When Does the Next NFL Season Start?

The next NFL season is set to begin on September 10th.

Introduction

Although the National Football League (NFL) season starts on September 5, 2019, some fans may question when does the next NFL season start? Due to the ever-changing landscape of the NFL, it is difficult to predict an exact date. The answer to this question largely depends on two factors: the conclusion of the current NFL season and any potential changes to the NFL’s regular season schedule.

Assuming that there are no major changes to the NFL’s regular season schedule, the next NFL season is tentatively scheduled to start on September 10, 2020. However, this date could potentially change if the NFL decides to add or eliminate any bye weeks, or if they decide to start the season on a Thursday night instead of a Sunday night.

The key factor that will determine when does the next NFL season start is the conclusion of the current season. The earlier the current season ends,the sooner the next season will start. Conversely, if the current season ends later than usual, then it is likely that the next season will also start later than usual. For example, if Super Bowl LIV(scheduled for February 2, 2020) ends in late February or early March 2020, then it is unlikely that the next NFL Season will begin before September 2020. On the other hand, if Super Bowl LIV ends in late January or early February 2020 (which is possible given that there are no bye weeks in either conference during Wild Card weekend), then it is likely that next year’s NFL Season will also begin in late January or early February 2021.

In short, predicting an exact date for when does the next NFL season start is difficult due to potential changes to the NFL’s regular season schedule and because it largely depends on when the current NFL season ends. However, assuming there are no major changes to the schedule and that Super Bowl LIV ends around its scheduled date of February 2nd, 2020, then it is likely that next year’s NFL Season will begin on September 10th, 2020.

What Happened Last Season?

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league. It is currently the most popular sport in the United States. The last NFL season was the 100th season of the league.

Super Bowl LIII

The New England Patriots, led by quarterback Tom Brady, faced the Los Angeles Rams, led by quarterback Jared Goff, in Super Bowl LIII, the 52nd edition of the Super Bowl and the 49th modern-era National Football League (NFL) championship game. The game was played on February 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Patriots defeated the Rams 13–3 to win their sixth Super Bowl championship (tied for most all-time with the Pittsburgh Steelers), and their second in three years. Bill Belichick became the oldest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl at age 66, while Brady became only the second player (after Terrell Owens) to win a Super Bowl in his 40s. This was also New England’s 10th appearance in a Super Bowl (and their ninth under Belichick and Brady), tying them with Pittsburgh for most appearances by any team; they broke that tie with their win.

The Off-Season

The NFL season officially comes to an end the day after the Super Bowl. From that point, teams have until the following March to sign unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents, and exclusive rights free agents. During this time, teams can also release players and sign players to future contracts.

The NFL Draft is usually held in late April or early May and is seven rounds long. The draft order is determined by reverse order of finish from the previous season. The team with the worst record gets the first pick, and the team with the best record gets the last pick in each round. After each round, teams can make trades with other teams involving draft picks.

Once the NFL Draft concludes, rookie minicamps are typically held in May or June. These are three-day camps where newly drafted players and undrafted free agents participate in on-field workouts and practices under the guidance of their new team’s coaching staff. After minicamp, all rookies are required to participate in their team’s offseason program which runs until early June.

OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) are voluntary practices that take place during the NFL offseason. These workouts are organized by teams but they cannot include live contact between players. Some veteran players choose not to participate in OTA’s, but many use them as an opportunity to get back into football shape and begin learning their team’s playbook before training camp begins.

Training camp typically begins at the end of July or early August. During training camp, teams can hold up to 30 practices total including two joint practice sessions with another team if they so choose. Training camp is a physical and demanding time for players as they prepare for the upcoming season. At the end of training camp, each team must reduce its roster down to 53 active players plus a seven-player practice squad.

The Upcoming Season

The next NFL season is set to begin on September 10th, 2020. The regular season will consist of 17 weeks, and each team will play 16 games. The season will end on January 3rd, 2021. The playoffs will begin on January 9th, and the Super Bowl will be on February 7th.

Pre-Season

Pre-season games are exhibition games that take place before the start of the regular season. These games are used to tune-up the team before the start of the season and to see how different players perform against opposing teams.

The first pre-season game is typically played in early August and the last game is usually played around the third week of August. The regular season starts on the Thursday after Labor Day, which is typically around September 10th.

Regular Season

The regular season begins the week after Labor Day in September and ends in December or early January. Depending on how the NFL schedule makers feel that year, there will be 16 or 17 regular season weeks, which means each team has either 16 or 17 games to play. Six of those games are against division rivals (teams in their own division), while the remaining ten or eleven are against non-divisional opponents.

Playoffs

Postseason play in the National Football League begins with a twelve-team single-elimination tournament held each January following the conclusion of the regular season. Seeding is based on regular season record, with division winners earning the top four seeds. The tournament culminates with the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.

Conclusion

The 2020 NFL season will officially kick off on Thursday, September 10th.