National Football League facts for kids
 |
|
| Formerly | American Professional Football Conference (1920) American Professional Football Association (1920–1921) |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | September 17, 1920 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Inaugural season | 1920 |
| Commissioner | Roger Goodell |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | 345 Park Avenue (New York City) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Philadelphia Eagles (5th title) |
| Most titles | Green Bay Packers (13 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | United States: CBS Fox NBC ESPN/ABC/ESPN2 NFL Network TUDN Telemundo Deportes ESPN Deportes International: See list |
| Streaming partner(s) | United States: Paramount+/Vix Tubi Peacock ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+ Amazon Prime Video/Twitch Netflix International: DAZN |
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. It has 32 teams, split evenly between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the biggest sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada. It is also the top level of American football in the world.
Each NFL season starts in August with a three-week preseason. Then comes the 18-week regular season, which runs from early September to early January. During this time, each team plays 17 games and has one week off, called a bye week. After the regular season, seven teams from each conference go to the playoffs. This is a single-elimination tournament where teams are knocked out if they lose. The playoffs end with the Super Bowl in early February. The Super Bowl is played between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games. The NFL's main office is in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
The NFL began in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). It changed its name to the National Football League for the 1922 season. At first, champions were decided by who had the best record at the end of the season. In 1933, a playoff system was started. This led to the NFL Championship Game until 1966. The NFL later agreed to merge with a rival league, the American Football League (AFL). The first Super Bowl was played in 1967 to find a champion between the best teams from both leagues. The Super Bowl has been the final game of each NFL season since the merger was completed in 1970.
The NFL is the richest professional sports league in the world based on how much money it makes. It also has the most valuable teams. The NFL has the highest average attendance for any professional sports league. It is also the most popular sports league in the United States. The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sports events globally. Many Super Bowls are among the most-watched TV shows in American history.
The Green Bay Packers have won the most NFL championships, with thirteen titles. They won nine before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls since. Since the Super Bowl started, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins, with six each. The Philadelphia Eagles are the current league champions.
Contents
History of the NFL
How the NFL Started
On August 20, 1920, a group of football team representatives met in Canton, Ohio. Teams like the Akron Pros and Canton Bulldogs were there. They formed the American Professional Football Conference (APFC). Their goal was to make professional football better. They wanted to stop teams from fighting over players. They also wanted to work together on game schedules.
A second meeting happened on September 17, 1920. Teams from four states attended. The league was renamed the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Jim Thorpe was chosen as its first president. The league started with 14 teams. Only two of these original teams are still in the NFL today. They are the Chicago Bears (originally the Decatur Staleys) and the Arizona Cardinals (originally the Racine (Chicago) Cardinals).
The APFA did not keep official standings for its first season in 1920. Teams played games against both league and non-league opponents. The Akron Pros were given the championship because they had an 8-0-3 record (8 wins, 0 losses, 3 ties). The first game happened on September 26, 1920. The Rock Island Independents beat the St. Paul Ideals 48–0. The first full week of league games was on October 3, 1920.
The next season, the Chicago Staleys won the title. This was a bit controversial over the Buffalo All-Americans. On June 24, 1922, the APFA officially changed its name to the National Football League (NFL).
In 1932, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans ended the season tied for first place. At that time, the team with the best winning percentage was champion. There was no clear rule for ties. The league decided they needed a playoff game to decide the champion. The game was supposed to be outdoors in Chicago. But heavy snow and cold weather forced it indoors to Chicago Stadium. The field was smaller, so they changed some rules. The Bears won 9–0 and became champions.
Fans really liked this championship game. So, starting in 1933, the NFL split into two divisions. The champions of each division would play in a championship game. The 1934 season was also the first of twelve seasons where African American players were not in the league. This unofficial ban ended in 1946. This happened after public pressure and when a similar ban in Major League Baseball was also removed.
The NFL was always the biggest professional football league in the U.S. But it faced many rival leagues in the 1930s and 1940s. These included several American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Three current NFL teams started in these rival leagues. The Los Angeles Rams came from an American Football League in 1936. The Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers came from the AAFC. By the 1950s, the NFL was almost the only professional football league in the U.S. Its only competition was Canadian football, which became the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1958. Canadian football is a different game, so the CFL found its own place in Canada.
