NFL Salute to Service 2026 dates: team games run from October 25 to November 30, and the biggest wave is Week 9, November 5 to 9, just before Veterans Day. Release date: the 2026 Salute to Service gear is already out. New Era's online store data shows its 2026 Salute to Service caps went live on September 21, 2026, and the 2026 Nike sideline hoodies were on sale at NFL Shop for $119.99 when we checked on October 13. The NFL has not announced its official 2026 Salute to Service weeks yet.
The NFL Salute to Service 2026 schedule is the question every November: why is the whole sideline suddenly in olive green and camo, and which game is your team's? The league has not published a 2026 calendar yet, so we went club by club instead. Twenty-two teams have already named their 2026 Salute to Service game, most of them in home game themes announcements from June through September, and we list every one below with the date, the opponent and the uniform we expect on the field.
Here is the surprise: the dates do not sit neatly in one week. They run from October 25 in Nashville to November 30 in Tampa, and ten of the 22 land on a single weekend, Week 9, just before Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11.
Looking for October first? Our NFL Crucial Catch 2026 schedule has every team's cancer awareness game.
What Salute to Service Is
Salute to Service is the NFL's year-round military appreciation program, created in 2011 and presented by USAA. Its public face is November, when all 32 clubs dedicate a home game to service members, veterans and their families, and the league dresses fields, sidelines and helmets in military-inspired details.
The money side is real. The NFL says the program has raised more than $75 million since 2011 for its five charitable partners:
- Bob Woodruff Foundation
- Pat Tillman Foundation
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
- USO
- Wounded Warrior Project
The program also carries an award. The Salute to Service Award presented by USAA honors a member of the NFL community for supporting the military. USAA donates $25,000 to military aid societies in the winner's name, and the NFL Foundation matches with $25,000 to the winner's chosen military nonprofit. The 2025 award went to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, the second straight year a 49er won it after tight end George Kittle.
Has the NFL Announced the 2026 Salute to Service Weeks?
Not yet, as of October 13. The league typically announces its on-field window close to the games themselves. Its 2025 release came out on October 30, 2025, and put Salute to Service on the field during Weeks 9 through 11. The 2024 release came out on November 7, 2024, and covered Weeks 10 through 12.
For 2026, the calendar math matters. Week 1 opened Thursday, September 10, so the November weeks fall like this:
- Week 8: Sunday, November 1
- Week 9: Thursday, November 5 through Monday, November 9
- Week 10: Thursday, November 12 through Monday, November 16
- Week 11: Sunday, November 22
- Week 12: Thanksgiving week, Wednesday, November 25 through Monday, November 30
Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, falls between Week 9 and Week 10. The team dates below cluster around exactly that line. We will add the league's official weeks here as soon as the NFL announces them.
Salute to Service 2026 Schedule: The 22 Confirmed Team Games
Each date below comes from the team's own 2026 home game themes announcement or official schedule. The uniform line is what our 2026 NFL uniform schedule has for that game. Confirmed means the club announced the jersey. Expected means it follows the standard home-and-away convention and has not been announced.
Week 7
- Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, October 25. Expected uniform: Titans blue. This is the outlier: Tennessee's only November home game is Week 10 against Jacksonville. Titans 2026 uniform schedule
Week 8
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, November 1. Expected uniform: black. Steelers 2026 uniform schedule
Week 9
- Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday, November 5, Thursday Night Football. Confirmed uniform: Purple Rising, the all-purple set with the new Purple Rising helmet. The Ravens billed the night as "Purple Rising + Salute to Service." Ravens 2026 uniform schedule
- Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets, Sunday, November 8. Expected uniform: red. Chiefs 2026 uniform schedule
- Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions, Sunday, November 8. Confirmed uniform: white at home, per the uniform schedule Miami distributes to credentialed photographers. Dolphins 2026 uniform schedule
- San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, November 8. Expected uniform: scarlet. 49ers 2026 uniform schedule
- Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, November 8. Expected uniform: college navy. Seahawks 2026 uniform schedule
- Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, November 8, Sunday Night Football. Expected uniform: navy. Bears 2026 uniform schedule
- Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, November 8. Washington pairs Salute to Service with John Riggins' jersey retirement. Expected uniform: burgundy. Commanders 2026 uniform schedule
- New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday, November 8. The same afternoon brings Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame celebration and a Super Bowl LI reunion. Expected uniform: navy. Patriots 2026 uniform schedule
