2016 NFL season

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
Site	Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

The 2016 NFL season, the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), began on Thursday, September 8, 2016, with the defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers 21–20 in the NFL Kickoff Game. 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 to another state, as the former St. Louis Rams moved out of St. Louis, Missouri and returned to Los Angeles, 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 expiring contracts and to whom desire to retain a Right of Refusal/Compensation, submitted a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2015 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued 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

• On March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso, and a 2016 first-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2016 first-round draft pick.^[6]
• On March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray along with a 2016 fourth-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick.^[7]
• On March 11, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Mark Sanchez to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick.^[8]
• 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.^[9]
• On March 16, the Chicago Bears traded tight end Martellus Bennett along with a 2016 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick.^[10]
• On April 9, the Denver Broncos traded offensive tackle Ryan Clady and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick.^[11]
• On August 16, the Tennessee Titans traded wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for G/T Dennis Kelly.^[12]
• On September 3, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2017 first-round draft pick and conditional 2018 fourth-round draft pick.^[13]

Draft

The 2016 NFL Draft was held between 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

• Oakland Raiders' defensive back Charles Woodson announced he would retire from professional football at the end of the 2015 season on December 21, 2015. He played eighteen seasons, starting with the Raiders for eight seasons and after spending seven with the Green Bay Packers, he returned to the Raiders for his final three seasons. He was the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009 season and is tied with Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper for most career defensive touchdowns with 13.
• Seattle Seahawks' running back Marshawn Lynch announced his retirement from professional football on February 7, 2016. Lynch played nine seasons, four with the Buffalo Bills and the final five with the Seahawks. Lynch was a five-time Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing touchdowns two seasons (2013–2014), co-led in total touchdowns one season (2014), and won a championship title with the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.
• Carolina Panthers' defensive end Jared Allen announced his retirement from professional football on February 18, 2016. Allen played twelve seasons, his first four with the Kansas City Chiefs, then six with the Minnesota Vikings, and spent his last two seasons with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. A five-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection, Allen tallied 136 quarterback sacks during his career. In 2011, Allen had 22 sacks but fell 0.5 sacks short of the single season NFL record held by former New York Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan.
• Denver Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning announced his retirement from professional football on March 7, 2016, exactly one month after the Broncos defeated the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Manning played in the NFL for seventeen seasons — the first thirteen with the Indianapolis Colts (1998–2010), before missing the entire 2011 season due to recovery from neck surgery, then played the last four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos (2012–2015). Manning appeared in four Super Bowls (two with Indianapolis, two with Denver) and won one with each team — Super Bowl XLI and Super Bowl 50.
• Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced his retirement from professional football, one day after Manning on March 8, 2016. Johnson played his entire nine-year career with the Lions, including six Pro Bowl selections and three First Team All-Pro selections. He also set a single-season record for receiving yards in 2012 with 1,964.
• Carolina Panthers' cornerback Charles Tillman announced his retirement from professional football on July 18, 2016. Tillman, nicknamed "Peanut", spent the first twelve years of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears (2003–2014), before signing with the Panthers in 2015. Tillman was a two-time Pro Bowler, and forced 42 fumbles during his first twelve seasons, the most of any defensive back since the statistic was first recorded in 1984.
• Miami Dolphins' wide receiver Greg Jennings announced his retirement from professional football on July 25, 2016. Jennings spent his first seven seasons with the Packers and was a member of their 2010 championship team that won Super Bowl XLV. He then spent his remaining three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Jennings was a two-time Pro Bowler.
• Miami Dolphins' running back Arian Foster announced his retirement from professional football on October 25, 2016. Foster spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Houston Texans from 2009–2015, but played only four games with the Dolphins in 2016. Foster was plagued by injuries in the last two seasons of his career, including a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2015. Foster is the Texans' franchise leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, rushing yards in a single season (a league-leading 1,616 in 2010), most rushing touchdowns in a single season and became the first player in NFL history to have 100+ rushing yards in his first three postseason games.^[14]

Preseason

Training camps for the 2016 season was held in late July through August. Teams started 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 played four preseason exhibition games, beginning on Thursday, August 11 with a slate of seven locally televised games. The preseason schedule was originally to begin with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on the evening of Sunday, August 7, featuring the Green Bay Packers vs. the Indianapolis Colts, but the game was canceled due to uncertainty over the safety of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium's newly installed artificial turf.^[15] As in previous years, the canceled game would have featured teams with prominent alumni being inducted: Brett Favre for the Packers, and Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy for the Colts.

