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2025 NFL schedule ‘leaks’ & predictions
The 2025-26 NFL schedule will be released Wednesday night, but we already know a handful of games thanks to some strategically-timed “leaks.” Let’s take a look at which games we know so far, and check out some predictions our writers have for more games this year.
2025 schedule leaks — Games we know so far
- Season opener: The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will kick off the year by hosting division rival Dallas Cowboys on September 4.
- First Friday: The Chiefs and Eagles swap spots from last year, with Kansas City playing in Brazil this time around. They’ll take on their division rival Los Angeles Chargers on September 5. (Note: Technically, the Chargers are the only confirmed team for that game, but the Chiefs are expected to be their opponent.)
- Christmas night: Speaking of the Chiefs, they’ve become sort of a mainstay on Christmas Day. For the third year in a row K.C. will play on December 25, with this year’s game against fellow AFC West squad Denver Broncos.
- Week before Christmas: A week prior to Christmas, we’ll get a banger double header on December 20. We’ll see the Eagles vs. Washington Commanders and the Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears, with the order of those games TBA.
- Black Friday: The Eagles and Bears will have another high profile game the month prior, facing off on Black Friday, live on Prime Video.
- International lineup: Seven games have been confirmed to take place outside of the U.S., with the Commanders and Miami Dolphins playing the NFL’s first game in Madrid, Spain, on November 16. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings play two games overseas: one in Dublin, Ireland, and another in London, England.
2025 schedule predictions
- Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams to play on Christmas: “If the Texans get another Christmas Day game this year, it could make them a premier team to get that game every year, or at least close to every year. But, this time I think the flashy game will be the Los Angeles Rams, who are primed to take another step after almost beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the postseason last year. Think about C.J. Stroud against Matt Stafford, Davante Adams against Derek Stingley. That matchup is going to be huge.” —Justin Churchill
- Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills to be a Sunday late window kickoff on CBS: “Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen will be a quarterback battle that garners plenty of attention from around the league. This is exactly why CBS will want to keep it on their station. Knowing how well the Bengals rate for them in these marquee AFC showdowns, this feels like a 4:25 kickoff with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call.” —John Sheeran
- Tampa Bay Bucs to open at home on MNF: “The NFL has a very good chance to give a very good Bucs team its due this year and that's exactly what will happen. Since the Tampa Bay Rays are playing at home on September 7, the Bucs will get to kick off the 2025 season on Monday night, in primetime and in Ray Jay, against any one of their home opponents not named the Eagles (most likely the 9ers).” —Evan Winter
- Cleveland Browns to be scheduled for just two primetime games: “Following their 3-11 campaign, expectations for the Browns are low in 2025. Their gamble on Deshaun Watson didn’t pay off, and the team now finds itself in a slight rebuild. Cleveland is expected to be young at several key positions as new players grow into their roles. Don’t expect the Browns to appear in many primetime games this season. While they have the potential to develop a strong offense, growing pains are likely—especially with two rookie quarterbacks currently on the roster.” —Brandon Little
- Detroit Lions to play the New York Giants on Thanksgiving: “The Giants are pretty likely to have one of the league's top rookie quarterbacks in Jaxson Dart. He'll lead a fun offense that has Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, and Wan'Dale Robinson. Then that defensive line with Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence is fun as well.” —Mike Payton
- Aaron Rodgers (with the Pittsburgh Steelers) to return to New York in Week 1: “What better way to kick off the season than having [Rodgers] return to the Big Apple against the New York Jets … Starting off Week 1 with a bang as Rodgers aims to get revenge on the team that said thanks, but no thanks, seems like a good place to start.” —Rob Gregson
- Mike Vrabel's return to Tennessee to get primetime slot: “It's very fitting that the Patriots are set to travel to Tennessee to face off against the Titans in Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach in New England. And considering Vrabel was head coach there for six seasons, from 2018 to 2023, this is going to be one that a lot of people will be interested in … Plus, Maye vs. 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward...” —Sophie Weller
- Indianapolis Colts to receive the least amount of primetime games in the AFC South: “The Texans and C.J. Stroud have earned the right to receive that type of game … Cam Ward and Travis Hunter will be enticing players for the NFL, and I think they get thrown a few extra primetime games as a result. The Colts will be traveling to Germany for a game, so they will at least have one. But I'm not expecting to see many others.” —Destin Adams
Derek Carr retires — Who’s next at QB for the Saints?
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr announced Saturday that he is retiring from the NFL. It was a shocking decision but an understandable one, given that Carr has recently dealt with a myriad of painful injuries (shoulder, hand, head).
Carr was due to make a whopping $40 million this year, but will forgo $30 million of that due to his retirement. The Saints could have tried to seek reimbursement for that remaining $10 million, but ultimately decided to let him keep it.
Now, with the Saints’ QB position in question, there are a few directions the team could go for their long-term option. Our guy Adam Holt highlighted five QBs who could replace Carr:
Tyler Shough: “This feels like the most likely option, at least for next season. Shough was the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Kellen Moore has plenty of confidence in his makeup to be a long-term QB answer in the pros.”
Teddy Bridgewater: “We went from most likely, to potentially least likely here. Bridgewater is currently coaching football and loving every second of that. As the head coach of Miami Northwestern, it is a tough prediction to see him as a starting quarterback anytime in the near future. He may not even field any interest from teams until very late in the year, which would be in the middle of this season. Bridgewater does have strong ties to the Saints from his previous stint with the team earlier in his playing career.”
Jameis Winston: “A trade with the New York Giants has been floated around social media, but the fit does not make sense to me. Winston is a gunslinger type that has proven to not take care of the football in most of his experience at the pro level. Feels like Kellen Moore would target a higher-floor, more predictable option for his signal-caller for the Saints.”
Aaron Rodgers: “The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be the most likely landing spot for Rodgers. The former MVP talent may consider the Saints if they come knocking, but I think New Orleans should choose a better option if they want to hit a bit of a reset. Adding Rodgers to the mix at QB would not accomplish that.” Evan Winter addressed this possibility further in a recent piece.
2026 NFL Draft QB: “Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, and Cade Klubnik are all popular options early in 2026 NFL Draft mocks so far. Drew Allar and LaNorris Sellers are two other wildcard prospects with intriguing physical attributes. This would be a "look-ahead" route for Kellen Moore's squad in every way.”
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