A new professional league, the fourth American Football League (AFL), started in 1960. The AFL began to become as popular as the NFL. It got good TV deals and competed with the NFL for players. The two leagues announced a merger on June 8, 1966. The merger would fully happen in 1970. Before then, the leagues would share a player draft and a championship game. This game was the Super Bowl. It was played four times before the merger. The NFL won Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. The AFL won Super Bowl III and Super Bowl IV. After the merger, the league was reorganized. It became two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFC had most of the old NFL teams. The AFC had all the AFL teams plus three old NFL teams.
Today, the NFL is the most popular sports league in North America. Much of its growth is thanks to former commissioner Pete Rozelle. He led the league from 1960 to 1989. During his time, annual attendance grew from 3 million to 17 million. In 1989, 400 million people worldwide watched Super Bowl XXIII. The NFL also started NFL Properties in 1963. This part of the league makes billions of dollars each year from licensing. Rozelle's time also saw the creation of NFL Charities and a partnership with United Way.
Paul Tagliabue became commissioner after Rozelle. His 17 years in charge ended in 2006. During his time, TV contracts grew a lot. Four new teams were added. He also started programs to increase the number of minority people in league and team leadership roles. The current Commissioner is Roger Goodell. He was elected in 2006. He has focused on making the sport safer. He works to reduce illegal hits and concussions. This is done by fining or suspending players who break rules. The NFL also started the NFL Source program in May 2024. This program aims to work with more businesses owned by minorities and women.
How the Season and Playoffs Developed
From 1920 to 1934, the NFL did not have a set number of games for teams. They only set a minimum. In 1935, the league required a twelve-game regular season. This was later shortened to eleven games in 1937. It became ten games in 1943, mainly because of World War II. After the war, it went back to eleven games in 1946, and then twelve in 1947. The NFL moved to a 14-game schedule in 1961. It stayed that way until it switched to a 16-game schedule in 1978. In March 2021, the NFL officially adopted a 17-game schedule. This happened after the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) agreed.
Having an odd number of games means half the teams have nine home games. The other half have only eight home games. To make it fair, the extra home game rotates between the two conferences each year. This is because playoff spots are given at the conference level. So, all teams within a conference play the same number of home games.
The NFL used a two-conference system from 1933 to 1966. The champions of each conference played in the NFL Championship Game. If two teams tied for the conference lead, they played a one-game playoff. In 1967, the NFL grew from 15 to 16 teams. The league reorganized its conferences and split each into two four-team divisions. The four division champions would then play in the NFL playoffs. This was a two-round playoff. The NFL also had the Playoff Bowl from 1960 to 1969. This was a game for the two conference runners-up. The league stopped the Playoff Bowl in 1970.
After the former AFL teams joined the NFL in 1970, the NFL split into two conferences, each with three divisions. The league now had 26 teams. It also expanded the playoffs to eight teams. These included the three division champions from each conference. Plus, one 'wild card' team from each conference (the team with the best record that didn't win its division). In 1978, a second wild card team was added from each conference. This brought the total playoff teams to ten. Two more wild card teams were added in 1990, making it twelve total. When the NFL grew to 32 teams in 2002, the league changed its divisions. It went from three divisions in each conference to four. Since each division champion gets a playoff spot, the number of wild card teams dropped from three to two. The playoffs expanded again in 2020. Two more wild card teams were added, bringing the total to 14 playoff teams.
NFL Teams
The NFL has 32 teams. They are divided into two conferences, each with 16 teams. Each conference is split into four divisions, with four teams in each. During the regular season, a team can have up to 55 players on its roster. Only 48 of these players can be active (eligible to play) on game days. Each team can also have a sixteen-player practice squad. This is separate from the main roster.
Each NFL team has a special right called a "franchise." This allows the team to operate in its home city. This right covers the "Home Territory" (the area around the city) and the "Home Marketing Area" (the home territory plus the rest of the state). Each NFL team has the exclusive right to host professional football games in its Home Territory. They also have the exclusive right to advertise and host events in their Home Marketing Area. There are a few exceptions for teams that are very close to each other. For example, teams in the same city or state share these rights.
According to Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable NFL team. They are worth about $8 billion. They are also the most valuable sports team in the world. Out of the 32 NFL teams, 26 are among the top 50 most valuable sports teams globally. Many NFL team owners are also on the Forbes 400 list of richest people.