The 64-game preseason schedule wrapped up on Thursday, September 1, one week before the start of the regular season.^[16]

Regular season

The 2016 regular season features 256 games to be played out over a seventeen-week schedule which began on Thursday, September 8, 2016. Each of the league's 32 teams play a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team scheduled between weeks 4-13. The slate also features games on Monday night. There are 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 will conclude with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, January 1, 2017, all of which will 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:

• NFL Kickoff Game: The 2016 season began on Thursday, September 8, 2016, with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl. The defending Super Bowl 50 champions, the Denver Broncos, hosted the Carolina Panthers at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC. This was the first time since the Kickoff game was established that it was a rematch of the previous Super Bowl and the first such meeting of both Super Bowl participants during the first week of the next season since the 1970 season when the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs held a rematch of Super Bowl IV to kick off the new post-merger era of the National Football League. The Broncos debuted Trevor Siemian as their new starting quarterback; Siemian had been the Broncos' third-string quarterback and ascended to the starting position after Peyton Manning, their starting quarterback for the 2012 through 2015 seasons, retired following Super Bowl 50, and second-stringer Brock Osweiler left as a free agent for the Houston Texans. The Broncos rallied from a ten-point deficit to win 21–20.
• International Series: Four games were played internationally this season. Three of the games were played in London, England and the fourth was played in Mexico City, Mexico. The Jacksonville Jaguars played host to the Indianapolis Colts on October 2 at Wembley Stadium, marking the fourth of at least eight consecutive years in which the Jaguars will host a game in London; the previously winless Jaguars won, 30–27. On October 23, in the first-ever NFL game at Twickenham Stadium also in London, the Los Angeles Rams hosted the New York Giants, with the Giants winning 17–10. The Cincinnati Bengals played host to the Washington Redskins on October 30 at Wembley Stadium in London^[17] and the game became the first London game to both go into overtime and end in a tie, with the final score tied at 27. Finally, on Monday, November 21, the Oakland Raiders hosted the Houston Texans at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, in the first-ever Monday night game to be played outside of the United States and the second regular-season contest to be held in Mexico (the first being the 2005 Fútbol Americano contest),^[18] with the Raiders winning 27–20.
• Thanksgiving Day games: As has been the case since 2006, three games were played on Thursday, November 24, 2016. The Detroit Lions hosted the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins, and the evening game, featured teams from the AFC since 2013, featured the Indianapolis Colts hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Christmas Day games: Christmas Day, December 25, falls on a Sunday in 2016. When this occurs (most recently in 2011), the Sunday afternoon games are moved to Saturday, Christmas Eve. This year, two games will be shown nationally on Christmas Day — Ravens at Steelers at 4:30 p.m. EST on the NFL Network, and Broncos at Chiefs at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
• New Year's Day Games: The NFL will play a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, January 1, 2017, to conclude the regular season. The College Football Playoff will play its semifinals on Saturday, December 31, 2016, while the other college bowl games traditionally move to Monday, January 2 when New Year's Day occurs on a Sunday. In contrast, the National Hockey League, which traditionally holds its showcase Winter Classic on New Year's Day afternoon but moved that contest to Monday in 2012, will not cede the afternoon to the NFL in 2017; that league has scheduled the Centennial Classic opposite the NFL's regional games for January 1, in addition to the 2017 Winter Classic on January 2. Both host teams for the NHL outdoor games are in markets that do not have an NFL team: Toronto and St. Louis respectively.

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

In-season scheduling changes

• Week 8: The Packers–Falcons game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, was switched to 4:25 p.m. ET in place of the originally-scheduled Cardinals–Panthers game, which was originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET (both games still on Fox).^[19]
• Week 12: The Chiefs–Broncos game, originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, was flexed into the 8:30 p.m. ET slot on NBC's Sunday Night Football, in place of the originally-scheduled Patriots–Jets game, which was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.^[20]
• Week 14: The Saints–Buccaneers game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, was switched to 4:25 p.m. ET, still on Fox. The Bears–Lions game was "cross-flexed" from Fox to CBS, still at 1:00 p.m. ET.^[21]

Regular season standings

Division

 †  Eliminated from playoff contention.

