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2019 National Football League season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears. The season concluded with Super Bowl LIV, the league's championship game, on February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, in which the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers, to win their second Super Bowl championship. This was also the final NFL season with the 12-team playoff format, as 2 more teams were added to the annual NFL Playoffs as of the 2020 NFL season.
Regular season | |
---|---|
Duration | September 5, 2019 – December 29, 2019 |
Playoffs | |
Start date | January 4, 2020 |
AFC Champions | Kansas City Chiefs |
NFC Champions | San Francisco 49ers |
Super Bowl LIV | |
Date | February 2, 2020 |
Site | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida |
Champions | Kansas City Chiefs |
Pro Bowl | |
Date | January 26, 2020 |
Site | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida |
The 2019 season was also the last season for the Oakland Raiders after playing in Oakland for 47 non-consecutive years before their relocation to Las Vegas for 2020 with the completion of Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders were previously approved for relocation in March 2017 but spent the last two seasons at RingCentral Coliseum.
The 2019 NFL league year and trading period began on March 13. On March 8, teams were allowed to exercise 2019 options for players with option clauses in their contracts, to submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents and to submit minimum salary tenders to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2018 contracts who had 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 team's 51 highest-paid players must have a combined salary cap). On March 11, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with the agents of players who were set to become unrestricted free agents.
Free agency began on March 13. Notable players to change teams included:
The following notable trades were made during the 2019 league year:
The following notable players retired prior to the 2019 season:
The 2019 NFL draft was held from April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee.[77] The Arizona Cardinals selected Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall selection.
The following officials were hired:
The following official retired:
The following rule changes were approved for the 2019 season at the NFL owners' meeting on March 26:[86]
An additional rule change was built upon a rule originally passed in 2018. The NFL limited helmets to a list of 34 league-approved models, up from the 23 originally approved in 2018. The grandfather clause allowing existing players to wear their previous non-approved helmets expired, and 32 players were required to change helmets.[87] In May 2019, the NFL banned Oklahoma drills, "bull in the ring", and other high-contact drills from team practices.[88] In June 2019, the league clarified March 2019 temporary rule change regarding reviews of pass interference plays as follows:[89]
Training camps for the 2019 season were held in late July through August. Teams started training camp no earlier than 15 days before their first scheduled preseason game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was played on August 1; in which Denver defeated Atlanta at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Denver was represented in the 2019 Hall of Fame class by owner Pat Bowlen (posthumously) and former cornerback Champ Bailey, while Atlanta was represented by former tight end Tony Gonzalez.[100][101]
On August 17, Dallas and the Los Angeles Rams played a preseason game at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, the former home of the Pro Bowl.[102]
On August 22, Oakland played Green Bay at IG Field in Winnipeg, home of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers; it was the first NFL game on Canadian soil since the end of the Bills Toronto Series in 2013.[103] Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, was another potential site for the game, and the teams had secured the cooperation of the city and local sports promoter On Ice Management, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) vetoed the proposal, as the Roughriders feared they would be unable to reconfigure the field from NFL to CFL standards in time for their August 24 home game[104] (the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers were away that weekend and thus did not have a scheduling conflict). Because of safety concerns caused by the reconfiguration of the goalposts, the NFL, at the last minute, shortened the playing field to 80 yards long (the first such known NFL usage of a field that short since 1932) and eliminated kickoffs, starting all possessions on the 15-yard line.[105] Thirty-three Packers players refused to play on the surface, including starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.[106]
On October 18, 2018, the NFL announced that it would commemorate its 100th season throughout 2019, beginning with Super Bowl LIII in February 2019. An NFL 100 emblem was featured in promotions across all NFL properties during the season, worn on jerseys as a patch, placed on game balls, and painted on fields.[107][108]
