2020 NFL season

This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2020 National Football League (Ireland).

2020 National Football League season

Regular season
Duration	September 10, 2020 (2020-09-10) – January 3, 2021 (2021-01-03)
Playoffs
Start date	January 9, 2021
Super Bowl LV
Date	February 7, 2021
Site	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Pro Bowl
Date	Cancelled
Site	Cancelled

The 2020 NFL season is the 101st season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season started with the NFL Kickoff Game on September 10, with defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City defeating Houston. The season is scheduled to conclude with Super Bowl LV, the league's championship game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 2021.

This is the first season with a 14-team playoff format, adding a third wild card team for each conference, and only awarding each conference's top seed a first round bye.

The Oakland Raiders became the Las Vegas Raiders following their relocation to the Las Vegas area, becoming the first NFL team based in the state of Nevada. The Washington Redskins, following the decades-long controversy regarding their name and logo, retired both in the offseason and became the Washington Football Team until a permanent name is chosen after the season.

The season has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, though the regular season began as scheduled and no regular season games as of the end of October have been outright cancelled. The most prominent changes were the cancellation of all preseason games and the 2021 Pro Bowl, the suspension of international games for the year, an allowance for players to opt out of playing the season without violating their contracts (66 players opted out), the playing of games with either a greatly reduced audience or no fans at all, and the postponement of multiple games due to COVID-19 cases among players and staff.

Player movement

The 2020 NFL League year and trading period began on March 18. On March 16, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2020 on players with option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2019 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. 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 combined salary cap). On March 16, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with the agents of players who were set to become unrestricted free agents.

Positions key

C	Center		CB	Cornerback		DB	Defensive back		DE	Defensive end
DL	Defensive lineman		DT	Defensive tackle		FB	Fullback		FS	Free safety
G	Guard		HB	Halfback		K	Placekicker		KR	Kick returner
LB	Linebacker		LS	Long snapper		OT	Offensive tackle		OL	Offensive lineman
NT	Nose tackle		P	Punter		PR	Punt returner		QB	Quarterback
RB	Running back		S	Safety		SS	Strong safety		TB	Tailback
TE	Tight end		WR	Wide receiver

Free agency

Free agency began on March 18. Notable players to change teams included:

• Quarterbacks Tom Brady (New England to Tampa Bay), Teddy Bridgewater (New Orleans to Carolina), Andy Dalton (Cincinnati to Dallas), Cam Newton (Carolina to New England), Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers to Indianapolis), and Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay to New Orleans)
• Running backs Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers to Denver), Frank Gore (Buffalo to New York Jets), Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams to Atlanta), Jordan Howard (Philadelphia to Miami), Dion Lewis (Tennessee to New York Giants), and Adrian Peterson (Washington to Detroit)
• Wide receivers Nelson Agholor (Philadelphia to Las Vegas), Robby Anderson (New York Jets to Carolina), Randall Cobb (Dallas to Houston), Phillip Dorsett (New England to Seattle), Ted Ginn Jr. (New Orleans to Chicago), and Emmanuel Sanders (San Francisco to New Orleans)
• Tight ends Eric Ebron (Indianapolis to Pittsburgh), Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati to Jacksonville), Jimmy Graham (Green Bay to Chicago), Austin Hooper (Atlanta to Cleveland), Jordan Reed (Washington to San Francisco), and Jason Witten (Dallas to Las Vegas)
• Offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay to Los Angeles Chargers), Jack Conklin (Tennessee to Cleveland), Ereck Flowers (Washington to Miami), Graham Glasgow (Detroit to Denver), and Halapoulivaati Vaitai (Philadelphia to Detroit).
• Defensive linemen Adrian Clayborn (Atlanta to Cleveland), Jadeveon Clowney (Seattle to Tennessee), Everson Griffen (Minnesota to Dallas), Linval Joseph (Minnesota to Los Angeles Chargers), Gerald McCoy (Carolina to Dallas), Emmanuel Ogbah (Kansas City to Miami), Dontari Poe (Carolina to Dallas), Robert Quinn (Dallas to Chicago), and Danny Shelton (New England to Detroit)
• Linebackers Vic Beasley (Atlanta to Tennessee), Jamie Collins (New England to Detroit), Leonard Floyd (Chicago to Los Angeles Rams), Dante Fowler (Los Angeles Rams to Atlanta), Bruce Irvin (Carolina to Seattle), A.J. Klein (New Orleans to Buffalo), Nick Kwiatkoski (Chicago to Las Vegas), Cory Littleton (Los Angeles Rams to Las Vegas), Blake Martinez (Green Bay to New York Giants), Joe Schobert (Cleveland to Jacksonville), Kyle Van Noy (New England to Miami), and Nick Vigil (Cincinnati to Los Angeles Chargers)
• Defensive backs Vonn Bell (New Orleans to Cincinnati), James Bradberry (Carolina to New York Giants), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Chicago to Dallas), Ronald Darby (Philadelphia to Washington), Kendall Fuller (Kansas City to Washington), Chris Harris Jr. (Denver to Los Angeles Chargers), Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia to New Orleans), Byron Jones (Dallas to Miami), Karl Joseph (Oakland to Cleveland), Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota to Indianapolis), Andrew Sendejo (Minnesota to Cleveland), and Desmond Trufant (Atlanta to Detroit)
• Kickers Stephen Gostkowski (New England to Tennessee) and Greg Zuerlein (Los Angeles Rams to Dallas)
• Punter Sam Martin (Detroit to Denver)

Trades

The following notable trades were made during the 2020 league year:

• March 16: Baltimore traded TE Hayden Hurst and a 2020 fourth-round selection to Atlanta for 2020 second and fifth round selections
• March 18: Houston traded WR DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round selection to Arizona for RB David Johnson, a 2020 second-round selection, and a 2021 fourth-round selection.
• March 18: Jacksonville traded DE Calais Campbell to Baltimore for a 2020 fifth-round selection.
• March 18: Minnesota traded WR Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round selection to Buffalo for 2020 first, fifth, and sixth round selection and a 2021 fourth-round selection.
• March 18: Tennessee traded DT Jurrell Casey to Denver for a 2020 seventh-round selection.
• March 18: San Francisco traded DT DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for a 2020 first-round selection.
• March 18: Jacksonville traded QB Nick Foles to Chicago for a 2020 fourth-round selection.
• March 18: Carolina traded G Trai Turner to the Los Angeles Chargers for T Russell Okung.
• March 18: Jacksonville traded CB AJ Bouye to Denver for a 2020 fourth-round selection.
• March 19: Detroit traded CB Darius Slay to Philadelphia for a 2020 third-round selection and 2020 a fifth-round selection.
• April 9: The Los Angeles Rams traded WR Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round selection to Houston for a 2020 second-round selection.
• April 21: New England traded TE Rob Gronkowski and a 2020 seventh-round selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth-round selection.
• April 25: Washington traded OT Trent Williams to San Francisco for a 2020 fifth-round selection and a 2021 third-round selection.
• July 25: The New York Jets traded S Jamal Adams and a 2022 fourth-round selection to Seattle for S Bradley McDougald, 2021 and 2022 first-round selections, and a 2021 third-round selection.
• August 30: Jacksonville traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to Minnesota for a 2021 second-round selection and a conditional 2021 fifth-round selection.

Notable retirements

• C Travis Frederick – Five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro (one first-team, two-second-team). Played for Dallas during his entire seven-year career.
• TE Antonio Gates – Eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three first-team, two-second-team). Played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers during his entire 16-year career.
• LB Luke Kuechly – Seven-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro (five first-team, two-second-team), and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. Played for Carolina during his entire eight-year career.
• QB Eli Manning – Four-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP (XLII & XLVI), and first overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft. Played for the New York Giants during his entire 16-year career.
• RB Darren Sproles – Three-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro and Super Bowl LII champion. Played for the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans, and Philadelphia during his 15-year career.
• OT Joe Staley – Six-time Pro Bowler and three-time Second-Team All-Pro. Played for San Francisco during his entire 13-year career.
• CB Aqib Talib – Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), and Super Bowl 50 champion. Played for Tampa Bay, New England, Denver, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 12-year career.
• FS Eric Weddle – Six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three-second-team). Played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 13-year career.
• G Marshal Yanda – Eight-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro (two first-team, five-second-team), and Super Bowl XLVII champion. Played for Baltimore during his entire 13-year career.

