When will Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 schedule be released? Latest NFL rumor suggests it could come later than usual
The NFL schedule release might not come in the second week of May, as it has in recent seasons. A recent interview with NFL V.P. of Broadcast Planning, Mike North, revealed that Chiefs fans and the rest of the league’s fans might be waiting until later this month.
With rookie minicamp in the rearview for the Kansas City Chiefs, the next big event on the league calendar is the 2026 NFL schedule release.
Historically, the NFL’s schedule has been released on a Wednesday in mid-May. Many expected the league to release the schedule on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, for that reason. That might not be the case this year, according to the NFL rumor mill. Fans might have to wait a little longer for the schedule to be released.
Chiefs’ 2026 NFL Opponents Have Already Been Revealed
Opponents are determined at the conclusion of the prior season, primarily based on division record and a rotating schedule of non-conference opponents.
- Home: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts
- Away: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons
NFL Executive suggests 2026 schedule release could be delayed by a week
In an interview with Bills reporter Sal Capaccio just two weeks ago, NFL V.P. of broadcast planning Mike North was a bit dodgy about a target date for the schedule release. For the last five years, it has fallen during the second full week of May. This year, he believes it could fall in the third week of May.
“Most fans know full well that the schedule comes out in mid-May now. That’s what we’ve done the last five or six years. That’s sort of our target. Is there any magic to May 12, 13, 14? No. Is there any real downside to 19, 20, or 21? No. I don’t think it’s coming out in June, but that second week in May has been our target the last few years, but I don’t know that it’s impossible to think about that third week in May.”
MIKE NORTH
NFL V.P. of Broadcast Planning
Why is that the case? One potential reason is a five-game package reportedly being shopped to multiple broadcast partners, including YouTube, Netflix, and FOX. The package is said to include the Week 1 tilt between the 49ers and Rams in Australia, a second Black Friday game, and a Christmas Eve game, among others.
“These five games that are out there as a package that are being negotiated right now,” North said. “(I) would love to know when, where those games are going to be played so we can schedule them accordingly.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has final say on when the schedule is ready for release
At the end of the day, Commissioner Roger Goodell has the final say here. He’ll let North and his team know when the schedule is ready for release, but what’s increasingly apparent is that they won’t rush it for tradition’s sake.
“It doesn’t get finalized until the commissioner of the National Football League says it’s finalized,” North told Capaccio. “That’s why I’m being coy about the date. I don’t know the date. None of us knows the date yet because we don’t know when we’re going to walk into the boss’s office and present him one. And he’s going to say, ‘That’s perfect. Ready to go. Send it out to the world.’
“If we walk in there on May 11th or 12th and he’s not happy with where we are, he’ll send us back downstairs, and we’ll lock ourselves back in the room, and we’ll keep grinding until we find something he likes. And if it slides to the 18th, 19th, or 20th, the world will keep spinning. I’m sure at some point he’s going to say, ‘Alright, you morons, I’m not giving you any more time. We got to go.’ I hope it doesn’t get to that point.”
It only takes the tinniest of curveballs in the planning process to upend the schedule. Something like Aaron Rodgers deciding to retire rather than return to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps there’s a quarterback injury during the league’s ongoing rookie minicamps. It could even be how Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is trending ahead of the 2026 NFL season that slows things down.