NFL Shifts Spotlight to Schedule Release, 2027 Draft Host Cities

With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror after a wildly successful showcase in Green Bay, the league is now shifting its focus to its next major tentpole event: the schedule release.

During the first round of the draft, the NFL announced that the 2025 regular-season schedule would be revealed on May 14. Despite fans already knowing who their favorite teams will play, the unveiling of when each matchup will take place has become another annual holiday for the league.

Last year, primetime TV specials around the schedule reveal on ESPN2 and NFL Network combined to average 378,000 viewers, up about 6% from 2023. Both channels will air similar shows next month. 

However, some key matchups may be revealed earlier that week, as has been the case in recent years. Several NFL media partners—including NBC, Fox, Amazon, and Disney—have scheduled or are expected to hold their upfront presentations with advertisers in the days leading up to the NFL’s schedule release, and may be allowed to announce a game they have.

Final Schedule Preparations

Before the NFL gets to schedule release day (or week), it has several loose ends to tie up, like who will be broadcasting its second Brazil game. The Chargers will give up a home game to host an undetermined opponent on Sept. 5, which will mark the second time in as many years the league is exploiting a legal loophole to play a Week 1 game on a Friday night.

Peacock exclusively streamed last year’s debut in Brazil, drawing 14.2 million viewers for Eagles–Packers. A different streamer could end up showing this year’s game, with YouTube TV, Amazon, and Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly having shown interest in acquiring a package of games that would include the Brazil matchup, according to Sports Business Journal.

Meanwhile, now that rookie stars have found their new homes—some in unexpected spots like receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the Jaguars—the NFL will certainly consider teams with high-profile draftees for potentially more primetime games than they previously would have.

Draft Decision Looming

The league will also soon announce the host of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh is hosting next year. Washington, D.C., has been the most public bidder for 2027, unveiling a pitch last summer. Hosting a draft would be another boon for the Commanders, who on Monday unveiled plans for a new stadium, although that venue wouldn’t figure to be a part of any draft plans in 2027, since it has a scheduled opening date of 2030.

On Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on The Pat McAfee Show that he would give more news about the 2027 draft city “in about a week.” In recent years, the NFL has unveiled future draft hosts at the annual spring meetings, which this year are scheduled for May 20-21 in Minneapolis.

Goodell also offered a clue to where the draft might be headed next. “It might be a little different than the Midwest cities, though, that we’ve been in, which I think is awesome,” he said. “But it’s really important for us to move it around.”