The NFL is back! The race to Super Bowl 61 starts here

The 2026 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots, live on Sky Sports from 1.20am in the early hours of Thursday; Super Bowl 61 takes place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday February 14

285 games. Eight countries. Four continents. Six time zones. 22 weeks. 32 teams. One champion. And five gold rings - oops, sorry Jayden Daniels. The 2026 NFL season is here.

Seven months ago, discarded embers of confetti would pave the way for our meandering walk towards the exit at an emptying Levi's Stadium as the curtain closed on Super Bowl 60, footballing disciples reluctant to accept it was all over for another year as they braced for annual hibernation.

Sam Darnold had just crowned one of sport's great fairy-tale redemption stories, Aden Durde had just made British sporting history, Mike Macdonald's Dark Side defense had just tormented Drake Maye and Bad Bunny had just delivered a clinic in reggaeton rage-bait in the face of orange-tinged white-housed backlash over his landmark half-time show.

Seattle Seahawks players and coaches alike rejoiced over childhood dreams fulfilled in the company of loved ones, while for others the clock had already reset, for football rarely dwells too long on the present.

The countdown is finally over. From here on, there shall be no more football-less Sundays until February. The road to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles starts here.

Odell Beckham Jr is back wearing No 13 for the New York Giants again after re-signing with the team that first drafted him 12 years ago. Mike McCarthy is back working with Aaron Rodgers again after succeeding Mike Tomlin as the new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach ahead of the four-time MVP's final season. Geno Smith is back with the New York Jets 13 years after the team drafted him. And Aaron Donald is back with the Los Angeles Rams after coming out of retirement at the age of 35 to team up with Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in haunting offensive linemen across the league. The last time I checked, we hadn't gone back in time.

Garrett himself reigned as the most seismic mover of the offseason as he was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Rams in a deal that saw Jared Verse head the opposite way. He is the greatest pass rusher of his generation; he is coming off a campaign in which he broke the all-time single-season sack record, and he is now credited for Sean McVay's side - led by MVP Matthew Stafford - entering as Super Bowl frontrunners. Cleveland relieving Garrett of any further pain was perhaps to be admired, before the Browns did what the Browns do best and set the franchise back even further by naming Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback. Some things don't change.

What else? Well, Adam Sandler officiated the wedding of the year between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel became embroiled in a textbook soap opera scandal involving NFL reporter Diana Russini following photos of the pair at an Arizona resort.