Other retirements

• Mike Adams
• Lorenzo Alexander
• Michael Bennett
• Jatavis Brown
• Garrett Celek
• Vernon Davis
• James Develin
• Rhett Ellison
• Ramon Foster
• Rodney Gunter
• Christian Hackenberg
• Wes Horton
• Davon House
• Lamarr Houston
• Tom Johnson
• Jermaine Kearse
• Zach Line
• Kyle Long
• Spencer Long
• Aaron Lynch
• Johnny Manziel
• Ron Parker
• Ryan Shazier
• Dion Sims
• Jeremiah Sirles
• Benjamin Watson
• Dustin Woodard

Draft

Main article: 2020 NFL Draft

The Draft took place on April 23–25, via videoconferencing; it was originally scheduled to take place in Paradise, Nevada, but was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL announced on March 16 that it had canceled the public festivities. On April 5, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the draft would be held virtually with coaches and GMs conducting it via phone and internet from home due to team facilities also being closed. Goodell unveiled the first-round picks from his home in Bronxville, New York.

Cincinnati, by virtue of having the worst record in 2019, held the first overall selection and selected QB Joe Burrow out of LSU.

Opt-outs

The NFL and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) agreed on July 24 to allow players to opt out of playing the 2020 season. A total of 66 players opted out by the August 6 deadline. New England had eight players opt out, the most in the NFL; Atlanta, the Los Angeles Chargers, and Pittsburgh had no players opt out. Players who opted out were not paid for the 2020 season, but received a salary advance of $350,000 for medical opt outs and $150,000 for voluntary opt outs. Players who voluntarily opted out will have their advances taken from their 2021 salary, while players who opted out for medical reasons will not. The following is a list of all players who have opted out:

Players opting out of 2020 season

Name	Position	Team
Geronimo Allison	WR	Detroit
John Atkins	DT	Detroit
Sam Beal	CB	New York Giants
Travis Benjamin	WR	San Francisco
Andrew Billings	DT	Cleveland
Russell Bodine	C	Detroit
Brandon Bolden	RB	New England
Caleb Brantley	DT	Washington
Chandler Brewer	OT	Los Angeles Rams
Maurice Canady	CB	Dallas
Marcus Cannon	OT	New England
Patrick Chung	S	New England
Shon Coleman	OT	San Francisco
Josh Doctson	WR	New York Jets
Drake Dorbeck	OT	Cleveland
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	G	Kansas City
Ukeme Eligwe	LB	Las Vegas
Drew Forbes	G	Cleveland
Devin Funchess	WR	Green Bay
E. J. Gaines	CB	Buffalo
Marcus Gilbert	OT	Arizona
Eddie Goldman	DT	Chicago
Marquise Goodwin	WR	Philadelphia
Colby Gossett	G	Cleveland
Stephen Guidry	WR	Dallas
Josh Harvey-Clemons	LB	Washington
Dont'a Hightower	LB	New England
Allen Hurns	WR	Miami
Ja'Wuan James	OT	Denver
D. J. Killings	CB	Las Vegas
Leo Koloamatangi	C	New York Jets
Matt LaCosse	TE	New England
Marqise Lee	WR	New England
Star Lotulelei	DT	Buffalo
Jordan Lucas	S	Chicago
Jordan Mack	LB	Carolina
Lerentee McCray	LB	Jacksonville
Anthony McKinney	OT	Tennessee
Rashaan Melvin	CB	Jacksonville
Christian Miller	LB	Carolina
Rolan Milligan	S	Indianapolis
Skai Moore	LB	Indianapolis
C. J. Mosley	LB	New York Jets
Lucas Niang	OT	Kansas City
Jamize Olawale	FB	Dallas
Kyle Peko	DT	Denver
Michael Pierce	DT	Minnesota
Malcolm Pridgeon	G	Cleveland
Isaiah Prince	OT	Cincinnati
Da'Mari Scott	WR	New York Giants
Brad Seaton	OT	Tampa Bay
Andre Smith	OT	Baltimore
Nate Solder	OT	New York Giants
Marvell Tell	CB	Indianapolis
De'Anthony Thomas	WR	Baltimore
Najee Toran	OT	New England
Josh Tupou	OT	Cincinnati
Jeremiah Valoaga	DE	Las Vegas
Eddie Vanderdoes	DT	Houston
Jason Vander Laan	TE	New Orleans
Danny Vitale	FB	New England
Larry Warford	G	Free agent
Chance Warmack	G	Seattle
Cole Wick	TE	New Orleans
Damien Williams	RB	Kansas City
Albert Wilson	WR	Miami
Al Woods	DT	Jacksonville

Officiating changes

Referee Walt Anderson was promoted to NFL senior vice president in charge of the officiating training and development program, a newly created position that works independently from the league's head of officiating, Alberto Riveron. Land Clark was promoted to referee to replace Anderson. Clark previously served as a referee in the Pac-12 Conference before joining the NFL in 2018 as a field judge.

Former coach Perry Fewell was named as a league senior vice president of officiating administration. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the officiating department and is the primary contact for coaches' and general managers' officiating questions, among other duties.

The NFL and the NFL Referees Association agreed on August 9 to allow officials to opt out of working the 2020 season. Officials who opted out received a $30,000 stipend and guaranteed job protection to return for the 2021 season. Five on-field officials – line judge Jeff Bergman, back judge Steve Freeman, field judge Greg Gautreaux, field judge Joe Larrew, and back judge Tony Steratore – opted out for the season by the August 13 deadline.

Rule changes

Permanent changes announced prior to season

The following rule changes for the 2020 season were approved at the NFL Owners' Meeting in May 2020:

• Extend defenseless player protection to a punt/kick returner who possesses the ball but has not had time to avoid or ward off impending contact with an opponent.
• Make permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any successful or unsuccessful try attempt.
• Prevent teams from committing multiple dead-ball fouls in the fourth quarter or in overtime while the clock is running in an attempt to manipulate the game clock. The clock now starts on the snap following a dead-ball foul. This has been referred to as the "Bill Belichick Rule" for his use of this tactic.
• Teams may bring three players back from injured reserve after missing eight games, up from two players.

Temporary rules for 2020 season

The following temporary rule changes were made on September 9 and will only be in place for 2020 and possibly 2021 if COVID-19 protocols remain in place:

• A player on injured reserve is allowed to return after missing three games, down from eight.
• Teams may return an unlimited number of players from injured reserve throughout the year, instead of the normal limit of three.
• Practice squads may include up to 16 players from each team, up from 12.
• After 4:00 p.m. ET on the Tuesday of a game week, a team may designate up to four practice squad players as "protected," meaning they are not allowed to sign with another team until after their current team plays its next game.
• The NFL has instituted a reserve/COVID-19 list, which is for players who either test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has it. There is no minimum amount of time a player must remain on this list, only until he is medically cleared to play.
• The league will administer COVID-19 tests to all players and other essential employees every day of the regular season except game days.
• Any player who is on a team's Week 1 roster will earn an accrued season toward free agency as long as he is on full-pay status for at least one regular-season game, down from the normal minimum of six.

2020 deaths

Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Herb Adderley

Willie Davis

Davis, a defensive end, spent 12 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1969. He also served as a color commentator for NBC in the early 1970s and was inducted into the Hall in 1981. He also started All-Pro Broadcasting, which owns several stations in Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Davis died on April 15, age 85.

Fred Dean

Chris Doleman

Doleman, a defensive end, spent 15 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Hall in 2012 and died January 28, age 58.

Bobby Mitchell

Mitchell, a halfback, spent 11 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins; he was the first black player on Washington's roster, ending owner George Preston Marshall's 30-year color barrier on the team. He served as an executive with the Redskins for decades after his playing career ended and was inducted into the Hall in 1983. Mitchell died on April 5, age 84.

Gale Sayers

Sayers, a running back, spent his entire seven-year career with the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the Hall in 1977 at the age of 34, the youngest player ever inducted. He died September 23, age 77.

