NFL Teams to Release 2020 Schedules on Social Media 30 Minutes Before TV Special

The NFL will officially release the full 2020 schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, but individual teams will be allowed to reveal their schedule 30 minutes earlier.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy broke down the plan, via Brian Guiffra of The Big Lead:

"First, for the first time ever, each club may release its own game schedule on its owned and operated media platforms at 7:30 p.m. ET, 30 minutes before the NFL Network Schedule Release show begins at 8:00 p.m. Clubs can choose to release their schedule in any appropriate way they choose, while prominently promoting the national NFL Network Schedule Release show to follow, during which the full schedule will be released, analyzed and discussed."

While early leaks have occurred in past years, teams were not allowed to make official announcements until after the NFL Network show.

When teams were finally allowed to announce their schedules, several showcased a lot of creativity with their videos:

Even with a short time frame, the early release Thursday could provide organizations an even greater chance to stand out while having fun with the announcement.

As far as the schedule itself, the NFL hopes to play the regular season as originally planned despite the coronavirus, with the first game scheduled for Sept. 10.

According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the league is also likely making contingency plans in case changes are required, including shortened schedules with as few as 10 games per team.