In August 2024, Forbes reported that the average NFL team is worth $5.7 billion. All teams are worth at least $4 billion.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * | Franchise has relocated at some point in its existence |
| † | Club was a founding member of the NFL |
How the NFL is Organized
.jpg)
The NFL is like a business group made up of its 32 teams. The teams pay for and run the league. Until 2015, the league itself was a non-profit organization. This meant it didn't pay federal income tax. However, each individual team, except for the Green Bay Packers, does pay taxes because they make a profit.
In 2015, the NFL gave up its non-profit tax status. Commissioner Roger Goodell said it was a "distraction." He explained that all the money from TV rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales goes to the 32 teams. The teams then pay taxes on that money. Changing the league's tax status didn't really change how the business worked. But it meant the league office no longer had to share the salaries of its top leaders.
The league has three main officers: the commissioner, secretary, and treasurer. Each conference has a president. This is mostly an honorary role with few real powers. Their duties are mainly ceremonial, like giving out the conference championship trophy.
The commissioner is chosen by a vote of at least two-thirds of the league's teams. The president of each conference is chosen by a vote of three-fourths of the conference members. The commissioner picks the secretary and treasurer. The commissioner has a lot of power to settle disagreements between teams, players, and coaches. They are the main leader of the NFL. They also hire league employees and make TV deals. The commissioner can punish team owners, teams, or employees if they break league rules. Punishments can include suspensions, fines up to $500,000, or taking away draft picks.
In serious cases, the commissioner can suggest strong actions to the NFL's executive committee. This could even include taking away a team's right to play. The commissioner can also ban someone for life from the league. This happens if they bet on games or don't report plans to fix games. The current Commissioner of the National Football League is Roger Goodell. He was chosen in 2006 after Paul Tagliabue retired.
NFL Money
The NFL gets its money from three main places. These are NFL Ventures (selling merchandise), NFL Enterprises (like NFL Network and NFL Sunday Ticket), and TV contracts. The league shares this money equally among all teams. This happens no matter how well a team plays. As of 2019, each team gets $255 million every year from TV contracts. This was a big jump from $99.9 million in 2010.
Most NFL teams keep their financial details private. The Kansas City Star got the Kansas City Chiefs' tax returns for 2008–2010. The Star reported that the team's money grew from $231 million in 2008 to $302 million in 2010. In 2010, two-thirds of their money came from the league. This included $99.8 million from NFL Ventures and NFL Enterprises. It also included $99.9 million from their share of the TV contract. The rest came from tickets, sponsorships, food sales, parking, and other sources.
The Chiefs' biggest cost in 2010 was $148 million for players, coaches, and other staff. From their operating income, the family of former owner Lamar Hunt shared $17.6 million. The remaining $20 million was put back into the team.
Some experts say the NFL's way of sharing money is unusual for a business. By sharing profits, the NFL tries to stop one team from becoming too powerful. This also means there's less reason for a team to play badly. Player salaries are also limited, which helps keep costs in check.
NFL Season Format
The NFL season has a three-week preseason. Then there's an 18-week regular season, where each team plays 17 games. Finally, there are the playoffs, a 14-team tournament. This all leads up to the Super Bowl, which is the league's championship game.
Preseason Games
The NFL preseason starts with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. This game is played in Canton, Ohio. Every NFL team must play three preseason games. NFC teams play at least two home games in odd-numbered years. AFC teams play at least two home games in even-numbered years. Teams in the Hall of Fame game play four preseason games.
Preseason games are like practice matches. They don't count towards the regular season standings. Coaches use them to see how their teams are doing. Players use them to show their skills. This is important for staying on their current team or getting noticed by other teams. Some fans don't like paying full price for these games. Some players and coaches worry about injuries. But others feel the preseason is a necessary part of the NFL season.
Regular Season Games
| POS | AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bills | Ravens | Texans | Chiefs |
| 2nd | Dolphins | Steelers | Colts | Chargers |
| 3rd | Jets | Bengals | Jaguars | Broncos |
| 4th | Patriots | Browns | Titans | Raiders |
| POS | NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Eagles | Lions | Buccaneers | Rams |
| 2nd | Commanders | Vikings | Falcons | Seahawks |
| 3rd | Cowboys | Packers | Panthers | Cardinals |
| 4th | Giants | Bears | Saints | 49ers |
The NFL regular season is 18 weeks long, with 272 games. It starts the week after Labor Day (the first Monday in September). It ends the week after New Year's. The first game of the season is usually on a Thursday. The defending champion team plays at home.