Conference

AFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1]	New England Patriots	East	9	2	0	.818	3–1	7–1	.414	.370	W2
2[lower-alpha 1]	Oakland Raiders	West	9	2	0	.818	2–1	6–1	.508	.470	W5
3[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]	Baltimore Ravens	North	6	5	0	.545	4–0	6–2	.439	.257	W1
4[lower-alpha 2]	Houston Texans	South	6	5	0	.545	3–0	4–3	.541	.448	L1
Wild Cards
5	Kansas City Chiefs	West	8	3	0	.727	3–0	6–2	.479	.455	W1
6[lower-alpha 4]	Miami Dolphins	East	7	4	0	.636	2–1	5–3	.415	.321	W6
In the Hunt
7[lower-alpha 4]	Denver Broncos	West	7	4	0	.636	1–3	4–3	.525	.448	L1
8[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 5]	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	6	5	0	.545	2–1	5–3	.521	.388	W2
9[lower-alpha 5]	Buffalo Bills	East	6	5	0	.545	1–3	3–4	.467	.364	W2
10	Tennessee Titans	South	6	6	0	.500	1–3	3–5	.439	.333	W1
11[lower-alpha 6]	Indianapolis Colts	South	5	6	0	.455	2–2	3–5	.484	.411	L1
12[lower-alpha 6]	San Diego Chargers	West	5	6	0	.455	1–3	4–5	.566	.500	W1
13	Cincinnati Bengals	North	3	7	1	.350	1–2	3–5	.561	.294	L2
14	New York Jets	East	3	8	0	.273	1–2	3–5	.504	.353	L3
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	2	9	0	.182	1–2	1–7	.529	.318	L6
Eliminated from postseason contention
16	Cleveland Browns	North	0	12	0	.000	0–4	0–8	.576	.000	L12
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
1 2 New England wins tie break over Oakland based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Houston based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head win percentage. 1 2 Miami wins tie break over Denver based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Pittsburgh wins tie break over Buffalo based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Indianapolis wins tie break over San Diego based on head-to-head win percentage. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

NFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	Dallas Cowboys	East	11	1	0	.917	3–1	7–1	.414	.386	W11
2	Seattle Seahawks	West	7	3	1	.682	1–1–1	3–3–1	.475	.494	L1
3[lower-alpha 1]	Detroit Lions	North	7	4	0	.636	2–2	5–2	.431	.437	W3
4[lower-alpha 1]	Atlanta Falcons	South	7	4	0	.636	3–1	5–3	.529	.526	W1
Wild Cards
5	New York Giants	East	8	3	0	.727	2–1	5–3	.435	.406	W6
6	Washington Redskins	East	6	4	1	.591	2–2	4–3	.548	.441	L1
In the Hunt
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	6	5	0	.545	2–1	5–3	.504	.447	W3
8	Minnesota Vikings	North	6	6	0	.500	1–3	4–6	.537	.500	L2
9[lower-alpha 2]	New Orleans Saints	South	5	6	0	.455	1–2	4–3	.533	.391	W1
10[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]	Green Bay Packers	North	5	6	0	.455	2–1	4–4	.528	.436	W1
11[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]	Philadelphia Eagles	East	5	6	0	.455	0–3	3–6	.532	.368	L2
12	Arizona Cardinals	West	4	6	1	.409	2–1–1	3–4–1	.447	.250	L2
13[lower-alpha 4]	Carolina Panthers	South	4	7	0	.364	1–3	4–4	.512	.330	L1
14[lower-alpha 4]	Los Angeles Rams	West	4	7	0	.364	2–1	3–5	.488	.477	L2
15	Chicago Bears	North	2	9	0	.182	2–1	2–5	.540	.565	L3
Eliminated from postseason contention
16	San Francisco 49ers	West	1	10	0	.091	1–3	1–7	.561	.364	L10
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
1 2 Detroit wins tie break over Atlanta based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 3 New Orleans wins tie break over Green Bay and Philadelphia based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Green Bay wins tie break over Philadelphia based on head-to-head win percentage. 1 2 Carolina wins tie break over Los Angeles based on head-to-head win percentage. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

Postseason

The 2016 playoffs begin with the Wild Card playoff round the weekend of January 7–8, 2017. The winner of each of the games will visit the top two seeded teams in each conference in the Divisional round games, which will then be played on the weekend of January 14–15, 2017. The winners of those games will advance to the Conference championship game, which will be held on January 22, 2017 with the NFC Championship Game at 3:05pm ET on Fox and the AFC Championship Game at 6:40pm ET on CBS. The 2017 Pro Bowl will be held at the recently renovated Camping World Stadium (the former Citrus Bowl stadium) in Orlando, Florida on January 29, 2017 and air on ESPN.^[22] Super Bowl LI will be held on February 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston on Fox.

Playoff-clinching scenarios for week 13

• The Dallas Cowboys can clinch a playoff berth with:
  • a loss or tie by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers OR
  • a loss by the Washington Redskins.^[23]

Eliminated from postseason contention

• Week 11: Cleveland Browns.
• Week 12: San Francisco 49ers.