The Chicago Bears (who, as the Decatur Staleys, were one of the 14 charter members of the league) celebrated their centennial season with commemorative events throughout 2019. On November 15, 2018, the team unveiled a customized version of the league-wide centennial emblem (which was worn on jerseys in place of the NFL-branded version).[109] The team also unveiled a throwback jersey based on its 1936 design, which it donned for two games.[110]
The NFL aired a special two-minute commercial during Super Bowl LIII to launch the centennial campaign, which featured a gala dinner attended by 40 current and former NFL players, including Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley, then-New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr., New England QB Tom Brady, former Indianapolis and Denver QB Peyton Manning, Hall of Fame WRs Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin, and Hall of Fame QB Terry Bradshaw,[111] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (who delivered the welcome address), NFL officials Ron Torbert and Sarah Thomas, viral teenage girl football star Samantha Gordon,[112] and video game streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. The commercial won the annual Super Bowl Ad Meter survey held by USA Today, marking the first time that the NFL itself won.[113]
In honor of the site of the first NFL game, the league announced plans to donate a new artificial turf field to Triangle Park in Dayton, Ohio, home field of the former Dayton Triangles, intending for Cincinnati to hold a day of training camp at the site. However, the project was rejected by the city after concerns that construction could potentially disturb a Native American burial site. The NFL instead donated the turf to nearby Kettering Field.[114] The Bengals still held a training camp day in Dayton, doing so at Welcome Stadium instead.[115][116][117]
The NFL intentionally scheduled a weekly game to honor landmark moments in NFL history:[118]
Week | Result | Significance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Green Bay | 10 | Chicago | 3 | NFL's longest-running rivalry |
2 | Cleveland | 23 | New York Jets | 3 | First game televised on Monday Night Football; the series also celebrated its 50th season in 2019.[119] |
3 | Miami | 6 | Dallas | 31 | Super Bowl VI |
4 | Los Angeles Chargers | 30 | Miami | 10 | Epic in Miami |
5 | Buffalo | 14 | Tennessee | 7 | Music City Miracle |
6 | New York Giants | 14 | New England | 35 | Super Bowls XLII (David Tyree's helmet catch that spoiled the first perfect season since 1972) and XLVI |
7 | Oakland | 24 | Green Bay | 42 | Super Bowl II |
8 | Green Bay | 31 | Kansas City | 24 | Super Bowl I |
9 | Minnesota | 23 | Kansas City | 26 | Super Bowl IV |
10 | Atlanta | 26 | New Orleans | 9 | Rivalry game and Saints' return to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina |
11 | New England | 17 | Philadelphia | 10 | Super Bowls XXXIX and LII (Philly Special) |
12 | Oakland | 3 | New York Jets | 34 | Heidi Game |
13 | San Francisco | 17 | Baltimore | 20 | Super Bowl XLVII |
14 | Cincinnati | 19 | Cleveland | 27 | Battle of Ohio (state where NFL was founded), both teams founded by Paul Brown |
15 | Indianapolis | 7 | New Orleans | 34 | Super Bowl XLIV |
16 | Oakland | 24 | Los Angeles Chargers | 17 | Rivalry game, Holy Roller play |
17 | San Francisco | 26 | Seattle | 21 | Rivalry game, 2013 NFC Championship (The Tip)[120] |
The 2019 regular season's 256 games were played over a 17-week schedule that began on September 5, 2019. Each of the league's 32 teams played a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team. There were games on Monday nights and on Thursdays, including the National Football League Kickoff game and games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season concluded with a full slate of 16 games on December 29, all of which were intra-division matchups, as it had been since 2010.
Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team played the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition, teams played against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team's schedule were against the two remaining teams in the same conference that had finished in the same position in their respective divisions in 2018 (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division played all three other teams in the conference that also finished fourth). The division parings for 2019 were as follows:
Intra-conference |
Inter-conference |
The entire schedule was released on April 17, 2019.
Highlights of the 2019 season included:
When the entire season schedule was released on April 17, the league announced Saturday games to be played in Week 16. On November 12, the NFL announced that three games would be moved from Sunday to Saturday
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The 2019 playoffs began on January 4–5, 2020 with the wild-card round. The four winners of these games visited the top two seeds in each conference in the Divisional Round games on January 11–12. The winners of those games advanced to the Conference Championships on January 19. The 2020 Pro Bowl was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on January 26. Super Bowl LIV was played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on February 2.