Don Shula

Shula was head coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins for a combined 33 years; he holds the record for both the most regular season wins by a head coach in NFL history (328) and the most total wins including the playoffs (347). Shula was inducted into the Hall in 1997. He died May 4, age 90.

Willie Wood

Wood, a safety who spent his entire 12-year career with the Green Bay Packers, was inducted into the Hall in 1989. He died February 3, age 83.

Larry Wilson

Wilson spent 43 seasons in the NFL, all with the St. Louis, Phoenix and Arizona Cardinals, between 1960 and 2002: 13 as a player and 30 as a front office executive. As a player, Wilson, a free safety, appeared in eight Pro Bowls but never reached the playoffs (excluding one Bert Bell Benefit Bowl appearance). Wilson, a member of the Hall's class of 1978, died September 17, age 82.

Others

• Joe Beauchamp
• Ed Biles
• Rodger Bird
• Matt Blair
• Sam Boghosian
• Pete Brewster
• Allen Brown
• Barry Brown
• Rush Brown
• Timmy Brown
• Walter Bryan
• Joe Bugel
• Reche Caldwell
• Chuck Crist
• Mike Curtis
• Tom Dempsey
• Larry Eisenhauer
• Jim Fraser
• Jesse Freitas Sr.
• Nesby Glasgow
• Doug Hart
• Carlton Haselrig
• Conway Hayman
• Mario Henderson
• Zac Henderson
• Tarvaris Jackson
• Les Josephson
• Jim Kiick
• Jon Kilgore
• Phil Krueger
• Lew Luce
• Benny Malone
• Orlando McDaniel
• Pellom McDaniels
• Howard Mudd
• Ron Marciniak
• Manfred Moore
• Gern Nagler
• Jerry Norton
• Dan Radakovich
• Joe Reid
• Pete Retzlaff
• Gloster Richardson
• Ken Riley
• Tootie Robbins
• John Rushing
• Goldie Sellers
• Del Shofner
• Mike Stratton
• Jerry Sturm
• Terry Tausch
• Roosevelt Taylor
• Max Tuerk
• Sam Wyche
• Tom Yewcic
• Mack Yoho
• Jim Youel
• Don Zimmerman
• John Zook

Preseason

Training camps were held from late July through August. By league order, all training camps were held at teams' regular practice facility.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was scheduled for August 6 between Dallas and Pittsburgh, but was cancelled on June 25 due to the pandemic. On July 3, the NFLPA voted to cancel the preseason, which was agreed to by the league later that month.

Regular season

The NFL released its regular season schedule on May 7. The season is played over a 17-week schedule beginning on September 10. Each of the league's 32 teams play a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team. The regular season will conclude with a full slate of 16 games on January 3, 2021, all of which are intra-division matchups, as it had been since 2010.

The NFL suspended its international games for the season due to the pandemic and travel restrictions in place; the league had previously announced that Jacksonville would host two games at Wembley Stadium in London, Atlanta and Miami would each host a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and Arizona would host a game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. These games were moved back to the teams' respective home stadiums.

Using contingencies similar to those built into the 2011 schedule in the event that season's lockout lasted into September, the 2020 schedule was designed to allow for the possibility that the season could be delayed and shortened in the event that conditions were unsafe to begin play as scheduled. Every game in Week 2 featured teams which share the same bye week later in the season, which would have allowed these games to be made up on the teams' original byes. Weeks 3 and 4 were set up so that there were no divisional games and that every team at home in Week 3 was away in Week 4 and vice versa. This would have allowed the NFL to cancel these two weeks without eliminating any divisional games and keeping each team's home and away games balanced. These scheduling changes, along with eliminating the week off before the Super Bowl and moving the Super Bowl back three weeks, would have allowed the NFL to play a 14-game schedule beginning October 29 while still having the Super Bowl in February.

Scheduling formula

Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition, a team plays against all four teams in one division from each conference. The remaining two games on a team's schedule are against the two remaining teams in the same conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division will play all three other teams in the conference that also finished fourth). The division pairings for 2020 are as follows:

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

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 2020 season will include:

• NFL Kickoff Game: The 2020 season began with the Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10. Defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City hosted and defeated Houston.
• Thanksgiving: As has been the case since 2006, three games will be played on Thursday, November 26, including the traditional afternoon doubleheader featuring Houston at Detroit and Washington at Dallas. Baltimore plays at Pittsburgh in the nightcap.
• Christmas: As Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday, that week's Thursday Night Football game was moved to a 4:30 p.m. EST start on Christmas Day, December 25, with Minnesota at New Orleans. This will mark the NFL's first Friday game since 2009, which was also a Christmas game.

With the final round of The Masters (whose rights are held by CBS) rescheduled from its normal April date to November 15, CBS was not given any 1:00 p.m. ET games that day, which falls during Week 10. CBS was given three games in the 4:05 p.m. ET slot, while Fox was given eight Sunday games, including three AFC-away games which generally air on CBS.

Saturday flexible scheduling

When the entire season schedule was released on May 7, the league announced that in both Weeks 15 and 16, two or three of the five designated games would be moved to Saturday, to be broadcast exclusively on NFL Network (four games total) and Amazon Prime (one game). The final times of these games will be announced no later than four weeks prior to game day.

Week 15

• Buffalo at Denver
• Carolina at Green Bay
• Detroit at Tennessee
• Houston at Indianapolis
• New York Jets at Los Angeles Rams

Week 16

• Cleveland at New York Jets
• Denver at Los Angeles Chargers
• Miami at Las Vegas
• San Francisco at Arizona
• Tampa Bay at Detroit

In-season scheduling changes

• Week 4:
  • The Pittsburgh–Tennessee game, originally scheduled for October 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET, was postponed to October 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET due to several Tennessee players testing positive for COVID-19.
  • The New England–Kansas City game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, was postponed to Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET due to one positive COVID-19 test on each team, remaining on CBS.
  • The scheduled Monday Night Football game, Atlanta–Green Bay, was delayed from 8:15 p.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET, remaining on ESPN.
  • The Indianapolis–Chicago game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. to fill the New England–Kansas City game's original time slot, remaining on CBS.
• Week 5:
  • The Denver–New England game, which was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was moved to 4:25 p.m. as part of the NFL's flex scheduling. The game was later postponed to Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET after multiple New England players tested positive for COVID-19. This game was again postponed to October 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET when another New England player tested positive. The game remains on CBS.
  • The Buffalo–Tennessee game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, was postponed to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET due to several positive COVID-19 tests for Tennessee, remaining on CBS.
• Week 6:
  • The Kansas City–Buffalo game, originally scheduled for Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET, was moved to Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox and NFL Network, to avoid a situation in which the Bills would play games two days apart.
  • The New York Jets-Los Angeles Chargers game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET, was moved to November 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Week 5 Denver-New England game.
  • The Miami-Denver game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET, was moved to November 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate Denver-New England.
• Week 7:
  • The Pittsburgh–Baltimore game, originally scheduled for October 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET, was rescheduled for November 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Pittsburgh–Tennessee game from Week 4.
  • The Los Angeles Chargers-Miami game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to November 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver-New England game from Week 5.
  • The Tampa Bay-Las Vegas game, originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football, was moved to 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox, due to Las Vegas having multiple positive COVID-19 tests and to ensure a SNF game was available in case this game needed to postponed to a later date. The Seattle-Arizona game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox, was moved to SNF.
• Week 8:
  • The Jacksonville-Los Angeles Chargers game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, was rescheduled for October 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver-New England game from Week 5.
• Week 10:
  • The New York Jets-Miami game originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET was rescheduled for October 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver-New England game from Week 5. This also eliminated an unusual quirk in the schedule that would have had Miami and New York play each other in consecutive games, separated by their bye week.
  • The Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET was rescheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox.
• Week 11:
  • The Los Angeles Chargers-Denver game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, was moved to November 1 at 4:05 p.m. ET to accommodate the Denver-New England game from Week 5.

