2016 NFL season

This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2016 National Football League (Ireland).
2016 National Football League season
Regular season
Duration September 8, 2016 (2016-09-08)–January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01)
Playoffs
Start date January 7, 2017
Super Bowl LI
Date February 5, 2017
Site NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Pro Bowl
Date January 29, 2017

The 2016 NFL season, the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), is scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 8, 2016, with the annual kickoff game featuring the defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos hosting the Carolina Panthers. The season will conclude with Super Bowl LI, the league's championship game, on Sunday, February 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

For the first time since the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997,[note 1] an NFL team relocated from one state to another, as the former St. Louis Rams moved out of St. Louis, Missouri and returned to Los Angeles, California, its home from 1946 to 1994.[1][2]

Player movements and retirements

The 2016 NFL league year began on March 9, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. ET. On March 7 clubs started to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2015 contracts two days later. On March 9, clubs exercised options for 2016 on players who have option clauses in their 2015 contracts, submitted qualifying offers to their restricted free agents with expireing contracts and to whom desire to retain a Right of Refuseal/Compensation, submitted a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive neogating rights to their players with expiring 2015 contracts and who have fewer than three accured season of free agent credit, and 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 collective salary cap hit below the actual cap). All 2015 players contracts expired and trading period for 2016 begin.

Free agency

A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period.[3] In addition, a number of highly paid players were released after the start of the league year to allow their teams to regain space under the salary cap. Among the high profile players who changed teams via free agency were cornerbacks Josh Norman (from Panthers to Redskins), Janoris Jenkins (from Rams to Giants), Prince Amukamara (from Giants to Jaguars), Sean Smith (from Chiefs to Raiders) and Casey Hayward (from Packers to Chargers); safeties Eric Weddle (from Chargers to Ravens), Rodney McLeod (from Rams to Eagles) and Tashaun Gipson (from Browns to Jaguars); defensive ends Malik Jackson (from Broncos to Jaguars) and Olivier Vernon (from Dolphins to Giants); defensive tackles Damon Harrison (from Jets to Giants) and Brandon Mebane (from Seahawks to Chargers); linebackers Danny Trevathan (from Broncos to Bears), Demario Davis (from Jets to Browns) and Bruce Irvin (from Seahawks to Raiders); offensive tackles Mitchell Schwartz (from Browns to Chiefs), Donald Stephenson (from Chiefs to Broncos), Bobby Massie (from Cardinals to Bears) and Russell Okung (from Seahawks to Broncos); guards Kelechi Osemele (from Ravens to Raiders),J. R. Sweezy (from Seahawks to Buccaneers) and Alex Boone (from 49ers to Vikings); center Alex Mack (from Browns to Falcons); tight ends Benjamin Watson (from Saints to Ravens) and Coby Fleener (from Colts to Saints); wide receivers Rishard Matthews (from Dolphins to Titans) Travis Benjamin (from Browns to Chargers), Marvin Jones (from Bengals to Lions) and Mohamed Sanu (from Bengals to Falcons); running backs Lamar Miller (from Dolphins to Texans), Matt Forte (from Bears to Jets), Alfred Morris (from Redskins to Cowboys), and Chris Ivory (from Jets to Jaguars); and quarterbacks Brock Osweiler (from Broncos to Texans) and Robert Griffin III (from Redskins to Browns).[4][5]

Trades

Trades began on March 9, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

On March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray to the Tennessee Titans, along with the Eagles 2016 4th round draft pick, in exchange for the Titans 2016 fourth round draft pick.[6]

On March 15, the New England Patriots traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second round draft pick.[7]

On March 16, the Chicago Bears traded tight end Martellus Bennett along with a 2016 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for a 2016 fourth-round pick.[8]

On April 9, the Denver Broncos traded offensive tackle Ryan Clady and a 2016 7th round draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2016 fifth round draft pick.[9]

Draft

For more details on this topic, see 2016 NFL Draft.