Most NFL games are played on Sundays. There is usually a Monday night game each week. Thursday night games also happen most weeks. NFL games are not usually played on Fridays or Saturdays until late in the season. This is because a federal law stops professional football from competing with college or high school football. High school and college teams usually play on Friday and Saturday. So, the NFL cannot hold games on those days until December. Saturday games are common late in the season. Friday games are rare; the most recent one was on Christmas Day in 2020. NFL games are almost never on Tuesday or Wednesday. This has only happened three times since 1948. These were due to a blizzard, a political convention, and COVID-19.
NFL regular season games are set using a special formula. Within a division, all four teams play 14 of their 17 games against common opponents or each other. They play two games (home and away) against the other three teams in their division. They also play one game against all teams from a division in the NFC and a division from the AFC. This rotates every few years. Two other games are against teams in their own conference. These are based on how teams finished the previous year. For example, a first-place team plays two other first-place teams. The last game is against a team from the other conference. This also rotates and is based on last year's standings. In total, each team plays 17 games and has one week off.
The teams know who they will play at home and away by the end of the previous season. But the exact dates and times for games are decided much later. The league has to consider things like baseball playoffs and local events. In 2010, computers made over 500,000 possible schedules. About 5,000 were good enough to be reviewed by the NFL's scheduling team. They then worked to find the best possible schedule.
Postseason and Super Bowl
After the regular season, the NFL Playoffs begin. This is a 14-team tournament where teams are eliminated if they lose. Seven teams from each conference are chosen. These are the winners of the four divisions. Plus, three 'wild card' teams (the three teams with the best records that didn't win their division). Teams are ranked based on their overall record. Division champions are always ranked higher than wild card teams.
The top team (seeded one) from each conference gets a week off. The other six teams (seeded 2–7) from each conference play in the first round. This is called the Wild Card round. The 2-seed plays the 7-seed, the 3-seed plays the 6-seed, and the 4-seed plays the 5-seed. The winners move on to the Divisional Round. Here, the lowest-ranked winner plays the 1-seed. The other two winners play each other. The winners of those games then play in the Conference Championships. The higher-ranked team hosts the game. The AFC and NFC champions then play in the Super Bowl to decide the league champion.
The only other postseason event is the Pro Bowl. This is the league's all-star game. Since 2009, the Pro Bowl has been held the week before the Super Bowl. Before that, it was held the week after. It was moved to try and get more people to watch. Because of this, players from teams in the Super Bowl don't play in the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is not as competitive as a regular season game. Teams mostly want to avoid injuries to their players.
Trophies and Awards
Team Trophies
The NFL has used three different trophies for its champion. The first was the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup. It was given to the league in 1920. This trophy was meant to be passed around. A team would keep it permanently only after winning three titles. The Akron Pros won it in 1920. But the trophy was later stopped, and no one knows where it is now.
A second trophy, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, was used from 1934 to 1967. It was named after Ed Thorp, a league referee. The league gave a smaller copy of this trophy to each champion to keep forever. The original Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy is now believed to be at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
The current NFL trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Super Bowl trophy was officially renamed in 1970. This was in honor of Vince Lombardi. He coached the Green Bay Packers to win the first two Super Bowls. Unlike the older trophies, a new Vince Lombardi Trophy is made for each year's champion. They get to keep it forever. Lombardi Trophies are made by Tiffany & Co. from silver. They are worth a lot of money.
Also, each player on the winning team gets a Super Bowl ring. Coaches and staff also get rings to celebrate their win. The winning team chooses who makes the rings. Each ring design is different. The NFL has some rules for the rings, like needing the Super Bowl logo on them. The losing team also gets rings. These are worth less than the winners' rings. But they are almost never worn.
The conference champions also get trophies. The NFC champions receive the George Halas Trophy. It is named after George Halas, who helped start the Chicago Bears and the NFL. The AFC champions receive the Lamar Hunt Trophy. This is named after Lamar Hunt, who founded the Kansas City Chiefs and the American Football League. Players on the winning team also get a conference championship ring.
Player and Coach Awards
The NFL gives out many awards to its players and coaches. These are presented at the annual NFL Honors event. The most important award is the AP Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Other big awards include the AP Offensive Player of the Year and AP Defensive Player of the Year. There are also awards for the AP Comeback Player of the Year and the best new players, the AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Another special award is the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. This award recognizes a player's good work off the field, as well as their playing skills. The NFL Coach of the Year award is the top award for coaches. The NFL also gives out weekly awards. These include the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week and the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week.
