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# Best NFL Podcasts | The Podcast App

# The Best NFL Podcasts for the 2026 Season

Last updated: March 2026

From scout-level film study to locker-room laughs, these are the NFL podcasts that keep you ahead of every snap. Press play and follow the season all the way to the Super Bowl.

## A Player Designed for the Way You Listen

### Listen Anywhere, Anytime

Save episodes for limited offline listening, so your shows are ready on a commute, a flight, or anywhere the signal drops — with smooth, uninterrupted playback.

### Navigate with Ease

Full chapter support, variable speed, and a tidy queue make it easy to jump to the part you want and line up what's next, on iOS and Android.

## The Best NFL Podcasts in 2026

Game breakdowns, hot takes and insider news for every NFL fan — from film study to draft season. Listen free in The Podcast App.

Listen to all 12 of these free in The Podcast App — with limited offline listening, no app-inserted ads, and optional AI summaries.

1. ![The Pat McAfee Show cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1435183458.jpg)
2. ![New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1643745036.jpg)
3. ![The Mina Kimes Show cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1437647915.jpg)
4. ![The Ringer NFL Show cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1109282822.jpg)
5. ![Pardon My Take cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1089022756.jpg)
6. ![Move the Sticks cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/915544088.jpg)
7. ![NFL Daily cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/680904259.jpg)
8. ![The Bill Barnwell Show cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1105991757.jpg)
9. ![Bussin' With The Boys cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1464240720.jpg)
10. ![Green Light with Chris Long cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1485277290.jpg)
11. ![The GM Shuffle cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1458884463.jpg)
12. ![The Athletic Football Show cover art](https://thepodcastapp.dev/og/podcasts/1528622068.jpg)

### Listen to all 12 in one place

Free core listening with no app-inserted ads, limited offline listening, and optional AI summaries from Podcast Brain — all in The Podcast App.

## Sources and further reading

- [The Pat McAfee Show (official site)](https://www.patmcafeeshow.com/) Official site of Pat McAfee Inc.'s daily ESPN/YouTube sports talk show (rank 1).
- [New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce (Wondery)](https://wondery.com/shows/new-heights-with-jason-and-travis-kelce/) Official Wondery network show page for the Kelce brothers' podcast (rank 2).
- [Mina Kimes (ESPN Press Room bio)](https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/mina-kimes/) Official ESPN page for Mina Kimes, host of The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny (rank 3).
- [The Ringer NFL Show (official)](https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-ringer-nfl-show) Official show page on The Ringer for its daily NFL podcast (rank 4).
- [Pardon My Take (Barstool Sports)](https://www.barstoolsports.com/shows/11/pardon-my-take) Official Barstool Sports show page for Big Cat & PFT Commenter's podcast (rank 5).
- [NFL: Move the Sticks (NFL.com)](https://www.nfl.com/podcasts/move-the-sticks) Official NFL.com page for Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks' scout-perspective show (rank 6).
- [NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com)](https://www.nfl.com/podcasts/nfl-daily) Official NFL.com page for Gregg Rosenthal's daily news podcast (rank 7).
- [Bill Barnwell (ESPN Press Room bio)](https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/bill-barnwell/) Official ESPN page for Bill Barnwell, host of The Bill Barnwell Show (rank 8).
- [Bussin' With The Boys (official YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/@BussinWithTheBoys) Official channel for Taylor Lewan & Will Compton's show (rank 9); primary home after leaving Barstool.
- [Green Light with Chris Long (official site)](https://www.greenlightpodcast.com/) Official website of Chris Long's NFL podcast (rank 10).
- [The GM Shuffle (DraftKings Network)](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/shows/gm-shuffle/) Official DraftKings Network show page for Michael Lombardi & Femi Abebefe (rank 11).
- [The Athletic — NFL](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nfl/) The Athletic's official NFL hub, publisher of The Athletic Football Show (rank 12).
- [National Football League (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League) Encyclopedic overview of the league these podcasts cover — topic reference.
- [NFL.com (official league site)](https://www.nfl.com/) The NFL's official website — the primary news/source subject of the genre.
- [ESPN — NFL](https://www.espn.com/nfl/) ESPN's NFL section — major journalistic coverage home to several shows on this list.
- [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/) The sport's official hall of fame — an institution NFL listeners value.
- [Pro Football Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/) Authoritative NFL statistics and history reference site.
- [Peabody Awards](https://peabodyawards.com/) Prestigious media award body recognizing excellence in audio/podcasting.
- [The Signal Awards](https://signalaward.com/) Dedicated podcast awards body — sports category relevant to this genre.
- [Edison Research](https://www.edisonresearch.com/) Leading US audio/podcast audience research firm
- [Podnews](https://podnews.net/) Daily global podcast-industry news of record
- [The Podcast Academy (The Ambies)](https://www.thepodcastacademy.com/) Membership body behind the Ambies awards
- [Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com) Official site of England's Premier League football

## Your Questions, Answered

### What are the best NFL podcasts to listen to in 2026?

Top picks this season include The Pat McAfee Show for daily energy, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce for player perspective, The Mina Kimes Show and The Bill Barnwell Show for sharp analysis, plus Move the Sticks for draft and scouting insight. You can stream them all free in The Podcast App.

