NFL football is the calming background noise of my life, and I’m not alone. In 2025, NFL broadcasts accounted for a supermajority of most-watched broadcasts in the United States — more than 80% of the top 100, in fact.
The NFL is working to expand its reach internationally, too, with games decided in venues across the globe from London to Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris, and Rio.
Football fans are legion, their appetites are voracious, so let’s talk about NFL-focused podcasts for fans who want to keep the game alive from the preseason to the Super Bowl 2026, through the draft, and even in the summer off-season. We’ll walk through the vast landscape, calling out the big guys worth subscribing to, the networks to follow, solid daily podcasts, fantasy football, and more.
"The Big Guys"
The podcasts in this section come from the biggest players — well-known, big-name hosts and fans who tend to have access both to inside sources and high-profile interviews with players and coaches.
The Pat McAfee Show
The Pat McAfee Show is an easy place to start. Like many of the biggest players in this space, its discussions aren’t limited to the NFL, but America’s biggest sport has a prominent space in the show’s daily discussions. McAfee’s outsized personality and energy dominate the show (which he broadcasts while standing up, surrounded by a cadre of cohosts), and his perspective is from a fan and a former player. You can listen to the show as a podcast or watch it on YouTube and live weekdays on ESPN. In fact, YouTube is a great place to find NFL-focused clips, if you want to zero in on relevant segments.
Pro Football Talk Live
Pro Football Talk Live (PFT FM) is sportswriter Mike Florio’s daily tour of news alongside NFL veteran Chris Simms. The show is, as the name implies, exclusively focused on the NFL, and its rhythm contains both news and commentary. You can subscribe in your podcast app of choice and watch on Peacock.
The Rich Eisen Show
The Rich Eisen Show is a daily all-sports podcast with a significant NFL component. Eisen and his co-hosts, who also appear on Disney+, regularly discuss the news and book high-profile guests.
The Athletic Football Show
The Athletic Football Show is the sports publication’s flagship NFL podcast. Robert Mays and his co-hosts Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman discuss every conceivable aspect of the league on weekdays all year around.
The number of shows in this space is just this side of overwhelming, and the shows above are solid starting points. You can also check out many offerings from NFL Podcast network, including the daily Good Morning Football podcast, Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take for a lighter, arguably more irreverent take, and The Bill Simmons Podcast, for another all-sports podcast with a significant NFL component.
Team-Focused Podcasts
There are thirty-two NFL teams, and every one of them has a host of podcasts dedicated to their fandom. These podcasts generally fall into a few categories: official team podcasts, player podcasts, and fan podcasts.
On the official team podcast side, there’s a lot of overlap with traditional radio broadcasts. In fact, it’s pretty common for teams to repackage daily or weekly episodes and deliver them as downloads. They’re a solid way to catch the news of the day or week on your own timeline. Time-shifted radio has always been one of podcasts’ biggest advantages. It’s just worth noting here that, because these are official products of each team, they tend to be more focused on the official party lines.
Player podcasts proliferated in recent years. They’re like the sports version of celebrity and comedian podcasts. If there’s a player you like, there’s a solid chance that he has a podcast. And that holds true for retired players and current players. To pick one example and one team, former Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger has a (mostly) weekly podcast called Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, and so does current Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward, called Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. Some mix and match, too, like the New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce podcast that pairs retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and current Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
There are plenty of fan-led podcasts, too, of wildly varying qualities and vibes from the silly to the earnest and irreverent. They’re literally the voices of fans like you, and it can be a lot of fun to, say, hear fans who are a lot like you break down things like last week’s game. Over the years, the best way I’ve found to discover podcasts like these is to do simple searches in podcast apps and through standard search engines. If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll know within a few episodes (and sometimes, a few minutes) whether their take is compatible with yours.
Fantasy Football Podcasts
I used to feel like I was the last guy in America who wasn’t into fantasy football, but that changed when my friend Joe invited me into his league. It took me about a week into the regular season to find my favorite thing about it—well, beyond the bragging rights you earn from beating your friends. Fantasy football gives you reasons to invest in players and games across the NFL, way beyond your favorite team.
At the risk of slightly oversimplifying things, successful fantasy football players must know, draft, and start the best players. The ecosystem of fantasy football podcasts exists to help their listeners make the best choices.
The Fantasy Footballers
The Fantasy Footballers may be the marquee podcast in the space. Hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright bring analysis, debate, and strong opinions backed by stats to their award-winning show.
Fantasy Focus Football
Fantasy Focus Football is ESPN’s fantasy podcast. Hosts Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp, and Field Yates bring the marquee sports network’s journalism and apply it to the fantasy field, with plenty of news, discussions, and debates.
The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show
The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show discusses players and teams from the perspective of a fantasy football player, and many listeners enjoy not just the hosts’ balance of analysis and entertainment. Like others in this group, the Footballguys also offer a variety of guides and tools — some free, some included with a paid membership — covering every aspect of the game, all designed for championship-level play.
Dynasty Nerds
Dynasty Nerds is an interesting entry in the field because it caters to the dynasty subgenre of fantasy football, where you play with a roster for multiple years. It’s a twist on the formula that sees players act more like general managers than coaches, and Dynasty Nerds hosts Rich Dotson, Matt O'Hara, and Garret Price cover it all from a long-term perspective.
Find Your Favorites
The NFL doesn’t legally own (American) football, but with its staggering mindshare, it might as well. There is no equivalent in football podcasting, where an embarrassment of riches awaits you.
No matter the subject matter, podcasting is an inherently intimate medium, and many of the best shows make you feel like you’re hanging out with friends. You get to pick your friends, so embrace the adventure. Take these shows out for a spin, feel the vibe, and subscribe to your favorites. And if you find that you’re really into a podcast from a network, check out their other shows. As producer and podcaster Rick Rubin wrote in The Creative Act, “Use what’s helpful. Let go of the rest.”
