The two Conference champions advanced to Super Bowl LII was held on February 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Michael Thomas 4. [182], The NFL has also, as a trial, lifted its ban on the broadcast of commercials for distilled spirits during its telecasts. [145] A majority of television sets in all Western New York were tuned into some portion of the game, the highest viewership for a non-Super Bowl NFL game in the region since record-keeping began.[146]. Today, only football’s elite players get to the NFL, and they are very well-compensated: the average contract at the start of the 2017 season was $2.25 million. New England claimed the No. Tennessee finished ahead of Buffalo, Baltimore and Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record, claiming the No. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see, 98th season in the history of the National Football League, Records, milestones, and notable statistics, Head coaching and front office personnel changes, San Diego Chargers' relocation to Los Angeles. [139] When the StubHub Center was at capacity, the majority of the fans present were supporters of the opposing team. 2x Defensive Player of the Year and 2018 NFL sacks leader, Aaron Donald Woodson played his final two NFL years with the Oakland Raiders. Green Bay finished ahead of Washington based on record vs. common opponents. Ryan was fired with one week remaining in the 2016 regular season and a 15–16 record with no playoff appearances in two seasons. Sapp earned the award in 1999 playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This article is about the American football season in the United States. The final two games on a team's schedule are against the two teams in the team's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play which finished the previous season in the same rank in their division (e.g. [140][141], The San Francisco 49ers reported a Week 3 attendance total that exceeded the capacity of Levi's Stadium, even as wide swaths of empty seats were seen throughout the game. NBC continued to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game, and broadcast Super Bowl LII. The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) died in 2017.[19]. The NFL officially approved the Raiders relocation to Las Vegas on March 27. They joined the Los Angeles Rams as tenants in their new stadium, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California when that stadium opened in 2020. 5. Twenty-five teams transitioned to Nike's new uniform template. Grigson was relieved of his duties as Colts general manager on January 21, 2017. Coughlin, the team's inaugural head coach, was rehired as executive vice president of football operations on January 9, 2017. Detroit finished ahead of Dallas and Seattle based on conference record, while Seattle finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory. Former Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was named as the Bills' new head coach on January 11, 2017. The 2017 NFL League year began on March 9 at 4:00 p.m. Smith won the award in 1990 and 1996. [December 29] TJ Watt added two more sacks in Week 16 against the Colts, bringing his season total a league-leading 15. [179] Entravision (in the last year of a three-year deal)[180] and ESPN Deportes Radio split Spanish broadcast rights. Steelers fans and personnel were outraged when they learned that T.J. Watt did not win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for his magnificent 2020 season. ", "Raiders to host Patriots in Mexico City next season", "NFL schedule 2017: Dates, kickoff times for International Series games in London, Mexico | NFL", "Redskins to host first Thanksgiving game in franchise history", "Cowboys versus Texans preseason game canceled", "Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Miami Dolphins Game To Be Played In Week 11 On Sunday, November 19", "Bengals-Steelers on Oct. 22 'flexed' to later start time", "NFL Cancels New Year's Eve Sunday Night Football Game After Realizing It Scheduled A New Year's Eve Sunday Night Football Game", "NFL finalizes Week 17 schedule; no Sunday Night Football game", "Donald Trump blasts NFL anthem protesters: 'Get that son of a bitch off the field, "After Trump Blasts N.F.L., Players Kneel and Lock Arms in Solidarity", "NFL player protests sweep league after President Donald Trump's hostile remarks", "Jerry Richardson will put Carolina Panthers up for sale", "Jerry Richardson selling Panthers franchise amid misconduct allegations", Source: Richardson mandates Panthers be sold after death, "Sources: Jerry Richardson, Panthers Have Made Multiple Confidential Payouts for Workplace Misconduct, Including Sexual Harassment and Use of a Racial Slur", "Carolina Panthers rule out more public cash for stadium", "Chiefs