A friend of mine who entertains a lot at his home likes to tease some of his friends when they arrive.

“You’re here now, so we can start,” he’ll say with a wide, kind smile and a soft chuckle, intimating to them in
a humorous way that they are so cherished and important that their appearance was necessary before the event could really get going.

And he means it. To him, all who come to his home are special. The get-together would not — could not — be complete without them.

Oh, it only more people were like that.

Anyway, I feel the same way about the unveiling of the 2026 NFL regular-season schedule in bits and pieces last week, culminating with the full, official release of everything last Thursday night.

We’ve had the free-agency period, the draft and rookie minicamps, all of which, especially the draft, really mean something. But it is not until the release of the schedule that we have fully, completely and officially begun building the framework of the season to come. We now have a plan, times, dates and places that chart the path — the journey — that these teams and the fans will take.

It’s still spring. We’re in the middle of May, and the start of the regular season is a little over 3-1/2 months away. But now we can seriously, and legitimately, think about football and what it will look like. And that’s a good thing, or even a great one, right?

Steve King