The 2016 NFL Draft will be held April 28 − April 30, 2016 in Chicago. By way of a trade with the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Rams held the first overall pick and selected QB Jared Goff

Notable retirements

Preseason

Training camps for the 2016 season will be held in late July through August. Teams may start training camp no earlier than 15 days before the team's first scheduled preseason game.

Prior to the start of the regular season, each team will play at least four preseason exhibition games. The preseason schedule will get under way with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on the evening of Sunday, August 7, featuring the Green Bay Packers vs. the Indianapolis Colts; as in previous years, the game will feature teams with prominent alumni being inducted: Brett Favre for the Packers, and Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy for the Colts. In 2008 and 2012, the game, which is normally aired on NBC, aired on the NFL Network. This year it will air on ESPN, as NBC will be airing coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics; NBC will return airing Hall of Fame preseason games in 2017.

The 65-game preseason schedule will wrap up on Thursday, September 1, one week before the start of the regular season.[10]

Regular season

The 2016 regular season will feature 256 games to be played out over a seventeen-week schedule which begins on Thursday, September 8, 2016. Each of the league's 32 teams will play a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team scheduled between weeks four and eleven. The slate will also feature games on Monday night. There will be games played on Thursday, including the National Football League Kickoff game in prime time on September 8 and games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season concludes with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, January 1, 2017, all of which are expected to be intra-divisional matchups, as it has been since 2010.

Scheduling formula

Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team plays each of the other three teams in their own division twice. In addition, a team plays against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team's schedule are against the two teams in the team's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play who finished the previous season in the same rank in their division (e.g. the team which finished first in its division the previous season would play each other team in their conference that also finished first in its respective division). The pre-set division pairings for 2016 will be as follows:

   Intra-conference
AFC North vs. AFC East
AFC South vs. AFC West
NFC North vs. NFC East
NFC South vs. NFC West

   Inter-conference
AFC East vs. NFC West
AFC North vs. NFC East
AFC South vs. NFC North
AFC West vs. NFC South

Highlights of the 2016 schedule include:

The complete 2016 schedule was released Thursday, April 14, 2016.

Postseason

The 2016 playoffs will begin with the Wild Card playoff round on Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, 2017. The winner of each of the games will visit the top two seeded teams in each conference. The Divisional round games will then be played on the weekend of Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15. The Conference championships will be held on Sunday, January 22 with NFC Championship Game at 3:05 p.m. EST on Fox and the AFC Championship Game at 6:40 p.m. EST on CBS.

The 2017 Pro Bowl will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2017. It will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Super Bowl LI will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2017. The game will decide the 2016 NFL Champion and will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston. It will be televised nationally by Fox.

Notable events

Restoration of the suspension from the Deflategate scandal
Further information: Deflategate

On April 25, 2016, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for the 2016 regular season.[13][14]

Rule changes

The following rule changes were approved for the 2016 NFL season at the owner's meeting on March 22, 2016:[15]

The following changes were approved for only the 2016 NFL season at the owner's meeting on March 23, 2016 (they are both subject to become permanent rules or scrapped in the 2017 NFL season):

Head coach/front office personnel changes

Head coach

Offseason

Team 2015 Head Coach 2015 Interim 2016 Replacement Reason for Leaving Notes
Cleveland Browns Mike Pettine Hue Jackson Fired Pettine compiled a record of 10–22 (.313) in two years with the Browns, finishing in last place in the AFC North both years. After putting up a promising record of 7-9 the season before, the team, marred by the actions of Johnny Manziel off the field, regressed heavily, forcing the Browns to hire their 5th head coach in the last 8 seasons. The decision to fire Pettine came the day before the end of the regular season.[18]

On January 13, the Browns hired Jackson as their head coach. Jackson spent most the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson's previous head coaching experience includes one 8-8 season with the Oakland Raiders (2011).[19]

