Early Hint When Detroit Lions 2026 Schedule Will Be Released

The Detroit Lions 2026 NFL schedule will have the potential to be advantageous for head coach Dan Campbell.

After finishing in last place in the NFC North, the Lions' will play a fourth-place schedule this season.

On the latest episode of the "The Adam Schefter Podcast," NFL insider Adam Schefter dropped some hints regarding what week the 2026 NFL schedule will be released publicly.

“Circle your calendars for the week of May 11th, which usually is the time that the NFL schedule comes out,” said Schefter this week. “I would think that we’ll get a schedule release announcement sometime around May 12th, May 13th, May 14th. Somewhere between Tuesday the 12th and Thursday the 14th.”

Schefter noted that he is scheduled to be on television all throughout that particular week.

According to Sports Illustrated, "The 2026 NFL schedule will bring with it endless drama and plenty of unique aspects, including: The season starting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, an NFL record nine international games, including the league’s first regular-season games in Australia and France, three Thanksgiving games, a Black Friday game and the possibility of Christmas Day games, with the holiday landing on a Friday."

The release of the schedule is always a fun time to examine when the bye week is, which opponent the team will face, when they head overseas to play a game in Germany.

Team president Rod Wood said at the owners meetings he does not expect the Lions to secure a bye week after playing overseas.

"We’re in a little bit of an odd situation with the game likely in November and Thanksgiving, said Wood. "So, I don’t know what our bye treatment will be, but I think it’s unlikely that we’ll get it the week right after."

Wood expressed that he did make a request to the league, asking that the team not be forced to play on back-to-back Thursdays in the month of November.

With the addition of Thursday Night Football, the Lions were tasked with playing on Thanksgiving last season, but were not afforded the additional days off right away. Instead, they turned around and had to play seven days later, which proved to be challenging.

Other notable days on the schedule Detroit Lions On SI will monitor is who is the Thanksgiving opponent, who is the foe in the opener and the regular-season finale and when the Lions will play the Jets.

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