What happened: The NFL will unveil its full 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, NFL insider Ian Rapoport announced. The release, powered by AWS, will air on NFL Network, ESPN, the ESPN App, NFL+ and The NFL Channel on FAST platforms. The league has already confirmed Cowboys-Giants as the Sunday Night Football opener.

Why it matters: Schedule release day is one of the offseason's biggest traffic events, locking in primetime windows, international games and Week 1 matchups that shape season-long futures and win-total markets. Travel quirks, bye weeks and three-game road trips revealed Thursday will move team win totals within hours of the drop. It also kicks off ticketing, broadcast promotion and fantasy draft prep across the league.

What to watch: Watch for the primetime slate, international games in London, Madrid, Berlin and São Paulo, and which contenders draw the heaviest travel and short-week burdens once the full grid drops Thursday night.