Regular season standings

Division

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Buffalo Bills	6	2	0	.750	4–0	5–2	198	199	W2
Miami Dolphins	4	3	0	.571	1–2	2–2	188	130	W3
New England Patriots	2	5	0	.286	1–1	2–3	136	167	L4
New York Jets	0	8	0	.000	0–3	0–6	94	238	L8

AFC North
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	0	0	1.000	2–0	5–0	211	142	W7
Baltimore Ravens	5	2	0	.714	2–1	3–2	203	132	L1
Cleveland Browns	5	3	0	.625	2–2	3–3	206	237	L1
Cincinnati Bengals	2	5	1	.313	0–3	2–5	194	214	W1

AFC South
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Tennessee Titans	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–2	208	184	L2
Indianapolis Colts	5	2	0	.714	0–1	2–2	198	136	W2
Houston Texans	1	6	0	.143	1–1	1–4	166	217	L2
Jacksonville Jaguars	1	6	0	.143	1–2	1–5	154	220	L6

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Kansas City Chiefs	7	1	0	.875	2–1	7–1	253	152	W3
Las Vegas Raiders	4	3	0	.571	1–0	2–2	187	203	W1
Denver Broncos	3	4	0	.429	1–1	3–3	147	183	W1
Los Angeles Chargers	2	5	0	.286	0–2	2–2	179	185	L1

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Philadelphia Eagles	3	4	1	.438	2–1	3–2	186	205	W2
Washington Football Team	2	5	0	.286	2–1	2–3	133	165	W1
Dallas Cowboys	2	6	0	.250	1–2	2–5	185	266	L3
New York Giants	1	7	0	.125	1–2	1–6	145	199	L2

NFC North
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Green Bay Packers	6	2	0	.750	2–1	5–2	253	204	W1
Chicago Bears	5	3	0	.625	1–0	5–2	161	166	L2
Detroit Lions	3	4	0	.429	0–2	2–3	177	206	L1
Minnesota Vikings	2	5	0	.286	1–1	1–3	183	214	W1

NFC South
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6	2	0	.750	1–1	3–2	247	165	W3
New Orleans Saints	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–1	206	197	W4
Carolina Panthers	3	5	0	.375	1–3	2–4	179	193	L3
Atlanta Falcons	2	6	0	.250	1–1	2–6	209	224	W1

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Seattle Seahawks	6	1	0	.857	1–1	4–1	240	199	W1
Arizona Cardinals	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–2	203	146	W3
Los Angeles Rams	5	3	0	.625	0–1	5–1	193	152	L1
San Francisco 49ers	4	5	0	.444	1–2	2–4	225	207	L2

Conference

AFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	7	0	0	1.000	2–0	5–0	.452	.452	W7
2	Kansas City Chiefs	West	7	1	0	.875	2–1	7–1	.397	.373	W3
3	Buffalo Bills	East	6	2	0	.750	4–0	5–2	.450	.333	W2
4	Tennessee Titans	South	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–2	.441	.361	L2
Wild Cards
5	Baltimore Ravens	North	5	2	0	.714	2–1	3–2	.528	.368	L1
6	Indianapolis Colts	South	5	2	0	.714	0–1	2–2	.349	.329	W2
7	Cleveland Browns	North	5	3	0	.625	2–2	3–3	.508	.368	L1
In the hunt
8	Las Vegas Raiders	West	4	3	0	.571	1–0	2–2	.630	.645	W1
9	Miami Dolphins	East	4	3	0	.571	1–2	2–2	.444	.313	W3
10	Denver Broncos	West	3	4	0	.429	1–1	3–3	.558	.182	W1
11	Cincinnati Bengals	North	2	5	1	.313	0–3	2–5	.534	.429	W1
12	Los Angeles Chargers	West	2	5	0	.286	0–2	2–2	.519	.233	L1
13	New England Patriots	East	2	5	0	.286	1–1	2–3	.642	.571	L4
14	Houston Texans	South	1	6	0	.143	1–1	1–4	.647	.143	L2
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	1	6	0	.143	1–2	1–5	.450	.714	L6
16	New York Jets	East	0	8	0	.000	0–3	0–6	.656	.000	L8
Tiebreakers

NFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	Seattle Seahawks	West	6	1	0	.857	1–1	4–1	.396	.348	W1
2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	6	2	0	.750	1–1	3–2	.483	.422	W3
3	Green Bay Packers	North	6	2	0	.750	2–1	5–2	.417	.378	W1
4	Philadelphia Eagles	East	3	4	1	.438	2–1	3–2	.460	.280	W2
Wild cards
5	New Orleans Saints	South	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–1	.547	.500	W4
6	Arizona Cardinals	West	5	2	0	.714	2–0	4–2	.370	.359	W3
7	Los Angeles Rams	West	5	3	0	.625	0–1	5–1	.437	.346	L1
In the hunt
8	Chicago Bears	North	5	3	0	.625	1–0	5–2	.492	.385	L2
9	San Francisco 49ers	West	4	5	0	.444	1–2	2–4	.478	.258	L1
10	Detroit Lions	North	3	4	0	.429	0–2	2–3	.558	.364	L1
11	Carolina Panthers	South	3	5	0	.375	1–3	2–4	.517	.409	L3
12	Washington Football Team	East	2	5	0	.286	2–1	2–3	.491	.344	W1
13	Minnesota Vikings	North	2	5	0	.286	1–1	1–3	.596	.467	W1
14	Dallas Cowboys	East	2	6	0	.250	1–2	2–5	.484	.188	L2
15	Atlanta Falcons	South	2	6	0	.250	1–1	2–6	.492	.333	W1
16	New York Giants	East	1	7	0	.125	1–2	1–6	.548	.286	L2
Tiebreakers

Postseason

The 2020–21 NFL playoffs are scheduled to begin on the weekend of January 9–10, 2021 with the Wild Card Round. Under the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the playoffs will expand to 14 teams. There will be three Wild Card teams per conference, and only the conference's top seed receives a first round bye. Three games will be played each day.

In the Divisional Round scheduled for January 16–17, the top seed in the conference will play the lowest remaining seed and the other two remaining teams will play each other. The winners of those games will advance to the Conference Championships scheduled for January 24. Super Bowl LV is scheduled for February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The 2021 Pro Bowl was originally scheduled for January 31 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, on October 14, the game was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Pro Bowl rosters for the 2020 season will still be voted upon, and the league plans to hold a virtual event to honor the players chosen. This will mark the first time since the 1949 season in which a Pro Bowl is not held.

Notable events

New Collective Bargaining Agreement

In March, the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a new CBA that will run through 2030. The previous CBA, signed in 2011, would have expired after this season.

Major changes in the new CBA include:

• expanding the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams beginning this season.
• allowing the league to expand the regular season from 16 to 17 games beginning in 2021 at the earliest, along with a corresponding reduction of the preseason from four games to three.
• increasing the players' share of the league's overall revenue from 47% to 48% starting in 2021. This will increase to 48.8% if the regular season expands to 17 games.
• Increasing team rosters from 53 to 55 players and game day rosters from 46 to 48 players, with a minimum of eight offensive linemen. Practice squads increased from 10 to 12 players in 2020 and will increase to 14 players in 2022.
• allowing players to become eligible for pensions after three accrued seasons, down from four previously.
• Fully guaranteeing fifth-year options for first round picks if picked up by the team. In addition, the fifth year option salary can rise based on the player's performance in his first three seasons. Previously, it was only tied to when he was selected in the draft.
• shortening the drug testing window from four months to two weeks at the start of training camp and eliminating automatic suspensions solely based on positive tests.
• establishing a "neutral decision-maker" to replace the NFL Commissioner on ruling most discipline cases.
• improving teams' training facilities and establishing a network of hospitals in team's home cities with free healthcare for current and former players.

Washington Redskins' name change

See also: Washington Redskins name controversy

On July 1, Following renewed attention to racial justice in wake of the George Floyd protests, a letter signed by 87 shareholders and investors was sent to sponsors of the then-Washington Redskins and NFL including Nike, FedEx, and Pepsi urging them to cut ties unless the team name was changed. Around the same time, several retail companies began to remove Redskins merchandise from their stores. In response, the team underwent a review of its name and logo. On July 23, the team announced that it would retire its name and logo. The team is playing as the "Washington Football Team" until a permanent name is chosen sometime after the 2020 season.

Shooting of Jacob Blake

Main article: 2020 American athlete strikes

In response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, Detroit cancelled its scheduled practice on August 25. Nine other teams cancelled their scheduled practices on August 27. Several teams that did not cancel practice issued statements about unity. The Jacksonville Jaguars cancelled their scheduled afternoon activities.