### Which NFL podcast is best for film breakdowns and strategy?

For scheme, personnel, and the numbers behind the game, The Mina Kimes Show and The Bill Barnwell Show go deep on strategy, while Move the Sticks brings scout-level evaluation. The Ringer NFL Show is great for connecting the X's and O's to the week's biggest storylines.

### Are these NFL podcasts free to listen to?

Yes. Every show on this list is free for core listening in The Podcast App, with no app-inserted ads interrupting the action. There is also limited offline listening for game-day commutes, plus optional Premium features like Podcast Brain and AI summaries if you want them.

### What are the best NFL podcasts in 2026?

For daily news and takes, start with The Pat McAfee Show and NFL Daily. For analysis, The Mina Kimes Show, The Bill Barnwell Show, and The Athletic Football Show are the sharpest. Player-hosted shows New Heights, Bussin' With The Boys, and Green Light with Chris Long bring locker-room access, while The GM Shuffle covers the front office. All stream in The Podcast App with free core listening and no app-inserted ads.

### What are the best NFL podcasts hosted by former players?

New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce leads the pack. Beyond it, Bussin' With The Boys pairs Taylor Lewan and Will Compton for locker-room culture, and Green Light with Chris Long gives a two-time Super Bowl champion's take on line play and coaching. The Pat McAfee Show, from a former punter, rounds out the ex-player voices. Follow any of them in The Podcast App to get new episodes automatically.

### Which NFL podcasts are best for draft and roster analysis?

Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks is the scouting standard, especially through draft season. For front-office thinking — cap space, trades, and roster construction — The GM Shuffle with longtime executive Michael Lombardi is unmatched, and The Bill Barnwell Show breaks down transactions with the numbers. The Athletic Football Show adds scheme and personnel context. All are free to follow in The Podcast App.

### What's the best app for NFL podcasts?

Every show on this page is available in The Podcast App, with free core listening, offline downloads for flights and commutes, and no app-inserted ads. Follow your favorites and you'll get new-episode alerts the moment Sunday reactions, injury news, or draft breakdowns drop — plus recommendations that surface new NFL shows as the season and offseason unfold.

## Your Guide to the Best NFL Podcasts

Football fans are spoiled for choice, and the trick is matching the show to how you watch the game. If you want a daily pulse on news, injuries, and matchups, a show like NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal keeps you current without the fluff. If you live for the energy of debate and big personalities, The Pat McAfee Show delivers loud, unfiltered takes that ripple across the league all week long. Knowing what you actually want from your commute or pregame routine is the fastest way to build a rotation you will keep coming back to.

The best NFL podcasts tend to fall into a few clear lanes. There is the analysis tier, where The Mina Kimes Show and The Bill Barnwell Show break down scheme, strategy, and what the data really says. There is the insider and scouting lane, where Move the Sticks shines through draft season with scout-level evaluation. And there is the personality-driven side, where New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce trades real locker-room stories and Pardon My Take mixes big-name interviews with running gags. The Ringer NFL Show sits in the sweet spot, pairing deep football knowledge with the storylines everyone is talking about.

A great football podcast does a few things consistently. It respects your time, it explains the why behind a play call instead of just reacting to the score, and it has hosts whose chemistry makes you want to keep listening even in the dead of the offseason. The shows that survive a long NFL calendar are the ones that stay sharp through the draft, training camp, the trade deadline, and the playoff push. When you are choosing, sample an episode from each lane, see whose voice fits your fandom, and do not be afraid to subscribe to two or three at once.

Once you have your shortlist, The Podcast App makes it easy to follow every team and host in one place. It is a free core podcast player with no app-inserted ads, so a hot take never gets cut off by a mid-roll banner, and there is limited offline listening for when you are headed to the stadium or stuck on a long drive. Available on iOS and Android, it lets you queue up your full NFL rotation, and optional Premium tools like Podcast Brain and AI summaries can help you catch up on a long episode before kickoff.

### New in 2026

The defining NFL-podcast story of 2026 is the athlete-hosted boom. Jason and Travis Kelce's New Heights — already on this list — reportedly signed a nine-figure Amazon deal, and Bussin' With The Boys (Taylor Lewan and Will Compton) reportedly landed roughly $30 million over three years, proof that current and recent players now anchor the medium. Front-office voices grew too: Michael Lombardi's The GM Shuffle brings a working general manager's lens to roster and cap decisions. Analysts kept their footing by getting sharper and more frequent — The Athletic Football Show and Bill Barnwell lean on film and data through a near-daily schedule. Some observers even asked whether the space has hit 'peak athlete podcast,' but audiences kept showing up all offseason.

## Related Pages

## Ready for Kickoff?

Build your NFL podcast lineup and follow every snap of the season. Download The Podcast App free on iOS and Android to start listening today.

## Continue with closely related guides.

Use these pages to compare nearby features, listening routines, and app-switching paths.

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