Notable events

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 related to Deflategate; Brady dropped his appeal shortly thereafter and declined to take his case to the Supreme Court.^[24][25]

2016 deaths

The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) have died in 2016.^[26]

Dennis Green

Dennis Green died July 21. Green was named the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 1992, becoming the second full-time black head coach in NFL history (Art Shell, who had been hired for the Los Angeles Raiders three years prior, was the first). Green spent ten years coaching the Vikings, eight of them being playoff seasons, but never made it to the Super Bowl. He then took over the Arizona Cardinals from 2004 to 2006, to much less success, most infamously in the Monday Night Meltdown, in which he let off a tirade after losing a game. Green had also spent time as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers and as a broadcast commentator. Green was 67.^[27]

Buddy Ryan

James "Buddy" Ryan died June 28. Ryan, a head coach and defensive coordinator who served with six NFL teams over the course of his career, was credited with inventing the 46 defense. His contributions to the game were considered crucial to helping the New York Jets secure an upset win in Super Bowl III and played a key role in the Chicago Bears' rout in Super Bowl XX. His sons, Rex and Rob, are both coaches with the Buffalo Bills (a team the elder Ryan turned down a coaching offer from in the early years of his career). Ryan was 85.^[28][29]

Other notable deaths

Julius Adams, Caesar Belser, John Binotto, Cary Blanchard, Ron Brace, Clarence Brooks, Fred Bruney, Rudy Bukich, Dennis Byrd, Patrick Cain, Gail Cogdill, David Douglas, Ken Gorgal, Quentin Groves, Bob Harrison, Joe Hergert, Greg Horton, Gary Jeter, Paul Jetton, Curley Johnson, Ted Karras, Johnny Lattner, Jacky Lee, Mike McCoy (cornerback), Joe McKnight, Ted Marchibroda, Andy Maurer, Lou Michaels, Lawrence Phillips, Chuck Pitcock, Fred Quillan, Willie Richardson, Bill Robinson, Bryan Robinson, Leo Rucka, Will Smith, Bill Stanfill, Steve Thompson, Zurlon Tipton, Kevin Turner, Bill Wade, Fulton Walker, Tray Walker, Elmer Wingate, Al Wistert, John Wittenborn, George Yarno.

National anthem protests

In 2016, several professional athletes have protested the United States national anthem. The protests began in the NFL after San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the anthem, as opposed to the tradition of standing, before a preseason game.^[30]

Rule changes

The following rule changes were approved for the 2016 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 22, 2016:^[31]

• Allowing the offensive and defensive play callers on the coaching staffs to use the coach-to-player communication system regardless of whether they are on the field or in the coaches' booth.
• Permanently adopting the extra-point rules enacted in the 2015 NFL season. Extra point kicks will be from the 15 yard line, and defenses can return blocked PAT's, fumbles or interceptions on two-point tries for a two-point defensive conversion.
• Outlaw all chop blocks anywhere on the field. Previously, the chop block was legal when an offensive lineman chops a defensive player "while the defensive player is physically engaged above the waist by the blocking attempt of another offensive teammate".
• Expand the definition of a "horse-collar tackle" to include tackles where a player is grabbed by the jersey at or above the name plate and dragged to the ground.
• Making the act of calling time-out when not permitted to do so subject to a delay-of-game penalty (5 yards).
• Changing from a five-yard penalty to a loss of down when a receiver goes out of bounds and comes back in to illegally touch a forward pass.
• Eliminating multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul committed after a change of possession.

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

• Moving the touchback spot after kickoffs and other free kicks to the 25-yard line, similar to the NCAA rule adopted in the 2012 season (a touchback after a turnover or punt will still be placed on the 20-yard line). The goal for this rule change is to decrease the number of kickoff returns: kick returners may be more reluctant to bring the ball out from the end zone because of the greater risk of being tackled before reaching the 25-yard line. NFL officials concede that this may in fact increase kickoff returns because kickers may instead attempt to pin returners inside the 10-yard line.^[32]
• Players committing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the same game will be automatically ejected from the game. This was in response to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. committing three personal fouls in one game against the Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman without being ejected. This change is being referred to as the "Odell Beckham Rule". NFL officials, however, concede that this new rule would not have ejected Beckham since he committed personal fouls and not unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.^[33]

The following changes to instant replay rules were approved for the 2016 NFL season at the owners' meeting on May 24, 2016:^[34]

• Refining what is a reviewable play, including the following:
  • Plays involving possession.
  • Plays involving touching of either the ball or the ground.
  • Plays governed by the goal line.
  • Plays governed by the boundary lines.
  • Plays governed by the line of scrimmage.
  • Plays governed by the line to gain (1st down).
  • Number of players on the field at the snap.
  • Game administration (which includes correct application of the playing rules, proper down, spot of the foul for penalty application, and game clock status (running clock, not running clock, end of period)