Miami Dolphins Joe Philbin Dan Campbell Adam Gase Philbin compiled a record of 24–28 (.462), with no playoff appearances, in 3¼ seasons as head coach of the Dolphins. The Dolphins were expected to be contenders for a playoff position in 2015 but grossly underachieved, starting the season 1–3, which led to Philbin's firing. Philbin joined the Indianapolis Colts as offensive line coach for 2016. Campbell, the team's tight ends coach, took over for the rest of the season; following the season, he joined the New Orleans Saints as tight ends coach.[20]

On January 9, the Dolphins hired Gase as their head coach. Gase spent the past season as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears; at age 37, Gase becomes the youngest active head coach in the NFL.[21]

New York Giants Tom Coughlin Ben McAdoo Resigned Coughlin compiled a record of 102–90 (.531) in 12 years with the Giants, a tenure that included three division titles, five playoff appearances (with a collective record of 8–3 in those games), and two Super Bowl wins (Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI). Since winning Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants had missed the playoffs every year and had accrued three consecutive losing seasons immediately prior to Coughlin's resignation.[22] Assuming Coughlin retires without seeking another head coaching job, he will finish his NFL career with a cumulative record of 182–157 (.537) in 20 seasons' worth of regular season and postseason games.

On January 14, McAdoo was promoted to head coach after serving as offensive coordinator with the team since 2014.[23]

Philadelphia Eagles Chip Kelly Pat Shurmur Doug Pederson Fired Kelly was released on December 29, 2015, one week prior to the end of the regular season, following the Eagles being eliminated from playoff contention. He finished with a record of 26–21 (.553) and one playoff appearance (a single loss in 2013) over almost three seasons. Heading into 2015, Kelly made several controversial roster moves as general manager that didn't pan out, leading to his firing. Offensive Coordinator (and former Cleveland Browns head coach) Pat Shurmur served as interim replacement for week 17.[24] Shurmur finished 1-0 as the Eagles head coach, and was a frontrunner in the Eagles head coaching race along with Tom Coughlin and Doug Pederson; following the season, he joined the Minnesota Vikings as tight ends coach.

On January 18, the Eagles hired Pederson as their head coach. Pederson had spent the previous three season as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, and was also a former QB for the Eagles.[25]

San Francisco 49ers Jim Tomsula Chip Kelly Tomsula compiled a record of 5–11 (.313) in his lone full season as head coach of the 49ers.[26]

On January 14, the 49ers hired Kelly as their head coach. Kelly had spent the previous three seasons as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.[27]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lovie Smith Dirk Koetter Smith compiled a record of 8–24 (.250), with no playoff appearances, in two years with the Buccaneers, finishing in last place in the NFC South both years.[28] Smith moved to the college ranks, becoming the head coach of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini football team.

On January 14, Koetter was promoted to head coach after serving as offensive coordinator with the team since 2015.[29]

Tennessee Titans Ken Whisenhunt Mike Mularkey Whisenhunt compiled a record of 3–20 (.130), with no playoff appearances, in 1½ seasons as head coach of the Titans. After an impressive opening day win, the Titans lost six straight, resulting in Whisenhunt's dismissal. Mularkey, the team's tight ends coach, took over as interim head coach. Mularkey's previous head coaching experience includes two seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2004–05) and one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2012).[30] For 2016, Whisenhunt joined the San Diego Chargers as offensive coordinator.

On January 16, Mularkey shed the interim tag and was hired as the full-time head coach.[31]

Front office

Offseason

Team Position 2015 Office Holder 2015 Interim 2016 Replacement Reason for Leaving Notes
Cleveland Browns GM Ray Farmer Sashi Brown Fired The Browns released Ray Farmer after the final game of the 2015 regular season. He had been with the team for three seasons, two as general manager.[18]

As of April 2016, the Browns have not named a general manager; the duties are being filled in the interim by executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, an attorney by trade who has served in the Browns front office since 2013.

Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew Sheldon White Bob Quinn After starting the season 1–6, the Lions fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. One week later, after another loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, owner Martha Firestone Ford fired Mayhew and Lewland.[32]

On January 8, the Lions hired Quinn as their GM. Quinn had spent the previous 16 seasons in various positions in the front office of the New England Patriots.[33]

Team President Tom Lewand Rod Wood
Miami Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey Chris Grier The Dolphin fired GM Hickey, who spent the past two years with the team.[34] Grier, Dolphins' director of college scouting, appointed as the new GM on January 5, 2016.[35]
Philadelphia Eagles VP- Player Personnel Ed Marynowitz Tom Donahoe Vice President of Player Personnel Ed Marynowitz was fired alongside Head Coach Chip Kelly on December 29, 2015. Donahoe last served as president and general manager of the Buffalo Bills from 2001 to 2005 but has largely been out of football in the ten years since his firing from that position.[24]
GM (de facto) Chip Kelly Howie Roseman Roseman, who carried the title of "executive vice president of football operations" while Kelly handled general manager duties in 2015, reverted to his previous general manager duties after Kelly's firing.[24]
Tennessee Titans GM Ruston Webster Jon Robinson The Titans released Webster the Monday following their final game of the 2015 regular season. Webster had spent the past four seasons with the team.[36]

On January 14, the Titans hired Robinson as GM. Robinson spent the previous three seasons as Director of Player Personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[37]

Stadiums

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will play their 25th and final season at the Georgia Dome, with the team's new home field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, slated to open in 2017.[38]

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings will play at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Construction on the team's new home field in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota is scheduled to wrap up by the start of the 2016 season. The new stadium is being built on the site of the Vikings' former home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was demolished after the 2013 season.[39] In August 2015, a construction worker who was working on the new stadium died in a fall from the structure's roof.[40]

Relocation of the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles

The league scheduled a vote on whether to relocate one or two of its existing franchises to the Los Angeles metropolitan area on January 12, 2016. The league set a relocation fee of $550 million for any team who is approved to relocate.[41] On January 4, three teams filed to relocate to Los Angeles: the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and the St. Louis Rams, all three of which had previously resided in the city at various points in their history.[42] Despite the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities recommending the Raiders' and Chargers' joint proposal for a stadium in Carson, California, on January 12, the league approved the Rams' proposal to relocate to Inglewood after three ballots, also giving the Chargers the option to share the Rams' stadium if they so choose. In the first two rounds of voting, Inglewood led Carson 21–11 and 20–12 respectively; by the third ballot, the Rams proposal had received effectively unanimous support from the other owners, with the final vote reaching 30–2 (the Raiders and Chargers themselves casting the lone opposing votes).[43] The Rams will play the first three seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, while their new stadium is being built in Inglewood. The Rams previously played at the Coliseum during their first stint in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1979.

Rams bid for Los Angeles

The Rams and the St. Louis CVC (Convention & Visitors Commission) began negotiating deals to get the Rams home stadium, the Edward Jones Dome into the top 25 percent of stadiums in the league (i.e., top eight teams of the thirty-two NFL teams in reference to luxury boxes, amenities and overall fan experience). Under the terms of the lease agreement, the St. Louis CVC was required to make modifications to the Edward Jones Dome in 2005. However, then-owner, Georgia Frontiere, waived the provision in exchange for cash that served as a penalty for the city's noncompliance. The City of St. Louis, in subsequent years, made changes to the score board and increased the natural lighting by replacing panels with windows, although the overall feel remains dark. The minor renovations which totaled about $70 million did not bring the stadium within the specifications required under the lease agreement.

On February 1, 2013, an Arbitrator (three panel) selected to preside over the arbitration process found that the Edward Jones Dome was not in the top 25% of all NFL venues as required under the terms of the lease agreement between the Rams and the CVC. The Arbitrator (three panel) further found that the estimated $700 million in proposed renovations by the Rams was not unreasonable given the terms of the lease agreement. Finally, the City of St. Louis was Ordered to pay the Rams attorneys' fees which totaled a reported $2 million.