highlights from Week 1: Alex Smith, Kareem Hunt dominate", "Kareem Hunt Sets NFL Record with 246 Yards from Scrimmage in Debut", "Chargers' Antonio Gates breaks tight end TD record", "Aaron Rodgers Becomes Fastest QB Ever to Reach 300 Career Touchdowns", "Odell Beckham Jr. becomes fastest WR ever to 300 career receptions with athletic TD", "Matt Prater sets a full-season record in only three games", "Larry Fitzgerald has caught a pass in 200 straight games", "Tom Brady becomes all-time leader in regular season QB wins, collecting 187th win with Patriots", "Drew Brees becomes fourth player in NFL history to throw at least 500 TD passes", "Larry Fitzgerald becomes second-youngest player to reach 15,000 receiving yards", "With TD catch, Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald in 5th place on all-time receiving yards list", "A win on Sunday will give Tom Brady most wins ever recorded against a single opponent", "Larry Fitzgerald passes Isaac Bruce on all-time receiving yards list", "Gore jumps LT, Bettis for fifth on rushing list", "Larry Fitzgerald's place in the record books a long, winding road", "Big Ben first QB to post three 500-yard games", "LeSean McCoy reflects on eclipsing 10K rushing yards, opens up about Kiko Alonso trade", "Cleveland Browns finish 2017 season 0-16", "Bills, Titans, Falcons make way into playoffs with wins", "Colts' Frank Gore reaches 14,000-yard milestone, joining elite group", "Titans rally from 21-3 hole, beat Chiefs 22-21 in playoffs", "Wow! 14 helmet decal", "Joan Tisch, mother of Giants EVP Steve Tisch, dies at age 90", "Bills announce team's Family Day sponsored by Independent Health & Fan Appreciation Day", "NFL reveals nominees for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award", "Color Rush: Here's what Saints and Falcons will be wearing on 'Thursday Night Football, "Tasker is only constant in Bills preseason coverage", "NBC's 'SkyCam' will provide Madden-like view of tonight's Titans-Steelers game", "Amazon will stream 'Thursday Night Football' in 2017. Reed played his last games with the New York Jets that season. 3 seed over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory. Sanders produced six interceptions in 1994 with the San Francisco 49ers. [108] This marks McDermott's first head coaching job. But the man who won the crown is … [189], On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Mike Tirico would replace Al Michaels on play-by-play on NBC's portion of the Thursday Night Football package, joined by Cris Collinsworth. The Patriots set Super Bowl records for most total yards in a game with 613, the fewest punts in a game with zero, and the most passing yards with 505. The 2018 Pro Bowl was held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on January 28. Drew Brees surpassed the 4,000 passing yards for the 12th consecutive season, extending his own record. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 41–33 to win their first Super Bowl title, and fourth NFL championship, in franchise history. He had spent the 2016 season out of football after several years of coaching the. Trump suggested that those who partake in the practice were disrespecting the country's heritage, and asked his audience, "wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Primetime was a big part of the Niners finally getting past the Dallas Cowboys and winning a Super Bowl for quarterback Steve Young. Along with ESPN's Wild Card game on ABC, ESPN announced on May 24, 2017, that the 2018 Pro Bowl would also be simulcast on ABC, marking the return of the Pro Bowl to ABC for the first time since 2003. Having been in the organization since 1994, Reese was the Giants GM since 2007, leading them to two Super Bowl championships and several years of success. Teams will not be required to give candidates for general manager final say over the 53-man roster. Teams can bring two players back from injured reserve instead of one. Also, this would end up being the last season for the Monday Night Football broadcast team of Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, and Lisa Salters. ", "John Lynch Named General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers", "San Francisco 49ers name John Lynch general manager", "Colts firing general manager Ryan Grigson", "Redskins fire general manager Scot McCloughan", "Redskins promote ex-QB Williams to senior VP", "Bills dismiss GM Doug Whaley, expected to release scouting staff", "Bills hire Brandon Beane as new general manager", "Chiefs promote Brett Veach to general manager", "Panthers fire general manager Dave Gettlemanmanager", "Hurney back with Panthers for second GM stint", http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000916954/article/marty-hurney-named-panthers-general-manager, "New York Giants fire general