NFL 202616 Days to Kickoff

Yes. Patrick Mahomes has been cleared for full 11-on-11 practice action and is slated to start Week 1 of the 2026 regular season for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have kept him out of preseason games as a precaution following the torn ACL and LCL he suffered on December 14, 2025, but he is on track for the September 14 Monday Night Football opener against Denver. The team traded for Justin Fields in the offseason to serve as a bridge quarterback during his recovery.

The 2026 NFL season opens on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with the defending Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots at 8:20 PM ET on NBC and Peacock — a rematch of Super Bowl LX.

NFL teams must trim their active rosters to 53 players by 5:00 PM ET on Sunday, August 30, 2026, ahead of the regular season. Teams begin with 90-man rosters through training camp and preseason, then make their final cuts after the third and final preseason game.

Patrick Mahomes signed a reworked contract on June 10, 2026 worth $504.75 million through 2033 — the first NFL contract ever valued at more than $500 million. New money begins in 2027 at $64 million per year. For the 2026 season only, Dak Prescott's $60 million AAV remains the top figure among quarterbacks.

The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX, defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 on February 8, 2026 at Levi's Stadium. Running back Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl MVP.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. Mendoza signed a record-breaking $57.3 million fully guaranteed four-year contract.

The NFL salary cap for the 2026 season is $301.2 million per team — the first time the cap has exceeded $300 million.

Dak Prescott leads at $60 million AAV. Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, and Matthew Stafford are tied at $55 million. Patrick Mahomes' $504.75 million reworked contract tops all deals by total value.

Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams was named the 2025 NFL regular-season MVP, edging Drake Maye by a single first-place vote (24 to 23).