Additional rule updates made for the 2016 season include:

• Banning players from wearing hoodies under their uniform shirts. This was adopted in response to Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones using that style in the 2015 season, which hid his name plate under the hood.^[35]
• Banning any coaches except for the head coach from entering the field of play, and then only to check on an injured player. This was in response to the incident involving Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter and several Cincinnati Bengals players, especially Adam Jones, during the 2015–16 NFL playoffs.^[35]
• If the coin does not flip (as it did during the 2015–16 NFL Playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals), during the pre-game or pre-OT toss, the Referee can re-toss the coin using the captain's original call.
• Practice squads can now have up to four players with two seasons of experience, an increase from the two players allowed the previous two years.^[36]
• Injury reports will no longer include the "probable" designation. The league had discouraged using the designation for anything beyond minor injuries after 2005 (in a game in which Michael Vick, listed as probable on the injury report, was also listed as inactive), to the point where almost all of the players who were being listed as probable ultimately played. The "questionable" category will now be broadened to include any injury that could possibly prevent a player from entering the game, while the "doubtful" category will likewise be generalized to include any player who is more likely to not play than play. Prior to 2016, each designation represented the approximate odds of the player seeing any playing time: 75 percent for probable, 50 percent for questionable and 25 percent for doubtful.^[37]

Records, milestones, and notable statistics

Week 1

• Cam Newton scored his 44th career rushing touchdown during the second quarter of the NFL Kickoff Game against the Denver Broncos, surpassing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young for the most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history. Newton, who had scored a passing touchdown in the first quarter, also surpassed Young for the most career games with both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown by a quarterback in NFL history, with 32.^[38]
• Drew Brees tied Peyton Manning for the most 400-yard passing games in a career (17 overall, regular season and postseason combined) by a starting quarterback during the Saints' loss to the Raiders.^[39]

Week 2

• Drew Brees surpassed Dan Marino for third place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list.^[40]

Week 4

• Frank Gore surpassed Marshall Faulk for 10th place on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list.^[41]
• Matt Ryan and Julio Jones became the first quarterback/wide receiver duo in NFL history with 500+ passing yards and 300+ receiving yards in a single game.^[42]
• Matthew Stafford broke the NFL record previously held by Dan Marino for most passing yards in a quarterback's first 100 games, with 27,174.^[43]

Week 5

• Bill Belichick won his 250th career game (including the post-season). He became the fourth head coach to reach this mark joining Don Shula (347 wins), George Halas (324) and Tom Landry (270).^[44]

Week 6

• Dak Prescott broke the NFL record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start a career, a record previously held by Tom Brady with 162 passes.^[45] He ran his streak to 176 pass attempts before throwing his first interception.^[46]
• Tom Brady became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record 5,000 career pass completions, preceded by Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.^[47]
• Drew Brees set an NFL record for the most regular season 400-yard passing games in a career by a quarterback with 15.^[48] Brees also became the sixth player to record 50,000 passing yards with one team, joining Peyton Manning (Colts), Brett Favre (Packers), Dan Marino (Dolphins), Tom Brady (Patriots) and John Elway (Broncos).^[49]

Week 7

• Jay Ajayi rushed for 214 yards against the Buffalo Bills. With his 204-yard rushing output the week before, Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for at least 200 yards in consecutive games, joining O.J. Simpson (who accomplished the feat twice), Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.^[50]
• Adam Vinateri set a new NFL record for most consecutive regular season field-goals made with 43, breaking the record that was held by Mike Vanderjagt.^[51] His streak ended at 44 after a miss against the same opponents at Week 11.^[52]
• Matt Ryan set an NFL record for the most consecutive games with at least 200 passing yards, with 46, during the Falcons' loss to the San Diego Chargers.^[53]
• The Seahawks-Cardinals matchup ended in a 6–6 tie, making it the first tie without a touchdown scored by either team since the introduction of the overtime period in 1974.^[54]

Week 8

• The Redskins–Bengals match ended in a 27–27 tie. It was the first time an International Series game had ended in a tie (and the first ever such game to have gone into overtime). It was also the first time since 1997 where two games ended in a tie in the same season.^[55]
• The Raiders were penalized 23 times for 200 yards during their 30–24 overtime win against the Buccaneers, setting a new NFL record for the most penalties against a team in a single game and a new franchise record for penalty yards in a game.^[56]

Week 9

• The San Francisco 49ers set an NFL record for allowing an opponent’s running back to run for 100 or more yards in seven consecutive games.^[57]

