[117]
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.
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 one game.[118]
New England announced the return of their red "Pat Patriot" throwback uniforms—complete with the white helmet and logo design introduced in 1961—on June 22.[119][120]
New Orleans announced a new black helmet to pair with their white alternate uniform on June 16.[121]
Philadelphia announced a new black helmet to pair with their black alternate uniform on March 29.[122]
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.[123]
Media
This will be the ninth and final season under the current broadcast contracts with CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC, before new 11-year contracts for all four broadcasters begin in 2023.[124] 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. As with the previous season, ESPN will hold rights to a Saturday doubleheader during the final week of the season, simulcast with ABC. Beginning this season, the ESPN+ subscription service will exclusively carry one International Series game per season. ESPN and ABC will air one split doubleheader on MNF in week 2.[125]
This will be the first year in which Thursday Night Football will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch. 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 original 2023–2033 TNF agreement was to go into effect.[126] NFL Network will continue to televise select regular season games, including three International Series games.[127][125]
In March 2022, the NFL renewed its national radio contract with Westwood One, which maintains 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.[128]
ESPN2's Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli was renewed for an additional season, taking it through the 2024 NFL season.[129] CBS will continue to produce alternative, youth-oriented telecasts of selected games on Paramount Global sister channel Nickelodeon; the channel will simulcast CBS's Christmas Day game, marking its first regular-season broadcast.[67]
This will be 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.[130] In June 2022, it was reported that Disney, Apple, and Amazon submitted bids.[131]
The NFL's mobile streaming contract with Verizon expired following the 2021 season. In May 2022, it was reported that the NFL was preparing to paywall in-market mobile streaming behind NFL Plus, a new streaming service.[132][133][134]
Personnel changes
With Brian Griese leaving ESPN for a coaching job with San Francisco,[135][136] 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.[137][138] With Buck and Aikman's departure, Fox's #2 commentary team of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen have been promoted to the network's top pairing.[139]
