The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with the defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers in the NFL Kickoff Game in a rematch of the Super Bowl. The season concluded with Super Bowl LI, the league's championship game on February 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium in Houston with the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34–28. For the first time since the 2003 NFL season, neither of the previous season's Super Bowl participants made the playoffs.
The former St. Louis Rams moved out of St. Louis, Missouri and returned to the Los Angeles metropolitan area, its home from 1946 to 1994. This was the first time an NFL team relocated to another state since the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee in .The Oilers received approval to relocate to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997, but elected to play at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season while the Nashville venue now known as Nissan Stadium was under construction.
After playing in San Diego for 56 years, the 2016 season was the last season for the San Diego Chargers before their return to the city of Los Angeles for 2017, where the franchise was based for their first season in 1960.
This would be the first season in which the Super Bowl went into overtime, and the last until 2023.
Player movements and retirements The 2016 NFL league year began on March 9, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. ET. On March 7 clubs started to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2015 contracts two days later. On March 9, clubs exercised options for 2016 on players who have option clauses in their 2015 contracts, submitted qualifying offers to their restricted free agents with expiring contracts and to whom desire to retain a Right of Refusal/Compensation, submitted a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2015 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued season of free agent credit, and 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 collective salary cap hit below the actual cap). All 2015 players contracts expired and trading period for 2016 begin.
This season's salary cap increased to $155.27 million per team, up from $143.28 million in 2015.
Free agency A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period. In addition, a number of highly paid players were released after the start of the league year to allow their teams to regain space under the salary cap. Among the notable players who changed teams via free agency were:
Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III (Washington to Cleveland) and Brock Osweiler (Denver to Houston) Running backs Matt Forte (Chicago to New York Jets), Chris Ivory (New York Jets to Jacksonville) Lamar Miller (Miami to Houston), and Alfred Morris (Washington to Dallas) Wide receivers Travis Benjamin (Cleveland to San Diego), Marvin Jones (Cincinnati to Detroit), Rishard Matthews (Miami to Tennessee), and Mohamed Sanu (Cincinnati to Atlanta) Tight ends Coby Fleener (Indianapolis to New Orleans) and Benjamin Watson (New Orleans to Baltimore) Offensive linemen Alex Boone (San Francisco to Minnesota), Alex Mack (Cleveland to Atlanta), Russell Okung (Seattle to Denver), Kelechi Osemele (Baltimore to Oakland), Mitchell Schwartz (Cleveland to Kansas City), Donald Stephenson (Kansas City to Denver), Defensive linemen Damon Harrison (New York Jets to New York Giants) Malik Jackson (Denver to Jacksonville), Brandon Mebane (Seattle to San Diego), and Olivier Vernon (Miami to New York Giants) Linebackers Demario Davis (New York Jets to Cleveland), Bruce Irvin (Seattle to Oakland), and Danny Trevathan (Denver to Chicago) Defensive backs Prince Amukamara (New York Giants to Jacksonville), Tashaun Gipson (Cleveland to Jacksonville), Casey Hayward (Green Bay to San Diego), Janoris Jenkins (Los Angeles to New York Giants), Rodney McLeod (Los Angeles to Philadelphia), Josh Norman (Carolina to Washington), Sean Smith (Kansas City to Oakland), and Eric Weddle (San Diego to Baltimore)
Trades March 9: Philadelphia traded CB Byron Maxwell, LB Kiko Alonso, and a 2016 first round pick to Miami in exchange for a 2016 first-round draft pick. March 9: Philadelphia traded RB DeMarco Murray along with a 2016 fourth round pick to Tennessee in exchange for a 2016 fourth round pick. March 11: Philadelphia traded QB Mark Sanchez to Denver in exchange for a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick. March 15: New England traded DE Chandler Jones to Arizona in exchange for G Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second round pick. March 16: Chicago traded TE Martellus Bennett along with a 2016 sixth round pick to New England in exchange for a 2016 fourth round pick. April 9: Denver traded OT Ryan Clady and a 2016 seventh round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2016 fifth round pick. August 16: Tennessee traded WR Dorial Green-Beckham to Philadelphia in exchange for G Dennis Kelly. September 3: Philadelphia traded QB Sam Bradford to Minnesota for a 2017 first round pick and conditional 2018 fourth round pick. October 31: the New England traded LB Jamie Collins, Sr. to Cleveland for a conditional 2017 third round pick.