Week 10

• Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings became the first player in NFL history to have at least 13 catches in consecutive games after catching 13 balls in the game against the Washington Redskins.^[58]
• For the first time in NFL history, two different games on the same day, the Cowboys–Steelers matchup and the Seahawks–Patriots matchup, involved at least seven different lead changes.^[59]

Week 11

• A single-day record twelve point after touchdown attempts were missed, including three in domed stadiums.^[60]
• The Dallas Cowboys gained 417 total net yards in the team’s win over Baltimore. That marked the team’s eighth consecutive game with at least 400 yards, tied for the longest single-season streak in NFL history (2007 New England Patriots and 2013 Denver Broncos).^[61]
• Antonio Brown reached 600 catches in his 96th career game, the fewest games to reach the milestone in NFL history. Brown surpassed the previous mark held by Anquan Boldin, who reached 600 receptions in 98 career games.^[61]
• Steve Smith Sr. reached 1,000 catches, becoming the 14th player in NFL history to reach this mark.^[62]

Week 12

• With the New England Patriots' 22–17 victory over the New York Jets, Tom Brady joined Peyton Manning as only the second starting quarterback in NFL history to record 200 combined regular season and postseason wins.^[63] The Patriots' victory made them the first former American Football League franchise to record 500 all-time victories, including playoffs.^[64] Brady also became only the fifth quarterback to record 60,000 regular season passing yards, joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Drew Brees and Dan Marino.^[64]

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.[65] 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.[66]
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.[67] 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.[68]
Philadelphia Eagles	Chip Kelly	Pat Shurmur	Doug Pederson		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.[69] 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 and later offensive coordinator after the sudden resignation of Norv Turner. 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.[70]
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.[71] 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.[72]
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.[73] 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.[74]
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).[75] 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.[76]
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.[77] On January 14, McAdoo was promoted to head coach after serving as offensive coordinator with the team since 2014.[78]

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.[65] 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 Lewand.[79] 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.[80]
	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.[81] Grier, Dolphins' director of college scouting, appointed as the new GM on January 5, 2016.[82]
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.[69]
	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.[69]
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.[83] 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.[84]

Awards

Players of the week/month

The following were named the top performers during the 2016 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[85]	DeAngelo Williams (Steelers)	Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)	Whitney Mercilus (Texans)	Eric Kendricks (Vikings)	Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)	Sam Martin (Lions)
2[86]	Ryan Fitzpatrick (Jets)	Stefon Diggs (Vikings)	Von Miller (Broncos)	Marcus Cooper (Cardinals)	Lawrence Guy (Ravens)	Janoris Jenkins (Giants)
3[87]	Trevor Siemian (Broncos)	Carson Wentz (Eagles)	Marcus Peters (Chiefs)	Everson Griffen (Vikings)	Ryan Allen (Patriots)	Dustin Hopkins (Redskins)
Sept.[88]	LeGarrette Blount (Patriots)	Matt Ryan (Falcons)	Von Miller (Broncos)	Fletcher Cox (Eagles)	Justin Tucker (Ravens)	Dustin Hopkins (Redskins)
4[89]	Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)	Julio Jones (Falcons)	Zach Brown (Bills)	Aaron Donald (Rams)	Will Fuller (Texans)	Jon Ryan (Seahawks)
5[90]	Tom Brady (Patriots)	David Johnson (Cardinals)	Nickell Robey-Coleman (Bills)	Darius Slay (Lions)	Adam Vinatieri (Colts)	Jamison Crowder (Redskins)
6[91]	Jay Ajayi (Dolphins)	Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)	Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)	David Irving (Cowboys)	Drew Kaser (Chargers)	Wil Lutz (Saints)
7[92]	Jay Ajayi (Dolphins)	Davante Adams (Packers)	Denzel Perryman (Chargers)	Landon Collins (Giants)	Marquette King (Raiders)	Josh Huff (Eagles)
8[93]	Derek Carr (Raiders)	Jordan Howard (Bears)	Bradley Roby (Broncos)	Star Lotulelei (Panthers)	Shane Lechler (Texans)	Wil Lutz (Saints)
Oct.[94]	Tom Brady (Patriots)	David Johnson (Cardinals)	Lorenzo Alexander (Bills)	Cliff Avril (Seahawks)	Adam Vinatieri (Colts)	Matt Bryant (Falcons)
9[95]	Melvin Gordon (Chargers)	Matt Ryan (Falcons)	Khalil Mack (Raiders)	Landon Collins (Giants)	Jordan Todman (Colts)	Matt Prater (Lions)
10[96]	Marcus Mariota (Titans)	Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)	Eric Berry (Chiefs)	Kam Chancellor (Seahawks)	Justin Simmons (Broncos)	Johnny Hekker (Rams)
11[97]	Tom Brady (Patriots)	Kirk Cousins (Redskins)	Stephon Tuitt (Steelers)	Xavier Rhodes (Vikings)	Dan Carpenter (Bills)	Roberto Aguayo (Buccaneers)
12[98]	Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)	Mark Ingram (Saints)	Khalil Mack (Raiders)	Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants)	Justin Tucker (Ravens)	Matt Prater (Lions)
Nov.[99]	Marcus Mariota (Titans)	Kirk Cousins (Redskins)	Khalil Mack (Raiders)	Landon Collins (Giants)	Cairo Santos (Chiefs)	Matt Prater (Lions)
13
14
15
16
Dec.
17

