2022 NFL Season

The 2022 NFL season is the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams falling to Buffalo in the NFL Kickoff Game, and will end on January 8, 2023. The playoffs are scheduled to start on January 14 and will conclude with Super Bowl LVII, the league's championship game, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12.

The former Washington Redskins, after two seasons of using the placeholder name Washington Football Team, were renamed the Washington Commanders prior to the start of the season.

Player movement

The 2022 NFL league year and trading period began on March 16. On March 14, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2022 on players with option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2021 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. Teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "top 51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a combined salary cap). On March 16, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.

Free agency

Free agency began on March 16. Notable players to change teams included:

* Quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (Las Vegas to Atlanta) and Mitchell Trubisky (Buffalo to Pittsburgh)
* Running backs Chase Edmonds (Arizona to Miami), Ronald Jones II (Tampa Bay to Kansas City), Sony Michel (Los Angeles Rams to Miami), and Raheem Mostert (San Francisco to Miami)
* Wide receivers D. J. Chark (Jacksonville to Detroit), Russell Gage (Atlanta to Tampa Bay), Jakeem Grant (Chicago to Cleveland), Julio Jones (Tennessee to Tampa Bay), Zay Jones (Las Vegas to Jacksonville), Christian Kirk (Arizona to Jacksonville), Jarvis Landry (Cleveland to New Orleans), Allen Robinson (Chicago to Los Angeles Rams), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh to Kansas City), and Sammy Watkins (Baltimore to Green Bay)
* Tight ends Evan Engram (New York Giants to Jacksonville), Gerald Everett (Seattle to Los Angeles Chargers), Austin Hooper (Cleveland to Tennessee), O. J. Howard (Tampa Bay to Buffalo), Hayden Hurst (Atlanta to Cincinnati), and C. J. Uzomah (Cincinnati to New York Jets)
* Offensive linemen Terron Armstead (New Orleans to Miami), Duane Brown (Seattle to New York Jets), Alex Cappa (Tampa Bay to Cincinnati), La'el Collins (Dallas to Cincinnati), Austin Corbett (Los Angeles Rams to Carolina), Ted Karras (New England to Cincinnati), Andrew Norwell (Jacksonville to Washington), Rodger Saffold (Tennessee to Buffalo), Brandon Scherff (Washington to Jacksonville), and Laken Tomlinson (San Francisco to New York Jets)
* Defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap (Seattle to Kansas City), Folorunso Fatukasi (New York Jets to Jacksonville), Dante Fowler (Atlanta to Dallas), Akiem Hicks (Chicago to Tampa Bay), Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Rams to Los Angeles Chargers), and Jarran Reed (Kansas City to Green Bay)
* Linebackers Randy Gregory (Dallas to Denver), Jordan Hicks (Arizona to Minnesota), Myles Jack (Jacksonville to Pittsburgh), Chandler Jones (Arizona to Las Vegas), Cory Littleton (Las Vegas to Carolina), Haason Reddick (Carolina to Philadelphia), Von Miller (Los Angeles Rams to Buffalo), Foyesade Oluokun (Atlanta to Jacksonville), Za'Darius Smith (Green Bay to Minnesota), and Bobby Wagner (Seattle to Los Angeles Rams)
* Defensive backs James Bradberry (New York Giants to Philadelphia), Stephon Gilmore (Carolina to Indianapolis), Casey Hayward (Las Vegas to Atlanta), J. C. Jackson (New England to Los Angeles Chargers), Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City to New Orleans), Marcus Maye (New York Jets to New Orleans), Rodney McLeod (Philadelphia to Indianapolis), D. J. Reed (Seattle to New York Jets), Justin Reid (Houston to Kansas City), Logan Ryan (New York Giants to Tampa Bay), Charvarius Ward (Kansas City to San Francisco), Jordan Whitehead (Tampa Bay to New York Jets), Darious Williams (Los Angeles Rams to Jacksonville), Marcus Williams (New Orleans to Baltimore), and Xavier Woods (Minnesota to Carolina)
* Kicker Greg Zuerlein (Dallas to New York Jets)
* Punters Johnny Hekker (Los Angeles Rams to Carolina), Thomas Morstead (Atlanta to Miami), and Bradley Pinion (Tampa Bay to Atlanta)

Trades

The following notable trades were made during the 2022 league year:

* March 16: Seattle traded QB Russell Wilson and a 2022 fourth round selection to Denver in exchange for QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and DE Shelby Harris along with 2022 first, second, and fifth round selections, and 2023 first and second round selections.
* March 16: Indianapolis traded QB Carson Wentz and a 2022 second round selection to Washington in exchange for a 2022 second round selection and a 2023 conditional third round selection.
* March 16: Chicago traded LB Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for 2022 second and sixth round selections.
* March 16: Las Vegas traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to Indianapolis in exchange for CB Rock Ya-Sin.
* March 16: Dallas traded WR Amari Cooper and a 2022 sixth round selection to Cleveland in exchange for 2022 fifth and sixth round selections.
* March 16: New England traded LB Chase Winovich to Cleveland in exchange for LB Mack Wilson.
* March 17: Green Bay traded WR Davante Adams to Las Vegas in exchange for 2022 first and second round selections.
* March 18: Houston traded QB Deshaun Watson and a 2024 sixth round selection to Cleveland in exchange for 2022 first and fourth round selections, 2023 first and third round selections, and 2024 first and fourth round selections.
* March 21: Atlanta traded QB Matt Ryan to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2022 third round selection.
* March 23: Kansas City traded WR Tyreek Hill to Miami in exchange for 2022 first, second, and fourth round selections along with 2023 fourth and sixth round selections.
* April 5: Miami traded WR DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth round selection to New England in exchange for a 2023 third round selection.
* April 28: Tennessee traded WR A. J. Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for 2022 first and third round selections.
* April 28: Baltimore traded WR Marquise Brown and a 2022 third round selection to Arizona in exchange for a 2022 first round selection.

* August 15: Philadelphia traded TE J. J. Arcega-Whiteside to Seattle in exchange for FS Ugo Amadi.
* October 9: Atlanta traded LB Deion Jones and a 2024 seventh round selection to Cleveland in exchange for a 2024 sixth round selection.
* October 20: Carolina traded RB Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco in exchange for 2023 second, third, and fourth round selections, and a 2024 fifth round selection.
* October 26: Chicago traded DE Robert Quinn to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 fourth round selection.
* October 27: The New York Giants traded WR Kadarius Toney to Kansas City in exchange for 2023 third and sixth round selections.
* October 31: Chicago traded LB Roquan Smith to Baltimore in exchange for LB A. J. Klein along with 2023 second and fifth round selections.
* November 1: Detroit traded TE T. J. Hockenson a 2023 4th round and a conditional 2024 4th round to Minnesota in exchange for a 2023 second-round selection and a 2024 third-round selection.
* November 1: Pittsburgh traded WR Chase Claypool to Chicago in exchange for a 2023 second-round selection.
* November 1: Denver traded LB Bradley Chubb along with a 2025 fifth-round selection to Miami for RB Chase Edmonds, a 2023 first-round selection, and 2024 fourth-round selection.
* November 1: Buffalo traded RB Zack Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick to Indianapolis for RB Nyheim Hines.

Retirements

Notable retirements

*RB Frank Gore – Five-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro. Played for San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Buffalo, and the New York Jets during his 16-year career.
*TE Rob Gronkowski – Five-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, four-time Super Bowl champion ( XLIX, LI, LIII, and LV), and 2014 Comeback Player of the Year. Played for New England and Tampa Bay during his 11-year career.
*RB Todd Gurley – Three-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro (two first-team, one second-team), 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and 2017 Offensive Player of the Year. Played for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta during his six-year career.
*G Richie Incognito – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo, Miami, and the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders during his 15-year career.
*SS Malcolm Jenkins – Three-time Pro Bowler, 2010 second-team All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl champion ( XLIV and LII). Played for New Orleans and Philadelphia during his 13-year career.
*LB Ryan Kerrigan – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Washington and Philadelphia during his 11-year career.
*C Alex Mack – Seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Cleveland, Atlanta, and San Francisco during his 13-year career.
*LB Clay Matthews III – Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), and Super Bowl XLV champion. Played for Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams during his 11-year career.
*QB Ben Roethlisberger – Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion ( XL and XLIII), and 2004 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Played for Pittsburgh during his entire 18-year career.
*OT Mitchell Schwartz – Four-time All-Pro (one first-team, three second-team) and Super Bowl LIV champion. Played for Cleveland and Kansas City during his nine-year career.
*FS Eric Weddle – Six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three second-team), and Super Bowl LVI champion. Played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 14-year career.
*OT Andrew Whitworth – Four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro (two first-team, one second-team), 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and Super Bowl LVI champion. Played for Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams during his 16-year career.

Other retirements

Draft

The 2022 NFL Draft was held in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 28–30. Jacksonville, by virtue of having the worst record in , held the first overall selection and selected pass rusher Travon Walker out of Georgia.