COVID-19 outbreaks

• On September 30, it was reported that ten Tennessee players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Tennessee closed its practice facility through at least October 3 as the team continues testing and contact tracing. Tennessee's most recent opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, also closed their facility as a precaution until they receive more test results. The league postponed Tennessee's October 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to October 25 and later postponed their October 11 game against the Buffalo Bills to October 13.
• On October 3, it was reported that New England QB Cam Newton and Kansas City practice squad QB Jordan Ta'amu tested positive for COVID-19. The October 4 New England-Kansas City game was postponed to October 5 in order to determine if there were any additional positive tests on either team, which there were not. New England CB Stephon Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19 after this game, resulting in New England's October 11 game against the Denver Broncos to be postponed initially to October 12, to allow for additional testing and tracing of New England players and staff. After another Patriots player tested positive, the game was postponed again to October 18. This required the league to reschedule six games across multiple weeks affecting Denver, New England, and four other teams.
• On October 21, it was reported that Las Vegas OT Trent Brown tested positive for COVID-19. Five other players, who were close contacts of Brown, were also placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Las Vegas' game against Tampa Bay was moved out of that week's Sunday Night Football game to ensure another game could be played in this timeslot.
• On October 24, Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox tested positive for the virus. He and three other players, including all of the team's tight ends except Tyler Kroft, were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Buffalo played its game against the New York Jets as scheduled, with fullback Reggie Gilliam serving as a backup tight end.

Records, milestones, and notable statistics

Week 1

• Drew Brees broke the career record for pass attempts with his 10,170th attempt. The previous record of 10,169 attempts was held by Brett Favre.
• Tom Brady became the third player to attempt 10,000 passes, joining Brees and Favre.
• Frank Gore broke the NFL record for the most regular season games played by a running back, with 227. The previous record of 226 was held by Emmitt Smith.
• Russell Wilson became the second player to pass for at least 30,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in his career, joining Steve Young.
• The Baltimore Ravens set an NFL record by winning their third consecutive season-opener by 30+ points.

Week 2

• Joe Burrow broke the record for most completions in a game by a rookie with 37. The previous record of 36 was shared by Marc Bulger, Chris Weinke, and Carson Wentz.
• Drew Brees became the first player to record 550 career passing touchdowns.
• Tom Brady became the second player to pass for over 75,000 career yards, joining Brees.
• Brady also became the first starting quarterback to win 250 career games (regular season and playoffs).
• Dak Prescott became the first quarterback to pass for 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in a game.
• The Atlanta Falcons became the first team to lose a game in which it scored 39+ points without recording a turnover. Teams had previously been 440–0 in these games since turnovers were officially recorded in 1933.

Week 3

• Ryan Fitzpatrick became the first quarterback to defeat the same opponent as a member of six different teams after leading Miami to a win over Jacksonville. Fitzpatrick also defeated Jacksonville as a starting quarterback for Cincinnati, Buffalo, Tennessee, Houston, and the New York Jets.
• Philip Rivers became the sixth player to pass for 60,000 career yards.
• Rivers also became the sixth player to record 400 career passing touchdowns.
• Russell Wilson set a record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first three games with 14. The previous record of 13 was held by Patrick Mahomes.
• Wilson also became the fifth player in NFL history to throw for at least five touchdown passes in consecutive games.
• Mike Evans became the third player in NFL history to finish a game with two catches for two yards and two touchdowns.
• Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 10,000 career passing yards, doing so in 34 games. The previous record of 36 was held by Kurt Warner.
• The Atlanta Falcons became the first NFL team to lose two games in a season after leading by at least 15 points entering the fourth quarter.
• The Chicago Bears became the first NFL team to win two games in the same season after trailing by at least 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Week 4

• Tom Brady became the second player to pass for 550 career touchdowns, joining Drew Brees.
• Brady also became the oldest player to throw five touchdown passes in a game at 43 years, 62 days. The record was previously held by Warren Moon who did so at 40 years, 342 days of age.
• Dak Prescott became the first player to record 450+ passing yards in three consecutive games.
• Prescott also set the record for the most passing yards in a two- and three-game stretch, with 974 and 1,424, respectively.
• Lamar Jackson became the fastest quarterback to reach 5,000 career passing yards and 2,000 career rushing yards, doing so in 35 games. The previous record of 39 was held by Michael Vick.
• Joe Burrow became the first rookie in NFL history to record 300+ passing yards in three consecutive games.
• Aaron Rodgers became the 11th player to complete 4,000 career passes.
• Russell Wilson tied the record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first four games with 16. The record was previously set by Peyton Manning.

Week 5

• Tom Brady became the second player to complete 6,500 career passes, joining Drew Brees.
• Philip Rivers became the fifth player to complete 5,000 career passes.
• Romeo Crennel became the oldest head coach in NFL history at 73 years, 113 days of age. The previous record of 72 years, 318 days was held by George Halas and had stood since 1967.

Week 6

• Ben Roethlisberger passed John Elway for fifth place for wins by a starting quarterback, with 149.

Week 7

• Drew Brees became the first player to complete 7,000 career passes.
• Ben Roethlisberger became the fifth quarterback to win 150 career starts.
• Russell Wilson tied the record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first six games with 22. The record was previously set by Peyton Manning.
• Wilson and Kyler Murray became the first opposing quarterbacks to each record 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in the same game.
• The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals combined for an NFL record five go-ahead touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of their game.

Awards

Players of the week/month

The following were named the top performers during the 2020 season:

Week/ Month	Offensive Player of the Week/Month		Defensive Player of the Week/Month		Special Teams Player of the Week/Month
	AFC	NFC	AFC	NFC	AFC	NFC
1	Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens)	Russell Wilson QB (Seahawks)	Casey Hayward CB (Chargers)	Ryan Kerrigan DE (Washington)	Daniel Carlson K (Raiders)	Thomas Morstead P (Saints)
2	Josh Allen QB (Bills)	Dak Prescott QB (Cowboys)	T. J. Watt LB (Steelers)	Micah Kiser LB (Rams)	Harrison Butker K (Chiefs)	Michael Dickson P (Seahawks)
3	Patrick Mahomes QB (Chiefs)	Russell Wilson QB (Seahawks)	Xavier Rhodes CB (Colts)	Shaquil Barrett LB (Buccaneers)	Stephen Gostkowski K (Titans)	Matt Prater K (Lions)
Sept.	Josh Allen QB (Bills)	Russell Wilson QB (Seahawks)	T. J. Watt LB (Steelers)	Lavonte David LB (Buccaneers)	Stephen Gostkowski K (Titans)	Jack Fox P (Lions)
4	Joe Mixon RB (Bengals)	Tom Brady QB (Buccaneers)	Myles Garrett DE (Browns)	Za'Darius Smith LB (Packers)	Brandon McManus K (Broncos)	Mike Boone RB (Vikings)
5	Chase Claypool WR (Steelers)	Kyler Murray QB (Cardinals)	Patrick Queen LB (Ravens)	Aaron Donald DT (Rams)	Jason Sanders K (Dolphins)	Wil Lutz K (Saints)
6	Derrick Henry RB (Titans)	Matt Ryan QB (Falcons)	Calais Campbell DE (Ravens)	Budda Baker S (Cardinals)	Brandon McManus K (Broncos)	Cairo Santos K (Bears)
7	Baker Mayfield QB (Browns)	Kyler Murray QB (Cardinals)	Jerry Hughes DE (Bills)	Devin White LB (Buccaneers)	Byron Pringle WR/KR (Chiefs)	Johnny Hekker P (Rams)
Oct.	Derrick Henry RB (Titans)	Tom Brady QB (Buccaneers)	Myles Garrett DE (Browns)	Budda Baker S (Cardinals)	Jason Sanders K (Dolphins)	Johnny Hekker P (Rams)
8	Patrick Mahomes QB (Chiefs)	Dalvin Cook RB (Vikings)	Stephon Tuitt DE (Steelers)	Bobby Wagner LB (Seahawks)	Jakeem Grant WR/KR (Dolphins)	Ryan Succop K (Buccaneers)
9