NFL Media Coverage
In the United States, the NFL is shown on eight TV networks. These networks work with seven media partners. They are ESPN/ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Prime Video, Netflix, and NFL Network. The league sells its TV rights in different packages of games. These packages can be based on which conference is playing or the time the game is on. CBS shows afternoon games from the AFC. Fox shows afternoon games from the NFC. These games are not shown on all local channels. Each local channel gets one game per time slot.
Since 2011, the league can switch Sunday games between networks. This is called "flexible scheduling." The only way to watch a game not shown on your local channel is to buy NFL Sunday Ticket. This service shows games from outside your local area. It is available through YouTube TV since 2023. The league also has NFL RedZone. This is a channel that quickly shows the most important plays from all games as they happen.
Besides regional games, the league also has national TV packages. These are mostly prime time games. NBC broadcasts Sunday Night Football. This includes the Thursday NFL Kickoff game that starts the season. It also includes a prime time Thanksgiving Day game. ESPN is the main broadcaster for Monday Night Football. ABC also shows some of these games. Amazon, through its Prime Video service, is the only place to watch Thursday Night Football. NFL Network, which the league owns, shows some games under the NFL Network Exclusive Game Series name. These usually include NFL International Series games and some Saturday games. In 2023, NFL games had the highest prices for a 30-second advertisement. Sunday Night Football was the most expensive.
The league has also started showing games on streaming services. Since 2022, Amazon has the exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football. Before that, Amazon streamed games that were also on TV. Amazon has also streamed games for free on Twitch since 2018. CBS streams its AFC games on Paramount+. NBC streams Sunday Night Football on Peacock. ESPN streams its games on ESPN+. ESPN also has exclusive rights to stream one Sunday morning international game. Starting in 2024, Netflix has the global streaming rights for at least one Christmas Day game each season. This is part of a three-year deal.
The Super Bowl TV rights rotate every four years. CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC take turns showing it. The NFL's newest TV deal was announced in March 2021. It started in the 2023 season. This deal renewed agreements with existing partners. It also gave Amazon the Thursday Night Football package. ESPN/ABC will show the Super Bowl on U.S. TV in 2027. This will be 21 years after their last Super Bowl broadcast. Digital streaming was also expanded. This allows CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC to stream games on their own services. For their current packages, ESPN/ABC pays $2.7 billion a year. CBS, Fox, and NBC each pay over $2 billion a year. Amazon pays $1 billion a year. This current deal lasts until the 2033 season.
The league also has deals with Spanish-language broadcasters. These include NBC Universo, Fox Deportes, and ESPN Deportes. They show Spanish versions of the games. The league's contracts do not cover preseason games. Teams can sell these games to local stations themselves.
Until 2014, the NFL had a "blackout policy." Games were not shown on local TV if the stadium was not sold out. Teams could set this rule at 85% sold. But they would have to give more ticket money to the visiting team. Most NFL games were not blacked out. Only 6% of games were blacked out in 2011. Only two games were blacked out in 2013, and none in 2014. In March 2015, the NFL stopped its blackout policy for at least the 2015 season.
According to Nielsen, at least 200 million people watched the NFL regular season since 2012. This was 80% of all TV homes in the U.S. NFL regular season games were 31 of the top 32 most-watched shows in the fall season. An NFL game was the most-watched TV show for all 17 weeks of the regular season. In local areas, NFL games were the highest-rated shows 92% of the time. Super Bowls are the 22 most-watched TV shows in U.S. history. This includes a record 167 million people who watched Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013.
Besides radio networks run by each NFL team, some NFL games are broadcast nationally by Westwood One. These games are on over 500 networks. This means all NFL markets can hear each prime time game. The NFL's deal with Westwood One was extended in 2012 and lasted through 2017. Other NFL games are broadcast nationally by Compass Media Networks and Sports USA Radio Network. These are under contracts with individual teams.
Some broadcasting ideas were first used or became popular during NFL games. The Skycam camera system was first used in a live NFL preseason game in 1984. Commentator John Madden famously used a telestrator during games. This helped make the device popular.
The NFL has agreements with X, Reddit, and Meta Platforms. These are official social media places for the league and its teams. The New England Patriots tried to start a Bluesky account. But the NFL headquarters told them to stop.