Week FedEx Air Player of the Week (Quarterbacks)[100] FedEx Ground Player of the Week (Running Backs)[100] Pepsi Next Rookie of the Week[101] Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week[102] 1 Jameis Winston (Buccaneers) DeAngelo Williams (Steelers) Carson Wentz (Eagles) Derek Carr (Raiders) 2 Phillip Rivers (Chargers) Matt Forte (Jets) Corey Coleman (Browns) Marcus Mariota (Titans) 3 Trevor Siemian (Broncos) LeSean McCoy (Bills) Carson Wentz (Eagles) Su'a Cravens (Redskins) 4 Matt Ryan (Falcons) Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) Dak Prescott (Cowboys) Derek Carr (Raiders) 5 Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) Carson Wentz (Eagles) Roberto Aguayo (Buccaneers) 6 Drew Brees (Saints) Jay Ajayi (Dolphins) Jatavis Brown (Chargers) Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants) 7 Aaron Rodgers (Packers) Jay Ajayi (Dolphins) Joey Bosa (Chargers) Denzel Perryman (Chargers) 8 Derek Carr (Raiders) Jordan Howard (Bears) Dak Prescott (Cowboys) Derek Carr (Raiders) 9 Drew Brees (Saints) Latavius Murray (Raiders) Dak Prescott (Cowboys) Melvin Gordon (Chargers) 10 Marcus Mariota (Titans) DeMarco Murray (Titans) Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) 11 Kirk Cousins (Redskins) Rob Kelley (Redskins) Dak Prescott (Cowboys) Amari Cooper (Raiders) 12 Drew Brees (Saints) Mark Ingram (Saints) Noah Spence (Buccaneers) Derek Carr (Raiders) 13 14 15 16 17

Month Rookie of the Month Offensive Defensive Sept.[103] Carson Wentz (Eagles) Deion Jones (Falcons) Oct.[104] Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) Joey Bosa (Chargers) Nov.[105] Dak Prescott (Cowboys) Noah Spence (Buccaneers) Dec.

Stadiums

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are playing their 25th and final season at the Georgia Dome, with the team's new home field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, slated to open in 2017.^[106]

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are playing their first season at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Construction on the team's new home field in downtown Minneapolis wrapped up at the start of the 2016 season. The new stadium is built on the site of the Vikings' former home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was demolished after the 2013 season.^[107]

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.^[108] 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.^[109] 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).^[110] 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 Dome at America's Center (then known as 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, a three-person arbitral tribunal 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 tribunal 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.^{[111][112][113]} 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,^[114] 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.^[115]

Raiders and Chargers failed stadium bid

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.^[116] Such a move would have marked 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, California, since the last long-term lease on that stadium ended in 2013.^[117]

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 have been 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. If such a scenario happened, a current NFC West team would have taken 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.^[118] 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.^[119] 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.^[120] 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.

The Raiders, having previously explored San Antonio, Texas as a potential relocation site in 2014, moved on to other potential relocation sites after the rejection of the Carson proposal, focusing on a stadium plan in the vicinity of Las Vegas, Nevada. On August 25, 2016, the Raiders applied for a trademark for the "Las Vegas Raiders" and unveiled artist renditions of the proposed Las Vegas stadium, given the tentative title "Raiders Stadium."^[121]

Naming rights agreements

Buffalo Bills

On August 13, the Buffalo Bills had reached an agreement to sell the naming rights to their stadium to the locally based New Era Cap Company, a major headwear supplier to all of the major North American sports leagues. The stadium had previously been known as Rich Stadium from its opening in 1973, then as Ralph Wilson Stadium since 1998. The sale of naming rights came as somewhat of a surprise, as previous owner Ralph Wilson was firmly against selling the naming rights to the stadium and there were few companies in Western New York believed to have the money to pay the naming rights fee for an NFL stadium.^[122]