Week FedEx Air Player of the Week (Quarterbacks) FedEx Ground Player of the Week (Running backs) Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week 1 Russell Wilson (Seahawks) Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs) C. J. Henderson CB (Jaguars) 2 Josh Allen (Bills) Aaron Jones (Packers) Justin Herbert QB (Chargers) 3 Russell Wilson (Seahawks) Dalvin Cook (Vikings) Brandon Aiyuk WR (49ers) 4 Tom Brady (Buccaneers) Joe Mixon (Bengals) Justin Herbert QB (Chargers) 5 Derek Carr (Raiders) Todd Gurley (Falcons) Justin Herbert QB (Chargers) 6 Ryan Tannehill (Titans) Derrick Henry (Titans) Justin Jefferson WR (Vikings) 7 Joe Burrow (Bengals) Jeff Wilson (49ers) Justin Herbert QB (Chargers) 8 Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) Dalvin Cook (Vikings) Justin Herbert QB (Chargers) 9

Month	Rookie of the Month
	Offensive	Defensive
Sept.	James Robinson RB (Jaguars)	Antoine Winfield Jr. S (Buccaneers)
Oct.	Justin Herbert QB (Chargers)	Jeremy Chinn S (Panthers)

Head coaching and front office personnel changes

Head coaches

Off-season

Team	Departing coach	Interim coach	Incoming coach	Reason for leaving	Notes
Carolina Panthers	Ron Rivera	Perry Fewell	Matt Rhule	Fired	Rivera was fired on December 3, 2019, after going 5–7 (.417) in the first 12 games of the season. In 8+ seasons as the Panthers head coach, he went 79–67–1 (.541), with four playoff appearances including three NFC South division titles and one Super Bowl appearance. Fewell, the defensive backs coach, took over on an interim basis and went 0–4 the rest of the season. Rhule, who spent the previous seven seasons as college football head coach of Temple and Baylor with a 47–43 (.522) record, was hired on January 7.
Cleveland Browns	Freddie Kitchens		Kevin Stefanski		Kitchens was fired on December 29, 2019, after going 6–10 (.375) in one season as head coach. Stefanski, who previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, was hired on January 13. He was on the Vikings staff for 14 years. This is his first head coaching position at any level.
Dallas Cowboys	Jason Garrett		Mike McCarthy	Contract expired	On January 5, the Cowboys announced they would not renew Garrett's contract, which expired January 14. The Cowboys were 85–67 (.559) in 9​1⁄2 seasons under Garrett, making the playoffs 3 times but never advancing past the divisional round. McCarthy was hired as the Cowboys' new coach on January 6. In 12+ seasons as the Green Bay Packers head coach, he had a record of 135–85–2 (.613) with nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title.
New York Giants	Pat Shurmur		Joe Judge	Fired	Shurmur was fired on December 30, 2019, after going 9–23 (.281) in two seasons as the Giants' head coach, with no playoff appearances. Judge was hired on January 8, after serving as the special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2015 to 2019, as well as the wide receivers coach in 2019. This is his first head coaching position at any level.
Washington Football Team	Jay Gruden	Bill Callahan	Ron Rivera		After an 0–5 start, Gruden was fired on October 7, 2019. He had a 35–49–1 (.418) record for his 5+ season tenure with the organization, with one playoff appearance. Callahan, the team's assistant head coach/offensive line coach, was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003, with a record of 15–17 (.469) and one Super Bowl appearance; he finished out the 2019 season with a 3–8 (.273) record. Rivera, who had spent most of the previous nine seasons as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, was hired on January 1, 2020.

In-season

Team	Departing coach	Reason for leaving	Interim replacement	Notes
Atlanta Falcons	Dan Quinn	Fired	Raheem Morris	After an 0–5 start, Quinn was fired on October 11. He had a 43–42 (.506) record during his 5+ season tenure with the Falcons, with two playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance. Morris, the team's defensive coordinator, was previously the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a record of 17–31 (.354) and no playoff appearances.
Houston Texans	Bill O'Brien		Romeo Crennel	After an 0–4 start, O'Brien was fired on October 5. He had a 52–48 (.520) record during his 6+ season tenure with the Texans, with four AFC South titles. Crennel, the team's associate head coach, was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, with a combined record of 28–55 (.337) and no playoff appearances. At age 73, he is the oldest head coach in NFL history.

Front office personnel

Off-season

Team	Position	Departing office holder	Incoming office holder	Reason for leaving	Notes
Cleveland Browns	GM	John Dorsey	Andrew Berry	Mutual decision	Dorsey and the Browns parted ways on December 31, 2019, after three seasons. Berry was hired on January 28, 2020 as general manager and executive vice president of football operations. He served as the Philadelphia Eagles' vice president of football operations in 2019, and had worked for the Browns from 2016 to 2018 as vice president of player personnel. At age 32, he is the youngest general manager in NFL history.
Jacksonville Jaguars	EVP-FO	Tom Coughlin	Position eliminated	Fired	Coughlin was fired on December 18, 2019, after three seasons with the Jaguars. The team announced after the season that Coughlin's position will not be filled.
Washington Football Team	President	Bruce Allen	Jason Wright		Allen was fired December 30, 2019, after ten years with the team. Wright, a former NFL running back who later served as a partner at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, was hired on August 17, 2020. He is the first black team president in NFL history.

In-season

Team	Position	2020 office holder	Reason for leaving	Interim replacement	Notes
Atlanta Falcons	GM	Thomas Dimitroff	Fired	TBA	After an 0–5 start, Dimitroff was fired on October 11 after 12 seasons.
Houston Texans		Bill O'Brien		Jack Easterby	O'Brien was officially named general manager of the team during the 2020 offseason, after splitting general manager duties with Easterby, the executive vice president of football operations, and other team executives in 2019. His tenure was lowlighted by trading away star WR Deandre Hopkins. Easterby took over GM duties for the rest of the season.

Stadiums

Stadium changes

• This is the first season that the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams share SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Rams had played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2016 to 2019 and the Chargers had played at Dignity Health Sports Park from 2017 to 2019. SoFi Stadium became the third stadium, and second in current use, since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger to be shared by two NFL teams (MetLife Stadium is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, as was its predecessor, Giants Stadium).
• The Las Vegas Raiders relocated from Oakland to the Las Vegas area and now play their home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
• Prior to this season, the Buffalo Bills had a buyout window in their lease with their home stadium, allowing them to cancel it for a $29 million fee. The Bills were not expected to opt out of the lease, since plans for a future Buffalo Bills stadium are still in early preliminary discussions as of 2019 and conditions in the lease also prohibited the late founding owner Ralph Wilson and his estate from selling the franchise to anyone who would relocate the team out of Buffalo, which current owners Kim and Terry Pegula have no plans to do. On January 31, the team formally declined the buyout option. Since the Bills chose not to opt out, the team cannot exit the lease until it expires at the end of the 2022 season.
  • On July 15, New Era Cap Company cancelled its naming rights agreement on the Bills' stadium due to overall financial struggles. The Bills intend to seek a new naming rights sponsor for the stadium, which is known as "Bills Stadium" until a new sponsor is found.
• 2020 is the last season in which Mercedes-Benz will be the naming rights sponsor for the New Orleans Saints's Louisiana Superdome.

COVID-19 restrictions

The NFL is allowing teams to admit spectators to games if allowed under local health orders. As of October 26, 18 teams had confirmed plans to admit spectators at a reduced capacity for home games. The majority of teams played without spectators through September and continued to do so into October. Most teams left open the possibility of spectators later in the season if conditions improve. The Las Vegas Raiders have ruled out spectators for the entire season, as Raiders' owner Mark Davis stated it would be unfair to allow some season ticket holders to attend but not others. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's competition committee assessed that having spectators did not create a competitive advantage despite some coaches and executives disagreeing.

If spectators are admitted, they must wear face masks and may be required to sign a liability waiver. On-field entertainment is prohibited, including cheerleaders, mascots, marching bands, and flag wavers/holders, along with end zone-to-end zone American flag displays. To reduce the proximity of spectators to the field, the league requires the first six to eight rows of seats to be blocked with tarps. Halftime shows may be held, but only off-site.