manager Jerry Reese", "Browns fire head of personnel Sashi Brown; coach Hue Jackson to stay", "Browns hire former Chiefs, Packers exec John Dorsey as new general manager", "Oakland Raiders file Las Vegas relocation paperwork", "Los Angeles is still struggling to attract football fans as the Rams played their season-opener in a half-empty stadium", "NFL still confident in Los Angeles market despite attendance for Rams, Chargers games", "No discussions of Chargers moving back to San Diego", "Chargers season on shaky ground after loss to Eagles", "Rams-49ers Attendance Was Over 70,000, That Should Quiet That Silly Empty NFL Stadium Narrative", "The NFL Is Seriously Concerned With Empty Stadiums", "Many open seats as Cowboys-Redskins kickoff", "Tickets were as plentiful as the snow on Sunday", Bills game rating is second-highest here since 2000, "NFL Jerseys with New Tailoring Template Begin to Surface", "New Orleans Saints finally fix their collars", "Walkthru: Tracking the Bengals 2017 uniform changes", "LA Rams finalize evolved home uniform for 2017", "See the full uniform changes the Los Angeles Rams are making for 2017", "Bengals unveil special logo for 50th anniversary", "Looks like subtle changes to 49ers uniforms are coming", "Seahawks Honor Cortez Kennedy With '96' Helmet Decal", "Steelers to wear jersey patch honoring Dan Rooney", "Cowboys will wear navy jerseys at home more often", "Giants will honor Y.A. In Canada, NFL Sunday Ticket shifted from distribution through television providers to the over-the-top provider DAZN, while in Europe, Deltatre took over European distribution of NFL Game Pass and launched new mobile apps. [167][168], Verizon Communications acquired international streaming rights to an NFL London Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars, in a similar arrangement to the 2015 game that was streamed by Yahoo!—which was acquired by Verizon in 2017. This change was made in response to both the. Extend for a second season the change in the touchback spot after a kickoff or safety free kick to the 25-yard line. [196] In an unusual case of a broadcaster working for two networks in the same season, Mowins also called a regional game for CBS in Weeks 3, 15 and 17, with Jay Feely as her partner.[197]. NFC East vs NFC West [193][194] However, due to its proximity to the 2018 Winter Olympics (where he also succeeded Bob Costas as lead host), Tirico did not participate in NBC's Super Bowl LII coverage. He's fired!'" Restrictions on celebrations have been relaxed, removing penalties for group celebrations, going to the ground to celebrate, or using the ball as a prop. Let’s trade him.” That is what the Oakland Raiders did with Mack in 2018, and he has been with the Chicago Bears ever since. In the offseason, Stubblefield signed with Washington, where he played for the next three seasons before returning back to the Niners from 2001-02. Denver finished ahead of the New York Jets based on head-to-head victory. The regular season concluded with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, December 31, all of which were the intra–division matchups, as it has been since 2010. [176], Two new international digital rights deals led to user criticism over their quality of service. Yet once again, the Tennessee Titans running back was not deemed the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. ET with only the first round (32 total picks) on opening night. The season concluded with Super Bowl LII, where the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles faced the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots. [16] Blandino would then be hired by Fox Sports as a rule analyst. The game was streamed by Yahoo and other Verizon-owned platforms, including AOL, go90, and Complex. These streams are exclusive to paid Amazon Prime subscribers, in contrast to Twitter, which held the rights to the same package in 2016 and had made those streams free to most of the world. Competition for roster spots is fierce, with fewer than 1 percent of all college football players earning a roster post at the game’s highest level. The 33 points scored by the Patriots were the most points scored by the losing team in a Super Bowl. Oakland finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head victory. [37][38] Richardson had previously indicated the team would be put up for sale after his death (since his only living son left the team in 2009),[39] but an exposé in Sports Illustrated accused Richardson of paying hush money to cover up questionable conduct, including racial slurs and sexually suggestive requests of employees, hastening Richardson's decision. Bradley was fired with two weeks remaining in the 2016 season and a 14–48 (.226) record with no playoff appearances in four seasons. AFC West vs NFC East. Training