The start times for the Divisional Round games on Sunday, January 12, were moved to 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET (as is already the case with the conference championship games), rather than the typical 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. windows used for this round in previous seasons.[134]
Jan 5 – Lincoln Financial Field | Jan 12 – Lambeau Field | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Seattle | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Seattle | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Philadelphia | 9 | Jan 19 – Levi's Stadium | |||||||||||||||
2 | Green Bay | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 5 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 2 | Green Bay | 20 | |||||||||||||||
Jan 11 – Levi's Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | San Francisco | 37 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota | 26* | NFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | New Orleans | 20 | Feb 2 – Hard Rock Stadium | |||||||||||||||
1 | San Francisco | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
Wild Card playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
Divisional playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 4 – Gillette Stadium | N1 | San Francisco | 20 | |||||||||||||||
Jan 11 – M&T Bank Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
A2 | Kansas City | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | Tennessee | 20 | Super Bowl LIV | |||||||||||||||
6 | Tennessee | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | New England | 13 | Jan 19 – Arrowhead Stadium | |||||||||||||||
1 | Baltimore | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 4 – NRG Stadium | 6 | Tennessee | 24 | |||||||||||||||
Jan 12 – Arrowhead Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | Kansas City | 35 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Buffalo | 19 | AFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
4 | Houston | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Houston | 22* | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Kansas City | 51 | ||||||||||||||||
* Indicates OT victory
News of Indianapolis Colts quarterback and 2012 first overall pick Andrew Luck retiring broke out during the Colts' third preseason game. His retirement quickly became one of the most surprising revelations of the year. During his post-game press conference, Luck stated that his retirement was due to the recent mental and physical difficulties of playing football.[135] Luck had won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2018.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown was involved in several controversies throughout the off-season, preseason, and regular season.[136] Brown was held out by his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers during week 17 of 2018 due to a heated falling out with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He was subsequently traded to the Oakland Raiders in March 2019. However, Brown's helmet model had been banned by the NFL due to inadequate protection, prompting Brown to hold out of practices and file two grievances against the NFL, both of which were denied. Brown then accepted the new helmet model and returned to practice, but later wore inadequate footwear in a cryogenic chamber and got frostbite on his feet, causing additional concern for his availability in Week 1.[137] Brown next released recorded audio of Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and requested that the Raiders release him. He was subsequently released and signed with the New England Patriots. On September 10, allegations that Brown had raped his former trainer, Britney Taylor, caused speculation that he might be put on the commissioner's exempt list, barring him from playing.[138] However, the NFL did not do so and Brown played in the Patriots' Week 2 game. On September 16, a second woman accused Brown of sexual misconduct.[139] That same day, Pittsburgh-based Dr. Victor Prisk, who worked with Brown during his time with the Steelers, sued Brown for $11,500 in unpaid fees.[139] The Patriots cut Brown on September 20 after he allegedly sent intimidating text messages to his second accuser.[140]
In the final seconds of a November 14 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett tackled Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph after Rudolph completed a screen pass to running back Trey Edmunds. Upset by the late tackle, Rudolph attacked Garrett by attempting to pull off Garrett's helmet. Garrett then ripped off Rudolph's helmet and used it to hit Rudolph in the head while being restrained by Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Steelers guard David DeCastro. Pouncey and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi then joined in on the fight, with Pouncey punching and kicking Garrett's head several times. Garrett, Ogunjobi, and Pouncey were all ejected from the game. Following the game, Garrett was suspended for the remainder of 2019 and required to apply for reinstatement in 2020, while Pouncey and Ogunjobi received 2-game and 1-game suspensions, respectively.[141][142] Garrett was reinstated in February 2020, ending his suspension after six games. The six-game suspension was the longest in NFL history for a single on-field transgression.[143]
During the December 8 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, the New England Patriots were alleged to have spied on the Bengals' sideline. The Patriots, who were scheduled to play the Bengals the following week, sent a video team to Cleveland to film a documentary of an advance scout, part of the "Do Your Job" series on the Patriots' website. This video contractor was given media credentials by the Browns, but the Bengals and NFL were not made aware of the presence of the Patriots' video crew.[144] According to ESPN's Dianna Russini, a Bengals staffer spotted the Patriots' cameraman and proceeded to observe what he was doing. Allegedly, the cameraman proceeded to point his camera at the Bengals coaching staff and sideline for most of the quarter. The Bengals employee reported him to media relations, who reported him to security; security then seized the film and leaked it to Jay Glazer, who made the footage public. The NFL has launched an investigation into these allegations.[145] This was the second time the current Patriots administration was involved in an unauthorized videotaping scandal, following the Spygate controversy in 2007.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Wild Card Round
Divisional Round
Conference Championships
Super Bowl
Individual[193] | |
---|---|
Scoring leader | Harrison Butker, Kansas City (147) |
Most field goals made | Harrison Butker, Kansas City (34) |
Touchdowns | Aaron Jones, Green Bay and Christian McCaffrey, Carolina (19) |
Rushing | Derrick Henry, Tennessee (1,540) |
Passing yards | Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay (5,109) |
Passing touchdowns | Lamar Jackson, Baltimore (36) |
Passer rating | Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee (117.5) |
Pass receptions | Michael Thomas, New Orleans (149) |
Pass receiving yards | Michael Thomas, New Orleans (1,725) |
Combined tackles | Bobby Wagner, Seattle (159 tackles) |
Interceptions | Anthony Harris, Minnesota, Tre'Davious White, Buffalo and Stephon Gilmore, New England (6) |
Punting | Lac Edwards, New York Jets (3,991 yards, 45.9 average yards) |
Sacks | Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay (19.5) |
The 9th Annual NFL Honors, saluting the best players and plays from 2019 season, was held on February 1, 2020, at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida.