Publicly, city, county and state officials have expressed no interest in providing further funding to the Edward Jones Dome in light of those entities, as well as taxpayers, continuing to owe approximately $300 million more on that facility. As such, if a resolution is not reached by the end of the 2014-2015 NFL season and the City of St. Louis remains non-compliant in its obligations under the lease agreement, the Rams would be free to nullify their lease and relocate.

On January 31, 2014, both the Los Angeles Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land adjacent to the Forum in Inglewood, California. It would be, by the most conservative estimates, sufficient land on which a NFL-proper stadium may be constructed. The purchase price was rumored to have been between US$90–100 million. Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Mr. Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league. This development has further fueled rumors that the Rams intend to return its management and football operations to Southern California. The land was initially targeted for a Walmart Supercenter but Walmart could not get the necessary permits to build the center. Kroenke is married to Ann Walton Kroenke who is a member of the Walton family and many of Kroenke's real estate deals have involved Walmart properties.[44][45][46] On January 5, 2015, The Los Angeles Times reported that Stan Kroenke and Stockbridge Capital Group are partnering up into developing a new NFL Stadium on property owned by Kroenke. The project will include a stadium of up to 80,000 seats and a performance venue of 6,000 seats while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 890,000 square feet of retail, 780,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300-room hotel and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds, open space and pedestrian and bicycle access. The stadium is likely to be ready by 2019, In lieu of this the city of St. Louis responded on January 9, 2015, by unveiling an outdoor, open air, riverfront stadium that can accommodate the Rams and an MLS team with the hope that the NFL bylaws can force them to stay. On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium and the initiative with construction on the stadium planned to begin in December 2015. On December 21, 2015, Construction was officially underway at the Hollywood Park site for the stadium. On January 4, 2016, after St. Louis finished last in per-game attendance for the 2015 season,[47] the team filed a relocation application to relocate to Los Angeles and informed the NFL about this and released a statement on their website.

On January 12, 2016, the NFL owners approved the Inglewood proposal and the Rams' relocation by a 30-2 vote; the Rams relocated almost immediately thereafter.[48]

Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers failed stadium bid

Main article: Carson Stadium

On February 19, 2015, the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers announced plans for a privately financed $1.7 billion stadium that the two teams would build in Carson, California if they were to move to the Los Angeles market.[49] Such a move would mark a return to the nation's second-largest market for both teams; the Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 while the Chargers called LA home for their inaugural season in the American Football League. The Chargers were the only NFL team to play in Southern California at the time (until the Rams moved to Los Angeles in 2016), with San Diego being a 125-mile (201 km) distance from Los Angeles, and the Chargers counted Los Angeles as a secondary market. The Chargers have been looking to replace Qualcomm Stadium (which, like the Oakland Coliseum opened in the late 1960s) since at least 2003, and have had an annual out clause in which it can move in exchange for paying a fine to the city of San Diego for its remaining years on its lease. The Raiders, meanwhile, have been operating on year-to-year leases with Oakland Coliseum, the stadium it has shared with the Oakland Athletics for most of its time in Oakland, since the last long-term lease on that stadium ended in 2013.[50]

Due to both television contracts and NFL bylaws, had both of the longstanding division rivals moved to LA, one of the teams would have been required to move to the NFC West, something that Mark Davis volunteered the Raiders to be willing to do. The Raiders moving to the National Football Conference would be considered ironic seeing that Davis's father Al Davis was a staunch opponent of the NFL during its rivalry and eventual merger with the AFL. Had such a realignment were to occur, a current NFC West team would take their spot in the AFC West. The early rumor was that the Seattle Seahawks, who played in the AFC West from 1977 to 2001, would be the favorite to switch conferences with the Raiders. However, that team's growing rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers had pointed to either the Arizona Cardinals or the then-St. Louis Rams switching conferences to take the Raiders' spot in the AFC West. Had the Rams stayed in St. Louis, switching them to the AFC would have allowed for a yearly home-and-home with the cross-state Kansas City Chiefs.[51] As a portion of the Rams' 2016 schedule was already set because of their International Series appearance, the league could not realign until at least 2017.

On October 23, 2015, Mark Fabiani, Chargers spokesperson confirmed that the team planned to officially notify the NFL about its intentions to relocate to Los Angeles in January during the timetable when teams can request to relocate.[52] On January 4, 2016, both teams filed relocation applications for relocation to Los Angeles. On January 12, 2016, the NFL voted to allow the Rams move to Los Angeles and the Inglewood proposal, effectively rejecting and killing the Carson proposal. The Chargers have the option to join the Rams in Inglewood in 2016, with the Raiders having the option in 2017 if the Chargers decline; the Chargers announced on January 29 that they would remain in San Diego for the 2016 season as negotiations continue, but that if negotiations ultimately fail, that they had reached an agreement in principle with the Rams to join them in Los Angeles once the Inglewood stadium is complete.[53] The Raiders reached an agreement on another one-year lease extension with Oakland Coliseum on February 11, 2016, keeping the team in Oakland for one more season.

Naming rights agreements

Miami Dolphins

Canadian-based financial services company Sun Life Financial has held the naming rights to the Miami Dolphins' stadium since 2010, a deal which expired in the off-season. The team already announced that it was not going to renew the license. The stadium is temporarily being referred to as New Miami Stadium until a new naming contract is awarded.[54]

Oakland Raiders

On April 2, the O.co Coliseum, home of the Oakland Raiders and their Major League Baseball counterparts, the Oakland Athletics, reverted to its previous identity as the Oakland Coliseum. Online retailer Overstock.com held the naming rights to the Raiders' home field since 2011,[55] but opted out of the naming rights agreement, though it will continue to maintain its corporate sponsorship with the Athletics. The Raiders' home field has undergone numerous name changes in its history, including Network Associates Coliseum (1998–2004) and McAfee Coliseum (2004–2008).[56]

Media

This will be the third season under broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season. NBC will continue to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN will continue airing Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. Fox will serve as the broadcaster of Super Bowl LI.

The league's contract with CBS for Thursday Night Football expired after the 2015 season and was placed back up for bids.[57] On February 1, 2016, the NFL announced that Thursday Night Football would be shared between CBS, NBC, and NFL Network for the 2016 season. CBS and NBC will each air five games, along with an additional eight games exclusively on NFL Network, the production of which will be split between the two networks. As is the case with the NFL's policy on local broadcast of NFL Network games, the network that produces the game will have the primary market affiliate for both teams airing it locally. As with the previous contract, all games will be simulcast by NFL Network. Commissioner Roger Goodell that the league was "thrilled to add NBC to the Thursday Night Football mix, a trusted partner with a proven track record of success broadcasting NFL football in primetime, and look forward to expanding with a digital partner for what will be a unique tri-cast on broadcast, cable and digital platforms."[58] Periscope, the streaming-video service of Twitter, will simulcast the games on the Internet and provide Web-exclusive pregame, halftime and postgame studio shows; no subscription or TV Everywhere authentication will be required.[59]

After 2015's Bills–Jaguars International Series contest was a modest success, the league was initially expected to make all three of the 2016 London games exclusive to the Internet. Yahoo! Screen, who carried the 2015 contest, shut down in January 2016;[60] the bidders on the three games (which may or may not go to the same broadcaster) included Youtube and Apple TV, both of which bid on the 2015 game but were passed up in favor of Yahoo!'s bid.[61] Ultimately, the league decided not to make the International Series games Web-exclusive, instead focusing its efforts on the Thursday Night Football partnership with Twitter.[62]

A change to the flexible scheduling rule takes effect for the 2016 season: in week 17, any game can be flexed into Sunday Night Football, regardless of how many times a team had been featured on a primetime game that season. This change can, theoretically, allow a game with playoff implications to be moved to primetime for greater prominence.[63] As in 2015, the NFL will continue the "suspension" of its blackout policy, meaning that all games will be broadcast in their home markets regardless of ticket sales; Goodell stated that the league needed to continue investigating the impact of removing the blackout rules before such a change is made permament.[64]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Oilers got approval to relocate to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997, but instead elected to play at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis during that first season while their new stadium in Nashville was under construction.

References

  1. ↑ Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Rams to Return to Los Angeles". St. Louis Rams. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Free Agency Signing Period Begins; 496 Players Become Free Agents". nflcommunications.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ "NFL free agent tracker: What we know now". USA Today (Gannett Company). March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ Davis, Nate (March 13, 2016). "NFL free agency winners, losers: Texans gear up, Browns scramble". USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Titans to acquire RB DeMarco Murray from Eagles". NFL.com.
  7. ↑ Sessler, Marc (March 15, 2016). "Patriots trade Chandler Jones to Cardinals". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hanzus, Dan (March 16, 2016). "Martellus Bennett traded by Bears to Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Jets acquire Ryan Clady in trade with Broncos". NFL.com.
  10. ↑ Patra, Kevin (February 16, 2016). "Packers, Colts to play in 2016 Hall of Fame Game". NFL.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  11. ↑ "2016 UK International Series schedule announced". NFL.com. November 25, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Back to Mexico: Texans-Raiders to play Nov. 21 in Mexico City". NFL.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. ↑ Orr, Connor (April 25, 2016). "Tom Brady's four-game suspension reinstated". NFL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Tom Brady's four-game suspension upheld". ESPN. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Chop blocks hit the chopping block as NFL makes seven new rules changes". CBSSports.com. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  16. ↑ "NFL implements huge new touchback rule, admits it could backfire". CBSSports.com. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  17. ↑ "NFL owners approve 'Odell Beckham Rule,' players will be tossed after two ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ penalties". New York Daily News. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Rosenthal, Gregg (January 3, 2016). "Cleveland Browns fire Mike Pettine, GM Ray Farmer". NFL.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ Wesseling, Chris. "Cleveland Browns hire Hue Jackson as head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "Dolphins fire coach Philbin after 1-3 start". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  21. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Miami Dolphins hire Adam Gase as new head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  22. ↑ "Tom Coughlin says he's stepping down as Giants coach". NFL.com. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  23. ↑ Hanzus, Dan (January 14, 2016). "New York Giants hire Ben McAdoo as head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 Rosenthal, Gregg. "Chip Kelly released by Philadelphia Eagles". NFL.com. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  25. ↑ Wesseling, Chris. "Philadelphia Eagles hire Doug Pederson as coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "San Francisco 49ers fire coach Jim Tomsula". nfl.com. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  27. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 14, 2016). "San Francisco 49ers hire Chip Kelly as head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  28. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (January 6, 2016). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire Lovie Smith". NFL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ Hanzus, Dan (January 14, 2016). "Buccaneers promote OC Dirk Koetter to head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  30. ↑ Orr, Conor. "Tennessee Titans fire head coach Ken Whisenhunt". NFL.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  31. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Mike Mularkey sheds interim tag, named Titans coach". NFL.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  32. ↑ Orr, Conor. "Lions fire GM Martin Mayhew, president Tom Lewand". NFL.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  33. ↑ Ortega, Mark E. "Detroit Lions hire Bob Quinn as general manager". NFL.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  34. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy. "Miami Dolphins part ways with GM Dennis Hickey". NFL.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  35. ↑ Hanzus, Dan. "Chris Grier named general manager of Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  36. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Titans parting ways with GM Ruston Webster". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
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  41. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 16, 2016). "Los Angeles relocation fee to be $550 million per team". NFL.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
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  45. ↑ Piper, Brandie (January 31, 2014). "Report: Rams owner bought 60 acres of land in Calif.". ksdk.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
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  51. ↑ Florio, Mike (February 20, 2015). "If Chargers and Raiders share stadium, one would likely move to NFC". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
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