camps for the 2017 season were held in late July through August. However, he isn’t the only former Defensive Player of the Year winner to have to pack up and leave the team with which he won the award. After the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012, Reed signed with the Houston Texans, who cut him midseason in 2013. Gruden would return to coaching the next year for the Oakland Raiders, while McDonough would return to doing College Football for ESPN, although Salters will still be on MNF. Make illegal actions that would conserve time penalized by the option for a 10-second runoff inside of the two-minute warning of each half or overtime (previously this only applied in the final minute of each half or overtime). The AP Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at the NFL Honors show the night before Super Bowl LV, so we’ll have to wait and see if Donald wins it for the third time in four years. Here's what you need to know", "Amazon's NFL Deal Includes $30 Million in Free Marketing", "The Ravens-Jaguars London game just got much more interesting. During a September 22, 2017 speech, the President of the United States, Donald Trump made controversial remarks criticizing the practice of taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem—a practice popularized by Colin Kaepernick in 2016 as part of an effort to protest alleged racial inequality and police brutality. Among the most notable examples was the October 1 game against Philadelphia Eagles being a mainly pro-Philadelphia crowd. At the end of the 1999 season, Smith was released alongside other Buffalo Bills legends that included running back Thurman Thomas and receiver Andre Reid. However, he then went back to his original team in the Oakland Raiders in 2013. [174] On December 11, 2017, the NFL announced that it had agreed to a new 5-year, $2.5 billion digital rights agreement with Verizon, allowing it to stream in-market Sunday afternoon games, as well as all nationally televised games, across its mobile platforms. [165], Because of fog and smoke obstruction, NBC was forced to televise large portions of two of their Sunday Night Football games from the skycam angle. The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 28, 2017:[17], The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the NFL Spring League meeting on May 23, 2017:[18]. 1 seed over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory. 32 pick", "Carolina Panthers trade DE Kony Ealy to Patriots", "Niners acquire Jeremy Zuttah in trade with Ravens", "Baltimore Ravens trade DT Timmy Jernigan to Philadelphia Eagles for draft pick", "Bills trade Sammy Watkins to Rams, acquire Matthews", "Rams Acquire WR Sammy Watkins in Trade With Bills", "Cowboys Release Tony Romo; QB Retires, Enters CBS Broadcast Booth", Alberto Riveron to replace Dean Blandino as NFL's new director of officiating, "NFL passes no leaping rule, approves ban for head hits", "NFL voted on rule changes for the 2017 season, and we graded each one", "Next year's Hall of Fame Game moved to Thursday night | ProFootballTalk", "2017 London games: NFL announces which teams will be playing", "NFL in Mexico City, 2017 edition: Patriots and the Raiders? From 1995-99, Sanders actually played for Dallas before playing one season with Washington and then retiring. Sanders proved he was a force for the Indianapolis Colts’ defense in 2007 with 97 combined tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and 3.5 sacks. The preset division pairings for 2017 will be as follows. [169][170] NFL Network remains a partner with Twitter for online content, including its new streaming news program NFL Blitz Live. Page was the inaugural Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1971. NFC North vs NFC South, Inter-conference The 2017 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27, at 8 p.m. From 1995-98, Swilling finished his career with the Oakland Raiders. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2021 class and view expert mock drafts. Egregious hits to the head (similar to the "targeting" rule in NCAA football) will cause the player to risk immediate disqualification. [119] This marked Shanahan's first head coaching position. The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have been the "most valuable" in that year's regular season.While there have been many selectors of NFL MVPs in the past, today the MVP award presented by the AP is considered the de facto official NFL MVP award and the most prestigious. If a team commits multiple fouls on the same down with the intent of manipulating the game clock, the team will be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and the game clock will be reset. [195], Beth Mowins became the second woman to call play-by-play for a national NFL broadcast, following