Last weekend was the deadline for all 32 National Football League (NFL) teams to cut their rosters down from 90 to 53 players, ahead of the 2026/27 season. More than 1,100 players were released, waived or set aside due to injury. Some will end up on practice squads, a few will be picked up by other teams, but for most, this marks the end of their NFL journey.

A number of surprising moves were made, most notably those surrounding cornerback Trevon Diggs, tackle Wanya Morris, and wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman. Diggs signed with the Seattle Seahawks a little over a week before the cuts were made but was released before last weekend. The 27-year-old former stand-out with the Dallas Cowboys will reportedly be signed to the Seattle practice squad.

The Atlanta Falcons have parted ways with Morris, just two months after trading for him from the Kansas City Chiefs. However, reports indicate that the 25-year-old, who won Super Bowl LVIII with the Chiefs, has landed on the practice squad of the Cowboys. On the flip side, the Cowboys have released Valdes-Scantling, who spent four seasons with the Packers after being drafted in the fifth round in 2018. The 31-year-old has been on the rosters of the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers, winning two Super Bowls with Kansas City (Super Bowl LVII and LVIII).

The other big-name receiver cut is Hardman, who has been released by the Bills. The 28-year-old pass catcher and return specialist, signed with Buffalo’s practice squad last November, after being released by the Green Bay Packers, and was on and off their active roster for the season, notably catching a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen in the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos in January. The three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs (Super Bowl LIV, LVII, and LVIII), is now an unrestricted free agent and could still land on his feet before the trade deadline on November 10.

That said, defensive tackle Aaron Donald is back from retirement, signing a one-year, US$20 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams, which includes incentives that could push the figure up to US$30 million. The 35-year-old is an eight-time first-team All-Pro, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DYOY) and helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI in 2021. He retired at the end of the season in 2023 but will now team with Myles Garrett on what has become a very daunting defensive line. The 30-year-old Garrett was traded from the Cleveland Browns in June and between him and Donald, they have won five of the last nine DPOY awards. Little wonder the Rams are the JustBet preseason favourites to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February.

And with the teams finalized and assembled, the 107th NFL season is ready for kickoff on Wednesday, September 9, 2027. The New England Patriots will visit the defending champion Seahawks for the opener, while the first Thursday game of the season will feature the Rams tackling the San Francisco 49ers, in the first ever game to be played in Australia. The facilities of the iconic Melbourne Ground (MCG), better known for international cricket, will be transformed into a gridiron arena. The 100,000-seat MCG is expected to be packed to near capacity, and it is estimated that half of the crowd will travel from other Australian states or from overseas, including 10,000 fans from the United States.

As part of its international strategy, the NFL will host a record-breaking nine international games across four continents (up from a high of seven last season), to include seven countries and eight stadiums for the 2026 season. Apart from Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), London (England), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Munich (Germany) and Mexico City (Mexico) will all host international games this season.

The NFL’s international journey reached a major milestone on October 2, 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals and 49ers played the first regular-season game outside the United States at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and there are reported plans to play future regular season games in Japan. This augurs well for the fan growth of the NFL internationally, and the consistently sold-out stadiums indicate that the league is on a winning trajectory.

Now all is set for the season to begin, and the wait is almost over. The sitting Super Bowl champion Seahawks sit low in the JustBet depth chart, at fourth position, as only nine NFL franchises have managed back-to-back wins. The last being the Chiefs, who were repeat champions in February 2023 (Super Bowl LVII) and February 2024 (Super Bowl LVIII), while previous to that, there were the Patriots, who accomplished the feat in February 2003 (Super Bowl XXXVIII) and February 2004 (Super Bowl XXXIX). The NFL landscape has changed significantly since last season, and it is highly unlikely that there will be a repeat champion this season. But then, despite the chess moves and the shifting around of pieces, any number can play.

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Team Odds

Los Angeles Rams 6.00

Buffalo Bills 10.00

Baltimore Ravens 12.00

Seattle Seahawks 12.00

Kansas City Chiefs 17.00

Philadelphia Eagles 18.00

Detroit Lions 18.00

Houston Texans 18.00

Los Angeles Chargers 18.00

Cincinnati Bengals 20.00

*Only Top 10 odds are shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change