The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press:
|
Special teams | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Placekicker | Justin Tucker (Baltimore) | ||||
Punter | Brett Kern (Tennessee) | ||||
Kick returner | Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago) | ||||
Special teams | Matthew Slater (New England) |
The following were named the top performers during the 2019 season:
Week/ Month |
Offensive Player of the Week/Month |
Defensive Player of the Week/Month |
Special Teams Player of the Week/Month | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | |
1[194] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Dak Prescott QB (Cowboys) |
Cameron Wake OLB (Titans) |
Anthony Harris SS (Vikings) |
Ty Long P (Chargers) |
Wil Lutz K (Saints) |
2[195] | Patrick Mahomes QB (Chiefs) |
Russell Wilson QB (Seahawks) |
Whitney Mercilus OLB (Texans) |
Shaquil Barrett OLB (Buccaneers) |
Jamie Gillan P (Browns) |
Eddy Piñeiro K (Bears) |
3[196] | Deshaun Watson QB (Texans) |
Daniel Jones QB (Giants) |
Calais Campbell DE (Jaguars) |
Preston Smith OLB (Packers) |
Jake Bailey P (Patriots) |
Thomas Morstead P (Saints) |
4[197] | Nick Chubb RB (Browns) |
Jameis Winston QB (Buccaneers) |
Kyle Van Noy LB (Patriots) |
Janoris Jenkins CB (Giants) |
Josh Lambo K (Jaguars) |
Joey Slye K (Panthers) |
Sept.[198] | Patrick Mahomes QB (Chiefs) |
Christian McCaffrey RB (Panthers) |
Devin McCourty FS (Patriots) |
Shaquil Barrett OLB (Buccaneers) |
Jamie Gillan P (Browns) |
Thomas Morstead P (Saints) |
5[199] | Deshaun Watson QB (Texans) |
Aaron Jones RB (Packers) |
Justin Houston DE (Colts) |
Nick Bosa DE (49ers) |
Justin Tucker K (Ravens) |
Dan Bailey K (Vikings) |
6[200] | Sam Darnold QB (Jets) |
Kyler Murray QB (Cardinals) |
Devin Bush Jr. LB (Steelers) |
Landon Collins SS (Redskins) |
Justin Tucker K (Ravens) |
Thomas Morstead P (Saints) |
7[201] | Jacoby Brissett QB (Colts) |
Aaron Rodgers QB (Packers) |
Tre'Davious White CB (Bills) |
Chandler Jones OLB (Cardinals) |
Josh Lambo K (Jaguars) |
Brett Maher K (Cowboys) |
8[202] | James Conner RB (Steelers) |
Aaron Jones RB (Packers) |
Joey Bosa DE (Chargers) |
Nick Bosa DE (49ers) |
Adam Vinatieri K (Colts) |
Dan Bailey K (Vikings) |
Oct.[203] | Deshaun Watson QB (Texans) |
Kirk Cousins QB (Vikings) |
Stephon Gilmore CB (Patriots) |
Nick Bosa DE (49ers) |
Justin Tucker K (Ravens) |
Zane Gonzalez K (Cardinals) |
9[204] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Russell Wilson QB (Seahawks) |
Bud Dupree OLB (Steelers) |
Xavier Woods FS (Cowboys) |
Harrison Butker K (Chiefs) |
Mitch Wishnowsky P (49ers) |
10[205] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Dalvin Cook RB (Vikings) |
Jamal Adams S (Jets) |
Jadeveon Clowney DE (Seahawks) |
Jason Sanders K (Dolphins) |
Younghoe Koo K (Falcons) |
11[206] | Josh Allen QB (Bills) |
Dak Prescott QB (Cowboys) |
Maxx Crosby DE (Raiders) |
Aaron Donald DT (Rams) |
Jake Bailey P (Patriots) |
Kenjon Barner RB (Falcons) |
12[207] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Chris Godwin WR (Buccaneers) |
Joe Schobert LB (Browns) |
Fred Warner LB (49ers) |
Matthew Slater WR (Patriots) |
Steven Sims WR (Redskins) |
