Credit: Raiders
By Matt Yoder on

NFL schedule-release night has become one of the most anticipated events of the offseason. And it’s not so much because we learn the schedule and which games are played where and when on what networks. It’s because the teams have turned it into their own Social Media Super Bowl, with theatrical, comedic, and creative schedule-release videos.

The trend has been going on for a few years now, and teams are putting more and more effort into videos featuring celebrity appearances, dramatic themes, and even clever, creative jokes at their opponents’ expense. And then there’s whatever the Arizona Cardinals did this year with their AI mascot video.

A few teams have been standout performers, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans. But which team’s social media department won the Super Bowl of schedule release videos? Here is the 2026 Top 10.

10) Denver Broncos

The Broncos enlisted the help of former Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning to lead this year’s schedule video as he surfs through different channels on the television, making jokes about their 2026 opponents. But the real delight is the Broncos making fun of the infamous conspiracy theories about the Denver airport. Aaron Rodgers would be proud.

9) Chicago Bears

Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze did his best Bob Ross impersonation in a “happy little matchups” schedule-release video. If that’s really his painting, then he might have a future not just on the gridiron but on your local PBS affiliate.

8) Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers’ schedule release video went full Yinzer, celebrating all things Pittsburgh culture. But nothing was better than seeing French fries put in everything from Jell-O to coffee to smoothies. “Does everything have to have fries on it?” The answer is yes.

7) New York Giants

Who else but Jameis Winston could be featured in the Giants’ schedule release video? The execution is also great with a brand new idea that sees Jameis try to draw pictures representing the Giants opponents and giving away Giants tickets to fans who can guess them correctly.

6) Cleveland Browns

The Browns’ schedule release video came straight out of the 90s with a vintage Street Fighter arcade video with perfect graphics for both the video game and accompanying segments that look like they are from Saved by the Bell. Time will tell if this is the highlight of the Browns’ season.

5) Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan steals the show as the new President of Football in a schedule-release video that channels classic SportsCenter commercials, featuring several short clips. The best of which might be Bijan Robinson poking fun at the confusion over how exactly to pronounce his first name.

4) Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ schedule-release videos are the stuff of legend, after interviewing people in Nashville who had no idea who the teams were. This year, the team put a different spin on the man on the street vibe by finding doppelgangers representing various opponents, including a gentlemanly British chap as Jerry Jones. A unique spin on a classic schedule release trend.

3) Las Vegas Raiders

Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins parodying Step Brothers? Yes, please.

2) Indianapolis Colts

The Colts drew inspiration from one of the most reliable forms of comedy in the history of humankind – the glory days of The Simpsons. It started with a clever original intro that even made fun of the team’s Tyreek Hill reference in last year’s video that got them in trouble. The schedule was then unveiled in a simple but effective montage of classic Simpsons clips, each describing one of their opponents. Hilarious, nostalgic, and full of laughs.

1) Los Angeles Chargers

The unquestioned kings of schedule release videos have done it again. This year, the Chargers went with a Halo theme, and it was an epic masterpiece. Any video that starts with the iconic Halo 3 menu music is an automatic win. We were all waiting for a Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel reference, and the Chargers delivered in a very subtle way. But what puts this video at the top of the podium is all the easter eggs and incredible details throughout. Raiders fans in jail, Keon Coleman’s love of cookies, Donna Kelce’s home remodel, C.J. Stroud’s infamous mentoring of Caleb Williams, and so much more.

About Matt Yoder

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