The 2021 NFL season was the 102nd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season was the first to feature a 17-game regular season schedule as the league expanded the season from 16 games. The regular season started on September 9, 2021, with defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay defeating Dallas in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season ended on January 9, 2022. The playoffs started on January 15 and concluded with Super Bowl LVI, the league's championship game, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13 (making this the latest end to a season at the time), with the Los Angeles Rams defeating Cincinnati. To compensate for revenue lost in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season's salary cap decreased to $182.5 million per team.
Player movement The 2021 NFL league year and trading period began on March 17. On March 15, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2021 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 2020 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 17, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.
This season's salary cap decreased to $182.5 million per team, down from $198.2 million in 2020 and lower than the $188.2 million in 2019. This was to compensate for the revenue lost in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced games to either be played with a greatly reduced audience or no fans at all.
Free agency Free agency began on March 17. Notable players to change teams included:
Quarterbacks Andy Dalton (Dallas to Chicago), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami to Washington), and Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago to Buffalo) Running backs Matt Breida (Miami to Buffalo), Tevin Coleman (San Francisco to New York Jets), James Conner (Pittsburgh to Arizona), Kenyan Drake (Arizona to Las Vegas), Wayne Gallman (New York Giants to San Francisco), Mark Ingram II (Baltimore to Houston), Phillip Lindsay (Denver to Houston), and Damien Williams (Kansas City to Chicago) Wide receivers Nelson Agholor (Las Vegas to New England), John Brown (Buffalo to Las Vegas), Corey Davis (Tennessee to New York Jets), Will Fuller (Houston to Miami), A. J. Green (Cincinnati to Arizona), Kenny Golladay (Detroit to New York Giants), Marvin Jones (Detroit to Jacksonville), Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago to Atlanta), Curtis Samuel (Carolina to Washington), Emmanuel Sanders (New Orleans to Buffalo), and Sammy Watkins (Kansas City to Baltimore) Tight ends Jared Cook (New Orleans to Los Angeles Chargers), Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers to New England), Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota to New York Giants), and Jonnu Smith (Tennessee to New England) Offensive linemen Pat Elflein (New York Jets to Carolina), Matt Feiler (Pittsburgh to Los Angeles Chargers), Eric Fisher (Kansas City to Indianapolis), Ted Karras (Miami to New England), Corey Linsley (Green Bay to Los Angeles Chargers), Alex Mack (Atlanta to San Francisco), Riley Reiff (Minnesota to Cincinnati), Joe Thuney (New England to Kansas City), Trai Turner (Los Angeles Chargers to Pittsburgh), Alejandro Villanueva (Pittsburgh to Baltimore), and Kevin Zeitler (New York Giants to Baltimore) Defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney (Tennessee to Cleveland), Maliek Collins (Las Vegas to Houston), Trey Hendrickson (New Orleans to Cincinnati), Justin Houston (Indianapolis to Baltimore), Melvin Ingram (Los Angeles Chargers to Pittsburgh), Malik Jackson (Philadelphia to Cleveland), Carl Lawson (Cincinnati to New York Jets), Yannick Ngakoue (Baltimore to Las Vegas), Aldon Smith (Dallas to Seattle), Solomon Thomas (San Francisco to Las Vegas), Dalvin Tomlinson (New York Giants to Minnesota), Carlos Watkins (Houston to Dallas), and J. J. Watt (Houston to Arizona) Linebackers Jeremiah Attaochu (Denver to Chicago), Bud Dupree (Pittsburgh to Tennessee), Samson Ebukam (Los Angeles Rams to San Francisco), Kamu Grugier-Hill (Miami to Houston), Matthew Judon (Baltimore to New England), Christian Kirksey (Green Bay to Houston), Keanu Neal (Atlanta to Dallas), Kyle Van Noy (Miami to New England), Denzel Perryman (Los Angeles Chargers to Carolina), Haason Reddick (Arizona to Carolina) and Nick Vigil (Los Angeles Chargers to Minnesota) Defensive backs Chidobe Awuzie (Dallas to Cincinnati), A. J. Bouye (Denver to Carolina), Justin Coleman (Detroit to Miami), Ronald Darby (Washington to Denver), Kyle Fuller (Chicago to Denver), Shaquill Griffin (Seattle to Jacksonville), Troy Hill (Los Angeles Rams to Cleveland), Mike Hilton (Pittsburgh to Cincinnati), Malik Hooker (Indianapolis to Dallas), Adoree Jackson (Tennessee to New York Giants), William Jackson III (Cincinnati to Washington), Janoris Jenkins (New Orleans to Tennessee), Rayshawn Jenkins (Los Angeles Chargers to Jacksonville), John Johnson (Los Angeles Rams to Cleveland), Lamarcus Joyner (Las Vegas to New York Jets), Damontae Kazee (Atlanta to Dallas), Desmond King (Tennessee to Houston), Jalen Mills (Philadelphia to New England), and Patrick Peterson (Arizona to Minnesota) Kicker Matt Prater (Detroit to Arizona) Punters Matt Haack (Miami to Buffalo) and Cameron Johnston (Philadelphia to Houston)
Trades The following notable trades were made during the 2021 league year:
March 17: Detroit traded QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for QB Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round selection (No. 101), a 2022 first-round selection, and a 2023 first-round selection. March 17: Philadelphia traded QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2021 third-round selection and a conditional 2022 second-round selection. March 17: Las Vegas traded C Rodney Hudson and 2021 seventh-round selection to Arizona in exchange for a 2021 third-round selection. March 17: New England traded OT Marcus Cannon and 2021 fifth- and sixth-round selections to Houston in exchange for 2021 fourth- and sixth-round selections. March 17: Houston traded LB Benardrick McKinney and a 2021 seventh-round selection to Miami in exchange for DE Shaq Lawson and a 2021 sixth-round selection. March 17: Las Vegas traded OT Trent Brown and a 2021 fifth-round selection to New England in exchange for a 2021 seventh-round selection. April 5: The New York Jets traded QB Sam Darnold to Carolina in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round selection and 2022 second- and fourth-round selections. April 23: Baltimore traded OT Orlando Brown Jr., a 2021 second-round selection, and a 2022 sixth-round selection to Kansas City in exchange for 2021 first, third, and fourth-round selections and a 2022 fifth-round selection. April 28: Carolina traded QB Teddy Bridgewater to Denver in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round selection. May 18: Philadelphia traded CB Jameson Houston and a 2023 sixth-round selection to Jacksonville in exchange for CB Josiah Scott. June 6: Atlanta traded WR Julio Jones and a 2023 sixth-round selection to Tennessee in exchange for a 2022 second-round selection and a 2023 fourth-round selection. July 28: Houston traded WR Randall Cobb to Green Bay in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round selection. August 12: Jacksonville traded LB Joe Schobert to Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round selection. August 17: Green Bay traded CB Josh Jackson to the New York Giants in exchange for CB Isaac Yiadom. August 30: Cincinnati traded C Billy Price to the New York Giants in exchange for DT B. J. Hill. August 31: Baltimore traded G Ben Bredeson and a 2022 fifth-round selection to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round selection and a 2023 seventh-round selection. August 31: The New York Jets traded TE Chris Herndon and a 2022 sixth-round selection to Minnesota in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round selection. September 8: Houston traded CB Bradley Roby to New Orleans in exchange for a 2022 third-round selection and a conditional 2023 sixth-round selection. September 27: Jacksonville traded CB C. J. Henderson and a 2022 fifth-round selection to Carolina in exchange for TE Dan Arnold and a 2022 third-round selection. October 6: New England traded CB Stephon Gilmore to Carolina in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round selection. October 15: Philadelphia traded TE Zach Ertz to Arizona in exchange for CB Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round selection. October 27: Houston traded RB Mark Ingram II to New Orleans in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round selection. November 1: Denver traded LB Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for 2022 second- and third-round selections. November 2: Pittsburgh traded LB Melvin Ingram to Kansas City in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round selection. November 2: Kansas City traded G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the New York Jets in exchange for TE Daniel Brown.
Retirements
Notable retirements
QB Drew Brees – Thirteen-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro (one first-team, four second-team), two-time Offensive Player of the Year (2008 and 2011), Super Bowl XLIV champion and MVP, 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and 2006 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans during his 20-year career. DE Jurrell Casey – Five-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Tennessee and Denver during his 10-year career. WR Julian Edelman – Three-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, and LIII) and Super Bowl LIII MVP. Played for New England during his entire 12-year career. LB Tamba Hali – Six-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro. Played for Kansas City during his entire 12-year career. G Mike Iupati – Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team). Played for San Francisco, Arizona, and Seattle during his 11-year career. RB LeSean McCoy – Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl champion (LIV and LV). Played for Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City and Tampa Bay during his 12-year career. C Maurkice Pouncey – Nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three first-team, two second-team). Played for Pittsburgh during his entire 11-year career. C Mike Pouncey – Four-time Pro Bowler. Played for Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers during his 10-year career. QB Philip Rivers – Eight-time Pro Bowler and 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis during his 17-year career. Rivers later came out of retirement in 2025, rejoining the Colts. WR Demaryius Thomas – Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time second-team All-Pro, and Super Bowl 50 champion. Played for Denver, Houston, New England, and the New York Jets during his 10-year career. K Adam Vinatieri – Three-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, four-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLI), and the NFL's all-time leading scorer. Played for New England and Indianapolis during his 24-year career. TE Jason Witten – Eleven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team), and 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for Dallas and Las Vegas during his 17-year career.
Other retirements
Draft The 2021 NFL draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1. Jacksonville, by virtue of having the worst record in , held the first overall selection and selected QB Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson.
Officiating changes The NFL hired Maia Chaka as its second female official (joining Sarah Thomas) and first African-American female official.