The NFL initially mandated the use of artificial crowd noise inside all stadiums with attendance below 10,000, consisting of a non-dynamic ambience track that would play at around 70 decibels. The audio is monitored by the league, and teams may face sanctions if they are found to have manipulated it (such as by changing its volume). On September 25, these rules were adjusted, allowing the ambiance to be played at up to 80 decibels. The volume must be determined before the game and remain consistent through the entire game. Also, the minimum attendance required to turn off the crowd noise was reduced to 2,500.

As part of Microsoft's sponsorship of the NFL, a "Fan Mosaic" feature powered by Microsoft Teams will be featured on stadium video boards during select games.

Team	Games with spectators allowed	Limitations	Source
Arizona	Some	Will play at least their first two home games behind closed doors. The Cardinals were allowed to have up to 1,200 fans in Week 7.
Atlanta	Some	Played their Week 1 home opener behind closed doors. The team tested stadium operations and protocols by hosting 500 friends, family, and associates in Week 3 in order to determine the capacity limit for the team's Week 5 game.
Baltimore	Some	Played their first three home games behind closed doors; will allow up to 3,000 fans in lower bowl seats along with fans in suites beginning Week 8.
Buffalo	None	Current New York state health orders prohibit spectators at any sporting event. Local officials will recommend a 10% capacity, up to 7,000 fans; Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo indicated initial willingness to approve the plan if social distancing is upheld but never gave final approval after an uptick in cases.
Carolina	Some	Played behind closed doors for their home opener; admitted up to 5,240 fans (7% capacity) beginning in Week 4, with a tentative plan to increase fan capacity for the team's next home game in Week 6.
Chicago	None	Will play behind closed doors until further notice.
Cincinnati	Some	Played behind closed doors its home opener, then admitted up to 6,000 spectators for its next home game, and will admit 12,000 for each home game moving forward.
Cleveland	All	Admitted 6,000 spectators for its first two home games and will admit 12,000 for each home game moving forward.
Dallas	All	Allowed up to 20,000 fans—25% of AT&T Stadium's seating capacity, for their home opener; capacity for remaining games to be determined.
Denver	Some	Played with a limited crowd of 500 friends, family, and associates during their home opener, has allowed up to 5,700 spectators—7.5% of Empower Field at Mile High's seating capacity—since Week 3, with the possibility to increase fan attendance later in the season.
Detroit	None	Will play at least their first two home games behind closed doors.
Green Bay	None	Indefinite hold on hosting fans this season due to local rise in cases in early October.
Houston	Some	Played behind closed doors for their Week 2 home opener; will allow up to 13,300 fans (20% capacity) beginning in Week 4.
Indianapolis	All	Allowed 2,500 spectators for their home opener. Seeking approval to allow spectators at 15% capacity for remaining games.
Jacksonville	All	Allowing spectators at 25% capacity.
Kansas City	All	Plans to allow spectators at 22% capacity. The team plans to only offer individual tickets during the first few weeks of the season, and only admit season ticketholders thereafter.
Las Vegas	None	No spectators for the entire season.
Los Angeles Chargers	None	Will play behind closed doors until further notice.
Los Angeles Rams
Miami	All	In May, the team unveiled a concept for how it would adapt Hard Rock Stadium to suit safety recommendations and restrict attendance to 15,000. The team will admit 13,000 for each home game. On October 7, Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis gave clearance to allow full attendance in stadiums; however, the Dolphins chose to maintain its 13,000 fan limit.
Minnesota	None	Has admitted a limited number of family members of team staff since Week 3 to test stadium operations and protocols, but games remain closed to the public.
New England	None	Will play at least their first two home games behind closed doors.
New Orleans	Some	Played behind closed doors for their first three home games. Louisiana gave approval for the Saints to have fans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome starting with Week 3; however, the city denied the Saints permission to have fans for their next two games. The Saints were allowed to have up to 3,000 fans in Week 7.
New York Giants	None	Will play behind closed doors until further notice. MetLife Stadium prohibits spectators at sporting events per an executive order from Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy.
New York Jets
Philadelphia	Some	Played their first two home games behind closed doors; will allow 7,500 fans beginning with Week 6.
Pittsburgh	Some	Played their first two home games behind closed doors; will allow up to 5,500 fans beginning with Week 5.
San Francisco	None	Will play behind closed doors until further notice.
Seattle	None	Will play at least their first four home games behind closed doors.
Tampa Bay	Some	Played their Week 2 home opener behind closed doors; for Week 4, only season-ticket holders who had season tickets since 1998 or earlier were allowed to attend; beginning in Week 6, spectator capacity will be limited to 25%.
Tennessee	Some	Played behind closed doors for their home opener, then will allow a limited amount of fans—between 10 and 15% capacity—for their October home games. The team is tentatively planning to increase their fan capacity to 21% for games in November and December.
Washington	Some	Will play behind closed doors until further notice. The team will allow a limited number of season ticket holders to attend the game beginning with week 9.

Uniforms

Uniform changes

Eight teams unveiled uniform changes, ranging from minor adjustments to full rebrands.

• Atlanta: On April 8, the Falcons unveiled new uniforms, featuring a matte shell helmet, a larger helmet logo, silver facemasks, new fonts for the numbers, and a prominent "ATL" placed above the numbers. The team returned to black as the primary jersey color. A new alternate jersey features a red gradient.
• Cleveland: On April 15, the Browns revealed new uniforms that reverted to the design used prior to 2015. Some elements of the 2015 style were retained, including the brighter shade of orange, the modernized version of block numbers, and brown facemasks.
• Indianapolis: On April 13, the Colts announced that serifs were added to their jersey numbers similar to the design used in the 1950s and 1960s and revealed a new modernized wordmark and secondary logo that features the outline of Indiana carved out of a "C". They also introduced a new color, anvil black.
• Los Angeles Chargers: On March 24, the Chargers announced that they would eliminate navy blue from their official branding, building on their 2019 change of the primary jersey color to powder blue. They also debuted a modified logo and a new wordmark to reflect this. On April 21, the Chargers revealed new uniforms, which use elements from previous sets, including numbers on the helmets and the addition of a navy blue alternate set.
• Los Angeles Rams: On March 23, the Rams unveiled new logos and color scheme. The new colors are brighter shades of the royal blue and gold used on their 1999 throwback jerseys, dubbed "Rams Royal" and "Sol" by the team, respectively. The team's new logo features a stylized "LA" with a ram's horn spiraling out from the top of the "A". The team unveiled new uniforms on May 13. Notable features include the addition of an off-white "Bone" away jersey, team wordmark logo patches on the right side of the chest and a unique fabric for the numbers. The helmet also has a metallic "Rams Royal" colored shell and a new ram horn design to match the logos.
• New England: The Patriots former all-blue alternate design became the primary home uniform set, with updated block letters and numbers and blue/red/white socks. A corresponding white jersey was also unveiled and will also be paired with the blue pants. Both uniforms feature truncated shoulder striping as a nod to the "Pat Patriot" uniforms.
• Tampa Bay: On April 7, the Buccaneers unveiled new uniforms resembling the ones used from 1997 to 2013, including that design's block numbers, black masks, pewter pants, and all-white road set. Some elements of the previous design remain, including the enlarged flag-and-crossed-swords logo and the secondary ship logo on the sleeves. The team also unveiled an all-pewter alternate uniform.
• Washington: On July 23, the franchise announced it would play the season as the "Washington Football Team" and dropped the Redskins logo. However, they retained the color scheme. The team's uniforms essentially remained the same, but without the helmet stripe and with the logo being replaced by the player's jersey number in gold, as well as a "Washington" wordmark on the chest replacing "Redskins."

Patches

• Arizona: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Famer Larry Wilson, with his number 8 enclosed in either a black circle (red and white jersey) or white circle (black jersey).
• Dallas: An "Established in 1960" patch to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the team's inception.
• Las Vegas: A patch to commemorate the team's inaugural season in Las Vegas.
• Miami: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, featuring his name and the number 347 to signify his NFL record career victories.
• New York Jets: A patch to commemorate the death of philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson — the mother of Jets CEO Christopher Johnson.
• Washington: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, with his number 49 enclosed in a black circle.

Media

Broadcast rights

Television

This is the seventh year under the current broadcast contracts with CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season, regardless of the conference of the visiting team. NBC continues to air Sunday Night Football, the Kickoff Game, and the Thanksgiving night game. ESPN continues to air Monday Night Football and a Wild Card Game with the latter being simulcast on ABC. ESPN and ABC were also scheduled to air the 2021 Pro Bowl, but the game was canceled. Fox continues to air Thursday Night Football alongside NFL Network.

CBS will televise Super Bowl LV. NBC was originally scheduled to broadcast the game under the current rotation. However, NBC traded the game to CBS in exchange for Super Bowl LVI, which will fall during the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first to be scheduled during an ongoing Olympic Games (NBC also holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the Olympics).

As of the 2019 season, local stations in markets with NFL teams have been allowed on to air another NFL game opposite the game involving that city's home team on a limited basis. Cities were initially limited to two such games per season. This was expanded to four in 2020.

Although ESPN's current MNF deal expires in 2021 and the contracts with CBS, Fox, and NBC end in 2022, the NFL may begin negotiations on new broadcast deals in 2020. Prior to this season, the league had the option to cancel DirecTV's exclusive contract to air NFL Sunday Ticket, the league's out-of-market sports package. However, the NFL did not opt out.

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Monday Night Football, ESPN simulcast the September 21, New Orleans at Las Vegas game as a Megacast on ABC (simulcasting the main ESPN broadcast as its first regular season contest since 2005) and ESPN2 airing an alternate broadcast with various guests joining throughout the game.

CBS and NBC acquired rights to the two new Wild Card Round games, with each network paying around $70 million for the additional game. CBS plans to air an alternate broadcast for this game on sister network Nickelodeon, oriented toward a youth audience. NBC will air its game in Spanish on Telemundo.

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports renewed its broadcast rights to the NFL under a five-year deal, marking its 25th season of coverage. It also announced that it would devote its multiplex channel Sky Sports Action exclusively to NFL programming and coverage during the season, temporarily rebranding it as Sky Sports NFL. It marks the first time that the NFL has partnered on a league-oriented channel in an international market. ViacomCBS-owned free-to-air channel Channel 5 also acquired rights to air Monday Night Football (marking the league's return to the network for the first time since 2009), with a Los Angeles-based studio show featuring Maurice Jones-Drew, and a weekly magazine show, NFL End Zone, hosted by Cori Yarckin.

Digital

On April 29, Amazon renewed its digital rights to Thursday Night Football through the 2022 season, maintaining the existing arrangement to simulcast the 11 games aired by Fox on Prime Video and for free on Twitch, and offer alternative broadcasts of the games on the two services. It also added exclusive worldwide rights to one late-season game per-season, which will be produced by CBS and simulcast on over-the-air stations in the two teams' home markets. Amazon also acquired rights to simulcast the additional AFC Wild Card game assigned to CBS.

This season, the TNF games include a new "Scout's Feed" broadcast featuring extended play analysis by Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, and a new "NFL Next Live" feed on Twitch hosted by Cari Champion and Andrew Hawkins and, which will feature viewer interactivity. The British English broadcasts were dropped this season. For supplemental content, Amazon is expanding its Tuesday-night studio program NFL Next, and introducing two new interactive programs on Twitch — the Hawkins and Kyle Long-hosted NFL Comment Box, and the Chad Johnson and Kyle Long-hosted The NFL Machine (which will feature presentations of content from the NFL Films archives).

Personnel

Tony Romo, CBS' lead color commentator, renewed his contract with CBS in a long-term, $17 million per-year deal, the most lucrative contract for a commentator in NFL history.

CBS parted ways with #2 commentator Dan Fouts and replaced him with Fox's #2 commentator Charles Davis. Fox utilized Daryl Johnston in this spot.

To reduce his workload and travel, NBC Sunday Night Football lead commentator Al Michaels will take several games off in favor of Mike Tirico (including the Thanksgiving night game, which has already been assigned to Tirico in recent seasons).

ESPN replaced its former Monday Night Football commentator team of Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick. Levy and Griese had been a broadcast team for ESPN's college football coverage prior to their Monday Night Football assignment, Levy also served as ESPN's lead XFL play-by-play voice. Fellow college football announcing duo Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit called the first game of the Week 1 MNF doubleheader.Herbstreit also worked the ESPN2 Monday Night Megacast broadcast with Rece Davis during the Week 2 MNF game.

After using a homophobic slur during a Cincinnati Reds game, Thom Brennaman was removed from Fox's NFL broadcasts for 2020. Brennaman, who also worked for the Reds, was suspended from doing games “until further notice”. He later resigned from that role. Kevin Kugler replaced Brennaman.

Impact of COVID-19 on production

Broadcasters are allowed up to 46 staff members at each game. Sideline reporters are not allowed on the field. CBS Fox and NBC have commentators on-site, but some production is conducted remotely from the networks' headquarters. The NFL requires personnel returning from outside of the United States to quarantine for 14 days before returning to work; Fox commentator Kenny Albert missed the first two weeks of the season due to this requirement. He previously was in Canada working NBC's coverage of the National Hockey League playoffs through September 10.

The league is providing an enhanced artificial crowd noise track to be used by its broadcasters, separate from the non-dynamic crowd noise that is used at stadiums below 2,500 in attendance. The soundtrack uses crowd audio collected by NFL Films from past games involving the home team, including general ambience, team-specific chants, and contextual reactions. It is mixed by a local sound engineer at the stadium in synchronization with the game. Fox had explored the possibility of masking empty stands with CGI crowds. Fox introduced such a system on-air for its Major League Baseball broadcasts, and later announced that it planned to employ the technology for selected NFL games.

NBC ruled out virtual fans, citing the large number of camera angles that would have to be configured for it. The network added a 180-degree 8K resolution camera to the Skycam unit for "intimate" overhead views, supplanting wide-angle shots that would expose stands with little to no spectators. At games played with no spectators, CBS plans to allow its Skycam to be in positions over the stands that are not usually allowed in order to provide new angles.

The pandemic has also affected pre-game shows: ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and NFL Network's NFL GameDay Kickoff are not traveling to game sites this season, instead being broadcast from their respective networks' stdios. Fox NFL Sunday panelist Jimmy Johnson announced that he would contribute from his home in Florida, rather than join the rest of the panel at the Fox Sports studio in Los Angeles.

Most watched regular season games

• DH = doubleheader; SNF = Sunday Night Football; MNF = Monday Night Football; TNF = Thursday Night Football

Rank	Date	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	TV rating	Window	Significance
1	September 13, 4:25 ET	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23	New Orleans Saints	34	Fox	25.9	13.1	Late DH	Buccaneers–Saints rivalry, Tom Brady's Buccaneers debut
2	October 25, 4:25 ET	San Francisco 49ers	33	New England Patriots	6	CBS	22.9	12.4	Late DH	Jimmy Garoppolo's return to New England
2	October 25, 4:25 ET	Kansas City Chiefs	43	Denver Broncos	16		22.9	12.4	Late DH	Broncos–Chiefs rivalry
4	October 11, 4:25 ET	New York Giants	34	Dallas Cowboys	37		22.8	12.2	Late DH	Cowboys–Giants rivalry
5	September 27, 4:25 ET	Dallas Cowboys	31	Seattle Seahawks	38	Fox	22.8	11.8	Late DH
6	November 1, 4:25 ET	New Orleans Saints	26	Chicago Bears	23		22.7	12.0	Late DH
7	October 18, 4:25 ET	Green Bay Packers	10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	38		22.3	11.9	Late DH
8	September 10, 8:20 ET	Houston Texans	20	Kansas City Chiefs	34	NBC	20.5	11.2	Kickoff	NFL Kickoff Game
9	September 13, 8:20 ET	Dallas Cowboys	17	Los Angeles Rams	20		18.9	13.2	SNF
10	September 20, 4:25 ET	Kansas City Chiefs	23	Los Angeles Chargers	20	CBS	18.9	10.1	Late DH	Chargers–Chiefs rivalry

*Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.

1. ^{^} TB/NO was shown in 91% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
2. ^{^} NYG/DAL was shown in 86% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
3. ^{^} DAL/SEA was shown in 72% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
4. ^{^} NO/CHI was shown in 76% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
5. ^{^} GB/TB was showin in 100% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
6. ^{^} KC/LAC was shown in 73% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.