King: NFL Schedule 2023 Release May Be Delayed as Mega-Games Are Not Set in Stone Yet

The NFL might not be ready to release its 2023 schedule by Thursday after all.

Peter King of NBC Sports reported the league is still in the process of choosing the matchups for tentpole games—such as opening Thursday night, Thanksgiving and Christmas—and that might lead to a delay in announcing the full schedule.

The team in charge of scheduling is slated to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday in hopes of hammering out the final details. King reported the schedule is still "likely" to be finalized in time for an 8 p.m. ET release Thursday night but no formal announcement has been made.

The NFL used to release its schedule every April before moving the date to May for the last three years. Assuming the schedule winds up released Thursday, this would mark the third straight year the schedule was released in the second week of May.

Originally moved back in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL has found releasing the schedule later will allow them a full look at how things shake out in free agency and the draft before locking in dates and times for games.

Even though the actual matchups have long been determined, the league takes its time in hopes of giving fans the best prime-time and tentpole schedule possible.