The 2026 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots, live on Sky Sports from 1.20am in the early hours of Thursday; Super Bowl 61 takes place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday February 14 285 games. Eight countries. Four continents. Six time zones. 22 weeks. 32 teams. One champion. And five gold rings – oops, sorry Jayden Daniels. The 2026 NFL season is here. Seven months ago, discarded embers of confetti would pave the way for our meandering walk towards the exit at an emptying Levi’s Stadium as the curtain closed on Super Bowl 60, footballing disciples reluctant to accept it was all over for another year as they braced for annual hibernation. Sam Darnold had just crowned one of sport’s great fairy-tale redemption stories, Aden Durde had just made British sporting history, Mike Macdonald’s Dark Side defense had just tormented Drake Maye and Bad Bunny had just delivered a clinic in reggaeton rage-bait in the face of orange-tinged white-housed backlash over his landmark half-time show. Seattle Seahawks players and coaches alike rejoiced over childhood dreams fulfilled in the company of loved ones, while for others the clock had already reset, for football rarely dwells too long on the present. The countdown is finally over. From here on, there shall be no more football-less Sundays until February. The road to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles starts here. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player A lot can happen in seven months, it turns out. Odell Beckham Jr is back wearing No 13 for the New York Giants again after re-signing with the team that first drafted him 12 years ago. Mike McCarthy is back working with Aaron Rodgers again after succeeding Mike Tomlin as the new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach ahead of the four-time MVP’s final season. Geno Smith is back with the New York Jets 13 years after the team drafted him. And Aaron Donald is back with the Los Angeles Rams after coming out of retirement at the age of 35 to team up with Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in haunting offensive linemen across the league. The last time I checked, we hadn’t gone back in time. Got Sky? Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract Download the Sky Sports App
Garrett himself reigned as the most seismic mover of the offseason as he was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Rams in a deal that saw Jared Verse head the opposite way. He is the greatest pass rusher of his generation; he is coming off a campaign in which he broke the all-time single-season sack record, and he is now credited for Sean McVay’s side – led by MVP Matthew Stafford – entering as Super Bowl frontrunners. Cleveland relieving Garrett of any further pain was perhaps to be admired, before the Browns did what the Browns do best and set the franchise back even further by naming Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback. Some things don’t change. What else? Well, Adam Sandler officiated the wedding of the year between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel became embroiled in a textbook soap opera scandal involving NFL reporter Diana Russini following photos of the pair at an Arizona resort. A man named Daejon Love was arrested for allegedly pretending to be a San Francisco 49ers wide receiver in order to defraud at least 26 women of more than $1m. And on the topic of the 49ers, owner Jed York was arrested in a prostitution sting. If you are new to us, welcome to the NFL. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Giants running back Cam Skattebo almost injured himself by trying and failing to land a backflip at Fanatics Fest, because of course he did. And elsewhere Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels prompted a wave of social media ridicule having sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter instructing his former college to stop using his name, image and likeness after giving the No 5 jersey, previously worn by Daniels, to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett; Five Guys became Four Guys, while Adam Levine kindly renamed his band (disclaimer: neither really happened). Word also has it there were still Fantasy Football owners drafting Kyle Pitts as their starting tight end, which might be as clear an indication as any that we are back; for what it’s worth, this writer remains a Pitts believer, whether rightly or wrongly. Houston Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon all also signed new contracts to become the highest-paid players in their respective positions in NFL history, Anderson the highest-paid non-quarterback ever with an average annual salary of $50m. Perhaps Mr Daejon Love was pretending to play the wrong position. Maxx Crosby almost became a Baltimore Raven but didn’t become a Baltimore Raven, instead remaining in Las Vegas after a bizarre turn of events to greet No 1 pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who will begin his rookie campaign with the Raiders as backup to long-lost brother Kirk Cousins. There Klint Kubiak takes the reins as one of 10 new head coaches across the league, a reward for his role in orchestrating Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning offense alongside Darnold last season. Mass change along NFL sidelines meanwhile saw Joe Brady replace Sean McDermott as Buffalo Bills head coach and Jesse Minter replace John Harbaugh as the new Ravens head coach, as much amplifying the lasting impact of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ recent monopoly on the AFC as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson’s agonising Super Bowl wait drags on. Following 18 seasons in Baltimore, Harbaugh subsequently landed with the Giants in view of a new era behind Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and a star-studded pass rush. Previously the mastermind of a shape-shifting Green Bay Packers defense, Jeff Hafley was another of the high-profile hires as he took his talents to Miami to head up a Dolphins rebuild that includes British representation via London’s own Seydou Traore, who became the first player to have attended the UK’s NFL Academy and later be drafted. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sticking to the globe-trotting theme, the league itself will be on the move more than ever and further than ever as the NFL stages a record nine regular-season games outside of the United States. A historic slate features maiden trips to Melbourne in Australia, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and French capital Paris, while returning to Mexico City, Munich and Madrid alongside three more games in London. It begins down under during kickoff week when the 49ers and Rams face off at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night. Before then the defending champion Seahawks open the 2026 campaign against the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, another first for the league. Last season proved as wide-open as ever, culminating in the most unlikely Super Bowl in history, based on preseason odds. There is reason to believe that narrative resumes. Patrick Mahomes returns following surgery on last December’s season-ending knee injury, determined to inspire a Chiefs revival after Andy Reid’s side missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Awaiting him is running back Kenneth Walker as his newest backfield partner after the Chiefs dipped into their pockets to sign the Super Bowl MVP to a three-year, $45m deal in free agency. Sure last year became an ugly struggle, but, like it or not, Mahomes remains the story of the AFC having for so long been the unbudgeable Super Bowl gateway for Allen, Jackson, Joe Burrow and many more. On more than one occasion it has been Allen’s ‘time’ and Jackson’s ‘time’, until it wasn’t, while Burrow has been fairly adamant in the offseason that this ‘is’ the time. It is a season brimming with question marks. Are Bo Nix, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos the true class of the AFC? Are the Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams-led Chicago Bears true contenders? How will Drake Maye respond to his Super Bowl nightmare? Was the Daniel Jones comeback story real? Can the 49ers finally stay healthy to re-enter contention? What will the Jacksonville Jaguars do with Travis Hunter? How much will the Philadelphia Eagles miss AJ Brown? Is Tyler Shough the long-awaited answer at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints? Can this Rams super-team work? Time to get some answers. wl 61 in Los Angeles.