Gayle Sierens in 1987, when she served as play-by-play announcer for the nightcap in ESPN's Week 1 Monday Night doubleheader, with Rex Ryan as her color commentator. [181], The league has sought to reduce the number of standard commercial breaks (media timeouts) on its telecasts from 21 to 16, four in each quarter, with each break extended by one additional 30-second commercial. At the time of his hiring, McVay was 30 years old, making him the youngest head coach in NFL history (excluding the player-coaches of the 1920s). On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based on head-to-head victory. As part of the agreement, Verizon began allowing access to its existing mobile streams to non-customers for the 2017-18 playoffs. The slate also features games on Monday nights. On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. After being out of football for 1991, Millard played two games apiece for the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. [137], The Los Angeles Rams, who had capped season ticket sales at 55,000 for the 2017 season, announced to have 60,128 spectators in the first home game on week 1. Both services faced criticism over their streaming quality, while Delatre's app faced criticism for having bugs and initially lacking features seen in the previous version of the platform. [144] The lifting of the league's blackout policy was cited as one factor in the decline in ticket sales, as viewers would rather watch from the comfort of their homes, especially when weather conditions were less than ideal. He also claimed Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the changes are being made in an attempt to consolidate downtime between the actual game play so that there are fewer and less noticeable interruptions; he does not expect the changes to have an appreciable impact on the real-time length of a game, which currently clocks in at slightly over three hours. Player movements and retirements. Millard was the 1989 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but injured his knee after four games into the 1990 regular season. McDonough will be replaced by Joe Tessitore, who has done work for ESPN as a College Football announcer, like McDonough, while Jason Witten, who would end up retiring after this season, will replace Gruden, with Booger McFarland, being added as a field analyst. *Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market. The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press: The following were named the top performers during the 2017 season: Lynn began the 2016 season as running backs coach, then moved to offensive coordinator when Greg Roman was fired in week 3, then interim head coach after the Ryans' dismissal. The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin will no doubt finish out his Hall of Fame career in another NFL city. However, reports estimate that spectators only filled a third of the 93,607 seats of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. His last season in the NFL was in 2011 with the San Diego Chargers. Playoff games will continue to have 15 minutes for overtime periods. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. Philadelphia's cumulative record against Carolina, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington was 5–0, compared to Minnesota's 4–1 cumulative record against the same four teams. At a Colts-Bills game held in blinding lake-effect snow on December 10, scalpers said they had not sold any tickets, an extreme rarity. Shanahan, who most recently served as the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator, was named the new coach of the 49ers on February 6, 2017. These ads may not contain football-related themes or target underage viewers, and must contain a "prominent social responsibility message". 2018 NFL MVP, Super Bowl 54 Champion and MVP, Patrick Mahomes 3. Get the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. The 2017 NFL season was the 98th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era. New Orleans clinched the NFC South division over Carolina based on head-to-head sweep. [143] Even the Dallas Cowboys, a team whose fan base is among the largest in the United States, played their week 13 Thursday Night Football game in front of a half-empty AT&T Stadium. [188] Gonzalez will move to Fox, where he will join Fox NFL Kickoff; upon his departure, Gonzalez stated that he wished to pursue opportunities closer to his home in California, rather than travel to New York weekly to appear on CBS. The Independent exposed that Deltatre had also issued an internal e-mail instructing its employees to give the apps 5-star reviews. 3 seed over Kansas City based on conference record. 5 seed. This was the fourth season under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC.