National Football League: Difference between revisions

| title = National Football League

| Formerly = American Professional Football Conference (1920)<br />American Professional Football Association (1920–1921)

| logo = National Football League logo.svg

| pixels = 150

| teams = 32

| country = United States{{refn|All teams are based in the United States, but several preseason and regular season games have been held internationally.|group=upper-alpha|name=a}}

| most_champs = [[Green Bay Packers]]<br />(13 titles){{refn|The [[Green Bay Packers]] have nine NFL titles before the Super Bowl era, and four Super Bowl championships afterwards.<ref name="NFL Champions">{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/champions.aspx|title=History: NFL Champions|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|accessdate=January 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107091539/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/champions.aspx|archive-date=January 7, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref>|group=upper-alpha}}

| website = {{url|www.nfl.com}}

!style=background:white scope="col"|[[List of current National Football League head coaches|Head coach]]

|-

|-

!style=background:white rowspan="4"|[[AFC East|East]]

|[[Jon Gruden]]

|-

|-

!style=background:white rowspan="4"|[[NFC East|East]]

===Post-season===

{{Main|NFL playoffs|Pro Bowl|Super Bowl}}

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the NFL Playoffs, a twelve-team single elimination tournament, is then held. Six teams are selected from each conference: the winners of each of the four divisions as well as two wild card teams (the two remaining teams with the best overall record). These teams are seeded according to overall record, with the division champions always ranking higher than either of the wild card teams.<ref name="Tie-breaking procedures">{{cite web|title=Tie-breaking procedures|url=http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|accessdate=February 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131143801/http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures|archive-date=January 31, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The top two teams (seeded one and two) from each conference are awarded a bye week, while the remaining four teams (seeded 3–6) from each conference compete in the first round of the playoffs, the Wild Card round, with the third seed competing against the sixth seed and the fourth seed competing against the fifth seed. The winners of the Wild Card round advance to the Divisional Round, which matches the lower seeded team against the first seed and the higher seeded team against the second seed. The winners of those games then compete in the Conference Championships, with the higher remaining seed hosting the lower remaining seed. The AFC and NFC champions then compete in the Super Bowl to determine the league champion.

 

 

Each April (excluding 2014 when it took place in May), the NFL holds a draft of college players. The draft consists of seven rounds, with each of the 32 clubs getting one pick in each round.<ref name="What's the NFL draft all about? ">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/american_football/8014105.stm|title=What's the NFL draft all about?|last=Love|first=Tim|date=April 23, 2009|work=BBC Sport|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926003351/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/american_football/8014105.stm|archive-date=September 26, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The draft order for non-playoff teams is determined by regular-season record; among playoff teams, teams are first ranked by the furthest round of the playoffs they reached, and then are ranked by regular-season record. For example, any team that reached the divisional round will be given a higher pick than any team that reached the conference championships, but will be given a lower pick than any team that did not make the divisional round. The Super Bowl champion always drafts last, and the losing team from the Super Bowl always drafts next-to-last.<ref name="Complete order of first round of 2011 NFL Draft determined">{{cite news|title=Complete order of first round of 2011 NFL Draft determined|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81d6b708/article/complete-order-of-first-round-of-2011-nfl-draft-determined|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|date=March 27, 2012|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125040410/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81d6b708/article/complete-order-of-first-round-of-2011-nfl-draft-determined|archive-date=November 25, 2011|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> All potential draftees must be at least three years removed from high school in order to be eligible for the draft.<ref name="NFL draft rules a bad deal for Jadeveon Clowney">{{cite web|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/01/nfl-draft-rules-a-bad-deal-for-jadeveon-clowney/|title=NFL draft rules a bad deal for Jadeveon Clowney|last=Smith|first=Michael David|date=January 1, 2013|publisher=[[Pro Football Talk]]. [[NBC Sports]]|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129093147/http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/01/nfl-draft-rules-a-bad-deal-for-jadeveon-clowney/|archive-date=January 29, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Underclassmen]] that have met that criterion to be eligible for the draft must write an application to the NFL by January 15 renouncing their remaining college eligibility.<ref name="NFL officially grants draft eligibility to 65 underclassmen">{{cite news|title=NFL officially grants draft eligibility to 65 underclassmen|url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d82621943/article/nfl-officially-grants-draft-eligibility-to-65-underclassmen|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|date=January 19, 2012|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016032020/http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d82621943/article/nfl-officially-grants-draft-eligibility-to-65-underclassmen|archive-date=October 16, 2012|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Clubs can trade away picks for future draft picks, but cannot trade the rights to players they have selected in previous drafts.<ref name="Addressing NFL draft trade rules, times">{{cite web|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/NFL-draft-times-trade-rules-picks-players-mock-033011|title=Addressing NFL draft trade rules, times|last=Schrager|first=Peter|date=March 31, 2011|publisher=[[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]]|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002060013/http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/NFL-draft-times-trade-rules-picks-players-mock-033011|archive-date=October 2, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Aside from the 32 picks each club gets, compensatory draft picks are given to teams that have lost more compensatory free agents than they have gained. These are spread out from rounds 3 to 7, and a total of 32 are given.<ref name="NFL Announces 32 Compensatory Draft Choices to 15 Clubs">{{cite web|url=http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/2012-compensatory-draft-picks2.pdf|title=NFL Announces 32 Compensatory Draft Choices to 15 Clubs|last=Aiello|first=Greg|author2=McCarthy, Brian|author3=Signora, Michael|date=March 26, 2012|publisher=NFL Labor|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002233037/http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/2012-compensatory-draft-picks2.pdf|archive-date=October 2, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Clubs are required to make their selection within a certain period of time, the exact time depending on which round the pick is made in. If they fail to do so on time, the clubs behind them can begin to select their players in order, but they do not lose the pick outright. This happened in the [[2003 NFL Draft|2003 draft]], when the Minnesota Vikings failed to make their selection on time. The Jacksonville Jaguars and [[Carolina Panthers]] were able to make their picks before the Vikings were able to use theirs.<ref name="Offseason overview: Minnesota Vikings">{{cite web|url=http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/overview/vikings2003.html|title=Offseason overview: Minnesota Vikings|last=Black|first=James C.|date=May 29, 2003|publisher=[[ESPN.com]]|accessdate=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219143723/http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/overview/vikings2003.html|archive-date=December 19, 2012|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Selected players are only allowed to negotiate contracts with the team that picked them, but if they choose not to sign they become eligible for the next year's draft.<ref name="Bo knows stardom and disappointment">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Jackson_Bo|title=Bo knows stardom and disappointment|last=Flatter|first=Ron|date=March 9, 2006|publisher=[[ESPN.com]]|accessdate=February 11, 2013|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120150105/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Jackson_Bo|archivedate=January 20, 2013}}</ref> Under the current collective bargaining contract, all contracts to drafted players must be four-year deals with a club option for a fifth. Contracts themselves are limited to a certain amount of money, depending on the exact draft pick the player was selected with.<ref name="NFL Draft Picks More Valuable Than Ever Under New System">{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/04/24/nfl-draft-picks-more-valuable-than-ever-under-new-system/|title=NFL Draft Picks More Valuable Than Ever Under New System|last=Badenhausen|first=Kurt|work=[[Forbes]]|accessdate=February 11, 2013|date=April 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304140344/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/04/24/nfl-draft-picks-more-valuable-than-ever-under-new-system/|archive-date=March 4, 2013|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Players who were draft eligible but not picked in the draft are free to sign with any club.<ref name="What's the NFL draft all about? " />