Rule changes

The NFL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee announced the following policy changes on March 28:
* All teams are required to have a female or minority offensive assistant on staff for the 2022 season.
* The Rooney Rule has been expanded to include women, regardless of their racial or ethnic background.

The following rule changes were approved at the NFL Owner's Meeting on March 28:
* In the postseason only, both teams are assured of one possession in overtime, even if the first team with possession scores a touchdown. This change was made in response to several recent playoff games in which the first team to possess the ball in overtime scored a touchdown and the other team did not have a chance to respond.
* Made permanent a 2021 experimental rule change to limit the receiving team on kickoffs to no more than nine players in the "set-up zone" (the area between 10 and 25 yards from the kickoff spot).

The following changes to roster management were made on May 25:
* Players on injured reserve (IR) are eligible to return to the roster after missing four games. This is up from the temporary three-game requirement in place during and to account for the impact of COVID-19 on rosters, but down from the eight games required prior to 2020.
* Teams can allow up to eight players to return from IR to the active roster per season. This limit was previously two players prior to 2020, but the limit was temporarily removed for 2020 and 2021. A player may return from injured reserve multiple times in a single season, but each return counts against the team's allotment of eight.
* Practice squads will remain at 16 players. The temporary increase from 12 to 16 players originally introduced in 2020 was made permanent.
* Teams may continue to elevate up to two players from the practice squad to the game-day roster for each game. A practice squad player may be elevated up to three times per season before the team is required to sign him to the active roster (up from the previous limit of two games).

The following change to the concussion protocol was made on October 8, following Tua Tagovailoa's injury in week 3:
* added the diagnosis of ataxia to the mandatory "no-go" symptoms that determine whether or not a player re-enters a game.

The following enhancements and updates to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts was announced at the NFL Fall League Meeting on October 18:
* Key decision makers in a head coach or general manager search, including owners, are required to participate in inclusive hiring training prior to head coach or general manager search.

2022 deaths

Pro Football Hall of Fame Members

; Len Dawson: Dawson played 19 seasons in the NFL and AFL as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. He was a one-time Pro Bowler and six-time AFL All-Star, four-time All-AFL (two first-team, two second-team), three-time AFL champion (1962, 1966, and 1969), and Super Bowl IV champion and MVP. He died on August 24, age 87.

;Ray Guy: Guy played 14 seasons in the NFL as a punter with the Oakland/ Los Angeles Raiders, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, eight-time All-Pro (six first-team, two second-team), and three-time Super Bowl champion ( XI, XV, and XVIII). He died on November 3, age 72.

;Don Maynard: Maynard played 15 seasons in the NFL and AFL as a wide receiver with the New York Giants, the New York Jets, and the St. Louis Cardinals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), and Super Bowl III champion. He died on January 10, age 86.

; Hugh McElhenny: McElhenny played 13 seasons in the NFL as a halfback with the San Francisco 49ers, the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro. He died on June 17, age 93.

; Charley Taylor: Taylor played 14 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver/halfback with the Washington Redskins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro (one first-team, five second-team). He died on February 19, age 80.

;Charley Trippi: Trippi played nine seasons in the NFL as a halfback/quarterback with the Chicago Cardinals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team) and 1947 NFL Champion. He died on October 19, age 100.

;Rayfield Wright: Wright played 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro (three first-team, three second-team), and two-time Super Bowl champion ( VI and XII). He died on April 7, age 76.

Others

Preseason

The majority of training camps began on July 27. The preseason began on August 4 with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, in which Las Vegas (represented in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 by Richard Seymour and Cliff Branch) defeated Jacksonville (represented by Tony Boselli).

In March, the league passed a resolution to require the use of "Guardian Caps," oversized outer layers of padding placed on the helmet, from the start of training camp through the second preseason game for offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends. A guardian cap is a soft-shell padding aimed to decrease forces sustained during head-to-head contact and limit head injuries that may come with such contact.

Regular season

The NFL released the 2022 regular season schedule on May 12, with select games announced in advance of the full schedule release.

The season is planned to be played over an 18-week schedule beginning on September 8. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week for each team. The regular season is scheduled to end on January 8, 2023; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since .

Each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice, one game against each of the four teams from a division in its own conference, one game against each of the four teams from a division in the other conference, one game against each of the remaining two teams in its conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division would play all three other teams in its conference that also finished fourth in their divisions), and one game against a team in another division in the other conference that also finished in the same position in their respective division the previous season.

The division pairings for 2022 are as follows:

Highlights of the 2022 season include:
*NFL Kickoff Game: The 2022 season began with the Kickoff Game on September 8, with Buffalo defeating the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams.
*NFL International Series: There were three games in London in 2022: Minnesota at New Orleans