Denver Broncos

Sporting goods retailer Sports Authority, which had owned the naming rights to the field at New Mile High Stadium since 2011, filed for bankruptcy in March, and liquidated all of their stores.^[123] The Denver Broncos bought out the existing naming rights contract with permission from the Delaware District United States bankruptcy court on August 23, 2016.^[124]

Miami Dolphins

Canadian-based financial services company Sun Life Financial had held the naming rights to the Miami Dolphins' stadium since 2010, a deal which expired in the offseason. The team already announced that it was not going to renew the license.^[125] On August 16, 2016, it was reported that Hard Rock Cafe purchased the naming rights to the stadium, with the venue to be renamed Hard Rock Stadium.^[126]

Oakland Raiders

On April 2, the O.co Coliseum, home of the Oakland Raiders, reverted to its previous identity as the Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Online retailer Overstock.com held the naming rights to the Raiders' home field since 2011,^[127] 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).^[128]

Field surface changes

Baltimore Ravens

On December 2, 2015, the Baltimore Ravens announced a change in the surface at M&T Bank Stadium from their previous Shaw Sportexe Momentum 51 artificial turf to natural Bermuda grass for the first time since the 2001 season, by player preference for a natural surface.^[129] The field was replaced beginning on February 4, 2016, timed to be installed by the start of the Johns Hopkins lacrosse season.^[130]

New uniforms and patches

After a trial run in 2015, the NFL Color Rush program returns for 2016 with all 32 NFL teams required to participate.^[131] To prevent issues with color blindness from the previous season, the NFL is being careful to schedule match ups where color blindness will not be an issue. Most of the Color Rush games will be during the Thursday Night Football contests.^[132]

• The San Francisco 49ers will be wearing a patch to commemorate their 70th season.^[133]
• The New Orleans Saints will be wearing a patch to commemorate their 50th season.^[134]
• The New York Giants will wear white pants instead of gray for their primary home jerseys.^[135]
• The Los Angeles Rams will now join the handful of teams (such as the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins) that primarily wear their white jerseys at home instead of their colored ones. The change comes as a nod to the team's Fearsome Foursome era (they will play in the same stadium as those teams) and to accommodate the warmer, sunnier climate of Los Angeles. The uniform itself will remain the same as it was in the last years in St. Louis.^[136]
• The Miami Dolphins will wear aqua for some of their home games in 2016 that include daytime. Two of the games will be in a throwback uniform and two games will be in their regular uniform set.^[137]
• The Pittsburgh Steelers will retire their 1934 throwback uniforms after the 2016 season. The Steelers wore them on October 9, 2016 against the New York Jets.^[138]
• The Atlanta Falcons will wear their 1966 throwback uniforms against the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. The throwback uniforms are an altered version of the ones used from 2009-2012.^[139]
• The Washington Redskins will wear burgundy pants with their white jerseys^[140] and temporarily place gray facemasks on their helmets when wearing the 1937 throwback uniforms.

Media

This is 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 (regardless of the conference of the visiting team). 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.

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 in the final week of the season to be moved to primetime for greater prominence.^[141] 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 permanent.^[142]

The league's contract with CBS for Thursday Night Football expired after the 2015 season and was placed back up for bids.^[143] 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, which will be simulcast by NFL Network, along with an additional eight games exclusively on NFL Network, the production of which will be split between the two networks. 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."^[144] On April 5, 2016, it was announced that Twitter had acquired non-exclusive worldwide digital streaming rights to the 10 broadcast television TNF games, including to mobile devices (this is the first time any NFL games have been made available to mobile devices not subscribed to Verizon Wireless, whose NFL Mobile app holds exclusive rights to all other games). This partnership will also include content for Twitter's live streaming service Periscope, such as behind-the-scenes access.^[145]

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, which carried the 2015 contest, shut down in January 2016;^[146] 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.^[147] 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.^[148]

Mike Tirico, the lead play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football, announced his departure from ESPN on May 9, 2016; he joins NBC, where he was originally designated to lead the network's broadcast team for Thursday Night Football telecasts. Replacing Tirico on MNF is Sean McDonough.^[149] The move was initially reported in April but not confirmed until the next month.^[150] However, shortly before the start of the regular season, the league exercised a clause in its television contract with NBC demanding that any broadcast team that calls Sunday Night Football also call Thursday Night Football as well, effectively forcing Al Michaels to call both packages unless he and Tirico also split Sundays (this was the scenario that was ultimately chosen; on most weeks when Michaels calls a Thursday game, Tirico will call Sundays).^[151] This is also the final season Chris Berman serves as a studio analyst for ESPN's NFL programming; Berman has been with ESPN since the network's inception in 1979.^[152]

Notes

References

External links

• Complete schedule for all teams