The 2026 NFL schedule won't be released until May, but Week 1 is already starting to take shape. The upcoming season is expected to kick off on a Wednesday, which will mark just the second time in 75 years that the NFL season started with a midweek game.

The NFL's one-year experiment with the new kickoff rule becomes permanent this season with a new tweak that the league hopes will lead to a bigger increase in the rate of returns.

According to a report, the NFL schedule will have a major change in Week 1. Here are the details on the matter.

One of the more negative side effects to the NFL's new kickoff rule has been what it's done to the onside kick, an already rare but exciting play that had the potential to help teams close the gap in the games final minutes. While onside kicks were far ...

The NFL has put the kickoff return back into the game, as demonstrated when Rashid Shaheed began the Seattle Seahawks’ lopsided victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

President Donald Trump lashed out at the "ridiculous looking" new kickoff rule for the NFL, calling it "'Sissy' football". Newsweek has reached out to NFL media contacts via email for comment. The dynamic kickoff rule moved touchbacks to the 35-yard line ...

The NFL's one-year experiment with the new kickoff rule becomes permanent this season with a new tweak that the league hopes will lead to a bigger increase in the rate of returns.