NFL's Memo on Team Schedule Memes, Videos Revealed Ahead of 2026 Releases

"“This is a club-driven moment with their cities and their fans,” Trombetta said. “And then we as a league look to amplify all of that and then obviously push out to ensure that we reach the most people possible through our social channels, which are, in most cases, much larger than a single club.”"

"“You'll see that happen where they really ramp it up when they're announcing Team X is playing Team Y in a division game. And that's OK. That goes back and forth in terms of how they banter with the fanbase. It's really the personal stuff that we try to, A, advise, just kind of keep it clean in that sense. And then B, if there really is a big issue, then we'll look at the real-time analytics of what's happening and respond to that along with the club. But that's happened very few times.”"

"Per The Athletic's Jayna Bardahl, in a league memo distributed to all of the clubs, the NFL tends to take a “fairly hands-off” approach in how teams go about posting on social media for the schedule release. Ian Trombetta, NFL senior vice president of global social, creator and content marketing, told Bardahl the items that are created tend to be driven by the teams and aimed specifically toward their fans, with the league using its power to amplify them to a wider audience."

"Despite a few instances of a team taking down their release video due to insensitive content, Trombetta did praise the clubs for doing a “fantastic job” overall and that the league will “advise” them to avoid going too far. As far as the development timeline on the videos goes, Bardahl noted “many teams” indicate they begin brainstorming ideas as soon as the previous season"

The 2026 regular-season schedule release is treated as a major social media moment for all 32 NFL teams. League guidance emphasizes a hands-off approach, with teams driving the creative output and tailoring it to their own cities and fans. The NFL then amplifies selected club content through its larger social channels to reach more people. Some teams have removed release videos after insensitive material, but overall clubs are praised for strong execution. The league advises teams to avoid overly personal content during matchups and monitors real-time analytics if problems arise. Many teams begin brainstorming video concepts immediately after the prior season ends.

Read at Bleacherreport