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NFL Schedule 2021: Release planned for mid-May, per report

By Kevin Kelley - March 4, 2021
MetLife Stadium

Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2021 NFL Schedule release is planned for mid-May, according to a report by the Sports Business Journal.

A release of the NFL schedule for the 2021 season during the second week of May could place it somewhere between Monday, May 10 and Friday, May 14.

If the report holds up, it will be the second-consecutive season that the NFL has released the regular-season schedule after the NFL Draft, which is set to begin on Thursday, April 29 this year.

Last season, the NFL schedule release was held up due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The schedule was released on May 7, which was two weeks after the NFL Draft that started on April 23.

The 2021 NFL kickoff game will be played on Thursday, Sept. 9 and should feature the Super Bowl champion, currently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hosting an opponent to be determined.

The 2021 NFL Preseason Schedule will begin with the NFL/Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This years game pits the Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the contest will be televised by FOX at 8:00pm ET.

The NFL Playoff Schedule for the 2021 season will likely begin one week later this season. That’s because the NFL will reportedly move to a 17-game regular-season schedule in 2021 and will maintain four preseason games with only one bye week.

Super Bowl LVI will be played at the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The game was tentatively set for Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, but will be played on Sunday, Feb. 13 if there are 17 regular-season games.

NFL SCHEDULES

View Comments (6)

Comments (6)

After the schedule was released in early May last year, I can easily wait until the second week of May for the NFL Schedule to be released. Can also understand the frustrations of other NFL fans who will have to wait longer for the league to announce their schedule

Releasing the schedule post-draft should be permanent so we can give highly-touted rookies enough national TV exposure depending on where they land.

Like the Jaguars should be rewarded with multiple primetime games for drafting Trevor Lawrence.

The Thanksgiving games should be determined as follows:

Detroit and Dallas would both host the home opponent they have with the longest active Thanksgiving drought. In 2021, Detroit would host Arizona and Dallas would host Denver using this.

The first team for the night game would be the team not playing at Dallas or Detroit with the longest drought, and they would play the team with the longest drought among all their opponents. Thus, the night game would be Jacksonville at LA Rams in 2021 under this formula.

So, the Jaguars’ TNF game could be their game at the Rams, which would technically be a Thanksgiving edition of SNF.

They could get Miami as an SNF or MNF opponent.

Has anyone seen the Browns 2021 schedule? That has to be a joke!!! Open up on the road with 2 games, come home for the next 8 then finish with 6 straight road games? Are you serious?