NFL Draft
Every April (except for May in 2014), the NFL holds a draft for college players. The draft has seven rounds. Each of the 32 teams gets one pick in each round. The order of picks for teams that didn't make the playoffs is based on their regular-season record. For playoff teams, the order is based on how far they went in the playoffs. Then it's based on their regular-season record. For example, a team that reached the divisional round picks higher than a team that reached the conference championships. But they pick lower than a team that didn't make the divisional round. The Super Bowl champion always picks last. The team that lost the Super Bowl always picks second to last.
All players who want to be drafted must be at least three years out of high school. College players who want to leave early must tell the NFL by January 15. Teams can trade picks for future draft picks. But they cannot trade the rights to players they already picked in past drafts.
Besides the seven picks each team gets, some teams get extra "compensatory" draft picks. These are given to teams that lost more good free agents than they gained. These picks are spread out from rounds 3 to 7. A total of 32 are given out. Teams must make their pick within a certain time. The time limit depends on the round. If a team doesn't pick on time, the teams behind them can start picking. But the team doesn't lose their pick completely. This happened in the 2003 draft. The Minnesota Vikings didn't pick on time. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers picked before the Vikings could use their turn.
Players who are picked in the draft can only sign contracts with the team that picked them. But if they choose not to sign, they can enter the next year's draft. Under the current rules, all drafted players must sign four-year deals. Teams have an option for a fifth year. The amount of money in these contracts is limited. It depends on where the player was picked in the draft. Players who were eligible but not picked can sign with any team.
The NFL also has other drafts. The league holds a supplemental draft every year. Teams send emails saying which player they want and in which round. The team with the highest bid wins the player. The order for this draft is decided by a lottery. If a team wins a player, they lose their pick in the same round of the next NFL draft. Players can only enter the supplemental draft if they get special permission.
The league has also held expansion drafts. The most recent was in 2002 when the Houston Texans started as a new team. Other drafts included one in 1950 to assign players from teams that closed down. There was also a supplemental draft in 1984. This was for players who had signed with other leagues, like the United States Football League or Canadian Football League.
Like other major sports leagues in the U.S., the NFL has rules for a "disaster draft." If a team loses many players (less than 15 killed or injured), they can draft a quarterback from another team. This is if the other team has at least three quarterbacks. If a team loses 15 or more players and has to cancel its season, a "restocking draft" would be held. Luckily, neither of these plans has ever been needed.
Free Agency
Free agents in the NFL are divided into two types. Restricted free agents have played for three seasons and their contract has ended. Unrestricted free agents have played for four or more seasons and their contract has ended. A "season" means playing in six or more regular-season games.
Restricted free agents can talk to other teams. But their old team has the right to match any offer. If the old team doesn't match, they get draft picks as payment. Unrestricted free agents can sign with any team. Their old team doesn't get any payment if they leave.
Teams can use one franchise tag on any unrestricted free agent. A franchise tag is a one-year deal. It pays the player 120% of their last contract. Or it pays them no less than the average of the five highest-paid players at their position, whichever is more. There are two kinds of franchise tags. An "exclusive tag" means the player cannot talk to other teams. A "non-exclusive tag" allows the player to talk to other teams. But their old team can match any offer. If they don't match, they get two first-round draft picks.
Teams also have a "transition tag" option. This is like the non-exclusive franchise tag. But the old team gets no payment if they don't match the offer. Because of this, the transition tag is rarely used. Each team must follow a salary cap. This is the maximum amount of money they can spend on player salaries. For the 2019 season, the salary cap was $188.2 million. This was $11 million more than in 2018.
Players on a team's practice squad are also a type of free agent. Even though they are paid by their team, they can sign with any other team's main roster. This is allowed as long as their new team is not their old team's next opponent within a certain number of days. Their old team doesn't get any payment. However, practice squad players cannot sign with another team's practice squad unless their original team releases them first.
See also
In Spanish: National Football League para niños
- American football in the United States
- List of NFL champions (1920–1969)
- List of Super Bowl champions (1966–present)
- National Football League (1902)
- National Football League All-Decade Teams
- National Football League Cheerleading
- National Football League controversies
- National Football League franchise moves and mergers
- National Football League records
- National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
- National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
- NFL Europe
- NFL Films
- Timeline of the National Football League
- List of current NFL franchise owners
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
- International Player Pathway Program (IPPP)