Notable retirements
DE Jared Allen – Five-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro. Played for Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago, and Carolina during his 12-year career. RB Arian Foster – Four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro (two first-team, one second-team). Played for Houston and Miami during his eight-year career. WR Calvin Johnson – Six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro (three first-team, one second-team). Played for Detroit during his entire nine-year career. RB Marshawn Lynch – Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), and Super Bowl XLVIII champion. Played for Buffalo and Seattle during his nine-year career. Prior to the season, Lynch came out of retirement, signing with Oakland. G Logan Mankins - Seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro (one first-team, five second-team). Played for New England and Tampa Bay during his 11-year career. QB Peyton Manning – Fourteen-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-Pro (seven first-team, three second-team), first overall selection in the 1998 NFL draft, five-time NFL MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2013), two-time Offensive Player of the Year (2004 and 2013), two-time Super Bowl champion (XLI and 50), Super Bowl XLI MVP, 2005 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and 2012 Comeback Player of the year. Played for the Indianapolis and Denver during his 18-year career. S Charles Woodson – Nine-time Pro Bowler, eight-time All-Pro (four first-team, four second-team), Defensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl XLV champion. Played for Oakland and Green Bay during his 18-year career.
Others Husain Abdullah Jon Beason Chris Clemons Darnell Dockett D'Brickashaw Ferguson Daniel Fells Matt Hasselbeck Greg Jennings Phil Loadholt Rashean Mathis Jerod Mayo Heath Miller Lance Moore Manny Ramirez Antrel Rolle A.J. Tarpley Walter Thurmond Charles Tillman Justin Tuck
Draft
The 2016 NFL draft was held between April 28 − April 30, 2016, in Chicago. By way of a trade with the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Rams held the first overall pick and selected QB Jared Goff.
Rule changes The following rule changes were approved for the 2016 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 22:
Allowing the offensive and defensive play callers on the coaching staffs to use the coach-to-player communication system regardless of whether they are on the field or in the coaches' booth. Permanently adopting the extra-point rules enacted in the 2015 NFL season. Extra point kicks will be from the 15 yard line, and defenses can return blocked PAT's, fumbles or interceptions on two-point tries for a two-point defensive conversion. Outlaw all chop blocks anywhere on the field. Previously, the chop block was legal when an offensive lineman chops a defensive player "while the defensive player is physically engaged above the waist by the blocking attempt of another offensive teammate". Expand the definition of a "horse-collar tackle" to include tackles where a player is grabbed by the jersey at or above the name plate and dragged to the ground. Making the act of calling time-out when not permitted to do so subject to a delay-of-game penalty (5 yards). Changing from a five-yard penalty to a loss of down when a receiver goes out of bounds and comes back in to illegally touch a forward pass. Eliminating multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul committed after a change of possession. The umpire will now line up in the offensive backfield directly across from the referee at all times in the game, ending the practice of the umpire moving behind the defensive line when the offense is inside the five-yard line or in the final 2:00 of the first half & the final 5:00 of the second half.
The following changes were approved for only the 2016 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 23. Both were subject to become permanent rules or scrapped for 2017. Moving the touchback spot after kickoffs and other free kicks to the 25-yard line, similar to the NCAA rule adopted in the 2012 season (a touchback after a turnover or punt will still be placed on the 20-yard line). The goal for this rule change is to decrease the number of kickoff returns: kick returners may be more reluctant to bring the ball out from the end zone because of the greater risk of being tackled before reaching the 25-yard line. NFL officials concede that this may in fact increase kickoff returns because kickers may instead attempt to pin returners inside the 10-yard line. This rule was made permanent in 2018. Players committing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the same game will be automatically ejected from the game. This was in response to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. committing three personal fouls in one game against the Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman without being ejected. This change is being referred to as the "Odell Beckham Rule". NFL officials, however, clarify that this new rule would not have ejected Beckham since he committed personal fouls and not unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
The following changes to instant replay rules were approved for the 2016 NFL season at the owners' meeting on May 24: Refining what is a reviewable play, including the following: Plays involving possession. Plays involving touching of either the ball or the ground. Plays governed by the goal line. Plays governed by the boundary lines. Plays governed by the line of scrimmage. Plays governed by the line to gain (1st down). Number of players on the field at the snap. Game administration (which includes correct application of the playing rules, proper down, spot of the foul for penalty application, and game clock status (running clock, not running clock, end of period)
Additional rule updates made for the 2016 season include: Banning players from wearing hoodies under their uniform shirts. This was adopted in response to Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones using that style in the 2015 season, which hid his name plate under the hood. Banning any coaches except for the head coach from entering the field of play, and then only to check on an injured player. This was in response to the incident involving Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter and several Cincinnati Bengals players, especially Adam Jones, during the 2015–16 NFL playoffs.