13[208] | Deshaun Watson QB (Texans) |
Jared Goff QB (Rams) |
Carlos Dunlap DE (Bengals) |
Cameron Jordan DE (Saints) |
Jason Sanders K (Dolphins) |
Tress Way P (Redskins) |
Nov.[209] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Michael Thomas WR (Saints) |
T. J. Watt OLB (Steelers) |
Fred Warner LB (49ers) |
Harrison Butker K (Chiefs) |
Cordarrelle Patterson WR (Bears) |
14[210] | Ryan Tannehill QB (Titans) |
Jimmy Garoppolo QB (49ers) |
Kareem Jackson SS (Broncos) |
Danielle Hunter DE (Vikings) |
Diontae Johnson WR (Steelers) |
Younghoe Koo K (Falcons) |
15[211] | Lamar Jackson QB (Ravens) |
Drew Brees QB (Saints) |
Tre'Davious White CB (Bills) |
Patrick Peterson CB (Cardinals) |
Angelo Blackson DE (Texans) |
Dan Bailey K (Vikings) |
16[212] | Ryan Fitzpatrick QB (Dolphins) |
Saquon Barkley RB (Giants) |
Dre'Mont Jones DE (Broncos) |
Chandler Jones OLB (Cardinals) |
Nyheim Hines RB (Colts) |
Robbie Gould K (49ers) |
17[213] | Derrick Henry RB (Titans) |
Boston Scott RB (Eagles) |
Carlos Dunlap DE (Bengals) |
Deion Jones LB (Falcons) |
Mecole Hardman WR (Chiefs) |
Johnny Hekker P (Rams) |
Dec.[214] | Ryan Tannehill QB (Titans) |
Drew Brees QB (Saints) |
Tyrann Mathieu SS (Chiefs) |
Chandler Jones OLB (Cardinals) |
Jason Sanders K (Dolphins) |
Robbie Gould K (49ers) |
|
Month | Rookie of the Month | |
---|---|---|
Offensive | Defensive | |
Sept.[198] | Gardner Minshew QB (Jaguars) |
Brian Burns OLB (Panthers) |
Oct.[203] | Josh Jacobs RB (Raiders) |
Nick Bosa DE (49ers) |
Nov.[209] | Josh Jacobs RB (Raiders) |
Devin White LB (Buccaneers) |
Dec.[214] | A. J. Brown WR (Titans) |
Devin White LB (Buccaneers) |
Team | Departing coach | Interim coach | Incoming coach | Reason for leaving | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Cardinals | Steve Wilks | Kliff Kingsbury | Fired | Wilks was fired on December 31, 2018, after one season in which he accrued a record of 3–13 (.188).[217]
Kingsbury, who had spent most of the previous six seasons as head coach of Texas Tech, was hired on January 8, 2019.[218] | |
Cincinnati Bengals | Marvin Lewis | Zac Taylor | Mutual decision | Lewis and the Bengals mutually agreed to part ways on December 31 after a 6–10 (.375) season. In 16 years as the Bengals' head coach, Lewis was 131–122–3 (.518), with 7 playoff appearances. The Bengals never won a playoff game under Lewis and had missed the playoffs in each of his last three seasons.[219]
Taylor was named as head coach on February 5, 2019. This is his first experience as head coach after serving as the Los Angeles Rams' quarterbacks coach. At 35 years old, he became the 2nd youngest active coach in the NFL, after Sean McVay, who coaches Taylor's former team, the Rams.[220] | |
Cleveland Browns | Hue Jackson | Gregg Williams | Freddie Kitchens | Fired | Jackson was fired on October 29, 2018, accumulating a 3–36–1 (.088) record during his 2+1⁄2-season tenure with the Browns. Jackson failed to win any away games during his tenure and lost every game in 2017.[221] Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who previously served as Buffalo Bills head coach from 2001 to 2003, finished out the 2018 season with a 5–3 (.625) record.
Kitchens was promoted to head coach on January 12, 2019, after serving as the interim offensive coordinator following Jackson's firing. This is his first head coaching position.[222] |
Denver Broncos | Vance Joseph | Vic Fangio | Joseph was fired on December 31, 2018, after a 6–10 (.375) season. The Broncos were 11–21 (.344) in Joseph's two losing seasons as head coach, with no playoff appearances.[223]
Fangio, a first-time head coach with over 30 years experience as an assistant dating back to the USFL, most recently as defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, was hired on January 10, 2019.[224] | ||
Green Bay Packers | Mike McCarthy | Joe Philbin | Matt LaFleur | McCarthy was fired on December 2, 2018. McCarthy left with a record of 135–85–2 (.613) with nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl championship. Philbin, the team's offensive coordinator, finished the season as interim coach with a record of 2–2 (.500).[225]
LaFleur was hired on January 8, 2019. Previously the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, this is his first head coaching position.[226] | |
Miami Dolphins | Adam Gase | Brian Flores | Gase was fired on December 31, 2018, after a 7–9 (.438) season. The Dolphins were 23–25 (.479) in Gase's three years as head coach, with one playoff appearance in 2016.[227]
Flores, formerly the New England Patriots' long time assistant, recently as linebackers coach, was announced as head coach on February 5, 2019. After being with the Patriots organization since 2004, this is his first head coaching position.[228] | ||
New York Jets | Todd Bowles | Adam Gase | Bowles was fired on December 30, 2018, finishing the season with a record of 4–12 (.250) and a cumulative record of 24–40 (.375) with no playoff appearances in four seasons with Jets.[229]
Gase, who was previously the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, posting a 23–25 (.479) record in three seasons, was hired on January 11, 2019.[230] | ||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Dirk Koetter | Bruce Arians | Koetter was fired on December 30, 2018, after a 5–11 (.313) season. The Buccaneers were 19–29 (.396) in Koetter's three years as head coach, with no playoff appearances. Previously, Koetter was Buccaneers' offensive coordinator for one season in 2015.[231]
Arians was announced as the Buccaneers' new head coach on January 8, 2019. He was previously the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals for five seasons with 50–32–1 (.608) record from 2013 to 2017, leading them to an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2015.[232] |
Team | Departing coach | Reason for leaving | Interim replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Washington Redskins | Jay Gruden | Fired | Bill Callahan | After an 0–5 start, Gruden was fired on October 7. He had a 35–49–1 (.418) record for his 5+ season tenure with the Redskins, with one playoff appearance in 2015.[233]
Callahan, the team's assistant head coach/offensive line coach, was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003, with a record of 15–17 (.469) and one Super Bowl appearance.[234] |
Carolina Panthers | Ron Rivera | Perry Fewell | Rivera was fired on December 3, after going 5–7–0 (.417) in the first 13 weeks of the season. In 8+ seasons as the Panthers head coach, they were 76–63–1 (.546), with playoff appearances including 3 NFC South division titles and 1 Super Bowl appearance, going 3–4–0 (.429) in the playoffs.
Fewell, the defensive backs coach, took over on an interim basis until the end of the season. A longtime defensive assistant in the NFL, his only head coaching experience was as the Buffalo Bills interim head coach for the last 7 games of the 2009 season. The Bills went 3–4–0 (.429) in those 7 games.[235] |
Team | Position | Departing office holder | Interim replacement | Incoming office holder | Reason for leaving | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baltimore Ravens | General manager | Ozzie Newsome | Eric DeCosta | Retired | The Ravens announced on February 2, 2018, that Newsome would retire after 16 years as the team's GM and that Eric DeCosta, most recently the Ravens' assistant GM, would succeed Newsome.[236] Newsome was the first African American to occupy the GM position in the NFL.[237] | |
Oakland Raiders | Reggie McKenzie | Shaun Herock | Mike Mayock | Fired | McKenzie was fired on December 10, 2018, after six-plus seasons as Raiders' GM.[238] Herock, team's director of college scouting, served as the Raiders' interim GM until the team settled on a full-time replacement.
Mayock had previously been a television commentator for the past 26 seasons and has never held a front office position.[239] | |
New York Jets | Mike Maccagnan | Adam Gase | Joe Douglas | Maccagnan was fired on May 15, 2019, after four seasons; vice president of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger was also dismissed. Head coach Adam Gase was named interim GM.[240] Douglas was named the new GM on June 7, 2019.[241] | ||
Houston Texans | Brian Gaine | by committee | Gaine was unexpectedly fired on June 7, 2019, after only one season and returned to his previous position with the Buffalo Bills.[242][243] The Texans have not replaced Gaine; instead, the team has divided the general manager role among several of the team's executives.[244] |
This was the third and final season for the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park and the fourth and final season for the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both teams moved to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, starting in 2020.
A buyout window in the Buffalo Bills' lease on New Era Field opened after the 2019 season. The window allowed the team to cancel its lease on the stadium for a $28 million fee and relocate. If the Bills chose not to exercise the buyout window, they will not be allowed to relocate until after the 2022 season, when the current lease expires.[245] The Bills chose not to exercise the buyout.
On September 4, the Denver Broncos' home field was rebranded as Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos had been seeking a long-term naming rights partner for their home field since sporting goods retailer Sports Authority went bankrupt in 2016. Empower Retirement, a retirement plan provider that is based in Denver, had served as a team sponsor since 2015, with the Broncos agreeing to terms on a 21-year deal that will run through 2039, though financial terms were not disclosed. This marks the third naming rights change for the Broncos' home field, following "Invesco Field at Mile High" (2001–2010), "Sports Authority Field at Mile High" (2011–2017) and "Broncos Stadium at Mile High" – the latter of which was used on a temporary basis for 2018.[246]
This was the final season for the Oakland Raiders at RingCentral Coliseum (renamed from the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in May 2019[247]) before moving to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders' lease on the Coliseum expired after the 2018 season. The Coliseum management expressed a reluctance to allow the Raiders to continue using the Coliseum after the lease expired unless the team paid more to cover the losses the Coliseum incurred by hosting Raiders games. In December 2018, the city of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the Raiders and the NFL seeking financial damages and unpaid debt, claiming the relocation was illegal but not asking for an injunction forcing the team to stay. The Raiders stated that if any legal action was filed against them, that they would not renew with the Coliseum and find another, undetermined, temporary home for 2019 until Allegiant Stadium was finished.[248] The Raiders then attempted to negotiate a lease with Oracle Park in San Francisco before the San Francisco 49ers vetoed the plan as an infringement on their territorial rights.[249] With the 49ers refusing to waive territorial rights, the Raiders were forced to either renegotiate with the Coliseum[250] or find a temporary stadium outside the San Francisco Bay Area (something that the Raiders management was reluctant to do, though the team acknowledged and considered bids from San Antonio, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona). The Raiders, despite reservations about providing funds to the lawsuit being filed against them, negotiated a return to the Coliseum for 2019; a tentative agreement, pending Coliseum and league approval, was announced February 25.[251] The lease agreement was approved by the Oakland Coliseum Authority, the Oakland city council, and Alameda County supervisors by March 21.[252] The Coliseum was the last multi-purpose stadium to be the home of both an NFL and Major League Baseball team (the Oakland Athletics). Barring any future relocations, the Raiders' September 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs stands as the last NFL game played on a dirt infield.[253]
This was the sixth year under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN/ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season (regardless of the conference of the visiting team). NBC airs Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff Game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN airs Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl with the latter being simulcast on ABC. Fox airs Thursday Night Football along with NFL Network, with Amazon Video and Twitch continuing to simulcast those games online in the second and final year of the two sites' current contract. Fox will also broadcast Super Bowl LIV in English, with Fox Deportes aired the game in Spanish . ESPN aired coverage for all three days of the 2019 NFL draft on ABC, replacing Fox's broadcast television simulcast of NFL Network in 2018. ABC's coverage catered towards a mainstream audience and was hosted by the panel of ESPN's College GameDay, while ESPN and NFL Network continued to carry more conventional coverage of the draft.[264]
Under a one-year test, local stations in markets with NFL teams are allowed on a limited basis to air another NFL game opposite the game involving that city's home team, something that had previously been forbidden (this rule had already been waived for the Washington, D.C. market when the Baltimore Ravens are playing at the same time as the Washington Redskins on the opposite network—Washington, D.C., is a secondary market for the Ravens, for the Los Angeles market after the Rams' and Chargers' moves to LA and league-wide for Week 17 since 2014). It was originally reported that all media markets in the U.S. who have CBS and Fox affiliates will have access to three Sunday afternoon games every week regardless of whether the local team is playing at home.[265][266] The league later clarified that teams will still be able to impose the home exclusivity blackout on a limited basis, so long as they lift the exclusivity at least twice.[267]
The league has an option to cancel its contract with DirecTV after the 2019 season. DirecTV has had exclusive rights to the league's out-of-market sports package, NFL Sunday Ticket, since the package was introduced in 1994.[268]
On February 28, 2019, Jason Witten announced he would be leaving his color commentator position on Monday Night Football after one season; he returned to the Dallas Cowboys, where he had played tight end for fifteen seasons before joining ESPN in 2018.[269] Witten was not replaced; Booger McFarland, who spent the previous season commentating from atop a crane-like contraption on the sideline, was moved into the booth.[270] Former referee Jeff Triplette also left Monday Night Football as rules analyst. He was replaced with John Parry, who retired the same day his ESPN position was announced; Parry is the third rules analyst ESPN has hired in two years, following Triplette and Gerald Austin.[81] Steve Tasker departed CBS after 21 seasons with the network, all but one as a color commentator, after CBS declined to renew Tasker's contract. Tasker anticipates moving to radio and calling games for Westwood One for the 2019 season.[271] Twitch added "co-streaming" with live commentary from specially chosen users of the service for its 2019 Thursday night games.[272]
Rank | Date | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV rating[273] | Window | Significance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | November 28, 4:30 ET | Buffalo Bills | 26 | Dallas Cowboys | 15 | CBS | 32.6 | 13.5 | Thanksgiving | Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII rematch |
2 | November 24, 4:25 ET | Dallas Cowboys | 9 | New England Patriots | 13 | Fox | 29.5 | 16.5 | Late DH[a] | |
3 | December 8, 4:25 ET | Kansas City Chiefs | 23 | New England Patriots | 16 | CBS | 28.1 | 16.1 | Late DH[b] | 2018 AFC Championship and Week 6 rematch |
4 | November 28, 12:30 ET | Chicago Bears | 24 | Detroit Lions | 20 | Fox | 27.1 | 12.3 | Thanksgiving | Bears–Lions Rivalry |
5 | December 22, 4:25 ET | Dallas Cowboys | 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | 17 | Fox | 25.3 | 14.2 | Late DH[d] | Cowboys–Eagles Rivalry |
6 | November 17, 4:25 ET | New England Patriots | 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | CBS | 24.9 | 14.0 | Late DH[c] | Super Bowl LII rematch |
7 | October 6, 4:25 ET | Green Bay Packers | 34 | Dallas Cowboys | 24 | Fox | 24.6 | 13.8 | Late DH[e] | Cowboys–Packers Rivalry |
8 | September 29, 8:20 ET | Dallas Cowboys | 10 | New Orleans Saints | 12 | NBC | 24.1 | 13.7 | SNF | 2018 Week 13 rematch |
9 | September 8, 4:25 ET | New York Giants | 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 35 | Fox | 23.9 | 13.5 | Late DH[f] | Cowboys–Giants Rivalry |
10 | September 15, 4:25 ET | New Orleans Saints | 9 | Los Angeles Rams | 27 | Fox | 23.3 | 13.2 | Late DH[g] | 2018 NFC Championship and Week 9 rematch |
*Note – Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.
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