NFL Bye Week Schedule: Every Team's Week Off in 2025

A brief look at who is resting and when.
Drake Maye's Patriots are one of four teams resting in Week 14.
Drake Maye's Patriots are one of four teams resting in Week 14. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Although we wish we could watch our favorite NFL teams play every week, that is simply not the case. Every season, each team has a "bye" factored into its schedule—a week without football to rest, regroup, maybe spend some time with family, before getting after it again about 14 days later.

Some teams have an early bye, others late. But everyone's got one. Here is a look at how those weekends off break down across the league:

Which teams are on bye this week (Week 14)?

It's the last of the NFL byes, and we've got four teams off the schedule this week: the Panthers, the Patriots, the Giants, and the 49ers.

If you watched Week 13's iteration of Monday Night Football, you'll know the Giants won't be—or shouldn't be, at least—doing much resting during their bye, as they attempt to improve at least a little bit on their 2-11 record. The Patriots, meanwhile, are sitting pretty at the top of the AFC, which suggests Drake "Drake Maye" Maye will get a chance to actually chill in his time away.

Elsewhere, we have the playoff-hungry Panthers and 49ers, who should utilize their week off to lock in for their respective playoff pushes once they get back to the field. If the season ended today, the Niners would grab the seventh spot in the NFC, while the Panthers would be on the bubble.

Which teams had the earliest bye week?

The Falcons, Bears, Packers and Steelers had their byes in Week 5, which was also the earliest slot in the league.

Which was the most crowded by week?

Six teams were on bye in Week 8, the most crowded slot on the schedule: the Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams and Seahawks.

Full NFL 2025 bye schedule, broken down by week

Week

Dates

Teams With Byes

1

Sept. 4-9

None

2

Sept. 10-16

None

3

Sept. 17-23

None

4

Sept. 24-30

None

5

Oct. 1-7

Falcons, Bears, Packers, Steelers

6

Oct. 8-14

Texans, Vikings

7

Oct. 15-21

Ravens, Bills

8

Oct. 22-28

Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams, Seahawks

9

Oct. 29-Nov. 4

Browns, Jets, Eagles, Buccaneers

10

Nov. 5-11

Bengals, Cowboys, Chiefs, Titans

11

Nov. 12-18

Colts, Saints

12

Nov. 19-25

Broncos, Chargers, Dolphins, Commanders

13

Nov. 26-Dec. 2

None

14

Dec. 3-9

Panthers, Patriots, Giants, 49ers

15

Dec. 10-16

None

16

Dec. 17-23

None

17

Dec. 24-30

None

18

Dec. 31-Jan. 7

None

How do players spend their bye weeks?

A great question, though the answer to it depends. Last season, Bills quarterback Josh Allen used his bye week to get engaged. Some players take a vacation with family; others focus solely on rest and recovery. An overwhelmed rookie might prioritize recalibrating mentally. It's all up to the player, but you can assume each is in some way recharging or refilling his proverbial cup before the gauntlet of the NFL schedule begins again.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.