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills, Monday, November 9, Monday Night Football, with Adrian Peterson's Ring of Honor induction. Confirmed uniform: purple jersey over white pants. Vikings 2026 uniform schedule
Week 10
- New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills, Sunday, November 15. Expected uniform: green. Jets 2026 uniform schedule
- Las Vegas Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, November 15. Expected uniform: black. Raiders 2026 uniform schedule
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, November 15. Expected uniform: cardinal red. Cardinals 2026 uniform schedule
- Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins, Sunday, November 15. Expected uniform: blue. Colts 2026 uniform schedule
- Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, November 15, Green Bay's only November game. Expected uniform: green. Packers 2026 uniform schedule
Week 11
- Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, Sunday, November 22. Confirmed uniform: Cold Front, Buffalo's all-white Rivalries set with the metal-flake white helmet. The Bills listed the game as "Salute to Service" with the uniform "Rivalries." Bills 2026 uniform schedule
- Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets, Sunday, November 22. The Chargers' 2026 game themes, published September 8, list Week 11 against the Jets as Salute to Service, presented by American Airlines. Confirmed uniform: powder blue. Chargers 2026 uniform schedule
- New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, November 22, with a military knit beanie giveaway. Expected uniform: blue. Giants 2026 uniform schedule
Week 12
- Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, November 29. Expected uniform: Deep Steel Blue. Texans 2026 uniform schedule
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans, Sunday, November 29. Expected uniform: teal. Jaguars 2026 uniform schedule
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, Monday, November 30, Monday Night Football, combined with My Cause My Cleats. Expected uniform: red. Buccaneers 2026 uniform schedule
The 10 Teams That Have Not Named a 2026 Salute to Service Game
These clubs have not published a 2026 Salute to Service date that we could find on the team's site or schedule, as of October 13. Below are their home games from November 1 through Thanksgiving week, which is where the game has landed in recent seasons. These are possibilities, not announcements.
- Cincinnati Bengals: Titans (November 1), Steelers (November 15, confirmed White Bengal uniform) and Saints (November 29). The November 8 game against Atlanta is in Madrid with the Falcons as the home team. Bengals 2026 uniform schedule
- Denver Broncos: Chiefs (November 1) and Raiders (November 22). Broncos 2026 uniform schedule
- Cleveland Browns: Texans (November 15) and Raiders (November 29). Cleveland has usually announced its Salute to Service game in a press release during game week. Browns 2026 uniform schedule
- Dallas Cowboys: Cardinals (November 1), 49ers (November 15), Titans (November 22) and the Eagles on Thanksgiving. Dallas has worn a red center stripe on its helmet for its Salute to Service game every year since 2021, most recently against Arizona in 2025. The Cowboys' September 4 uniform schedule did not name the 2026 red-stripe game. Cowboys 2026 uniform schedule
- Philadelphia Eagles: Giants (November 8, confirmed Kelly Green) and Steelers (November 22). Eagles 2026 uniform schedule
- Atlanta Falcons: Chiefs (November 15) is Atlanta's only November game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Madrid game against Cincinnati on November 8 is also a Falcons home game. Falcons 2026 uniform schedule
- Detroit Lions: Vikings (November 1, confirmed Rivalries uniform), Buccaneers (November 22) and the Bears on Thanksgiving. The November 15 game against New England is in Munich. Lions 2026 uniform schedule
- Carolina Panthers: Broncos (November 8) and Ravens (November 22), both confirmed black. Panthers 2026 uniform schedule
- Los Angeles Rams: Chargers (November 1) and the Packers on Wednesday, November 25, the Thanksgiving Eve game, in confirmed Fearsome White. Rams 2026 uniform schedule
- New Orleans Saints: Browns (November 8, confirmed gold with the black helmet) and Panthers (November 15, confirmed black with the black helmet). Saints 2026 uniform schedule
What Teams Wear for Salute to Service
The short version: teams wear their normal game uniforms, and the military theme shows up on everything around them. That is why the searches read "why are the Chiefs wearing camo" or "why are the Ravens wearing army green." What people are seeing is the sideline, not the jersey.
Here is what the league has described in its recent announcements:
- Sideline apparel. Nike hoodies and long sleeves in olive and camo, worn by players and coaches, plus New Era caps and beanies. The 2025 New Era caps used an army green crown, a digital camo underside and a team logo shield on the undervisor.
- Helmet decals. The 2024 release listed Salute to Service helmet decals among the on-field elements.
- Field and stadium markings. Salute to Service stencils on the field, field wall banners and goal post wraps.
- Game balls and gear. The 2024 package also included Salute to Service game balls and custom Wilson, New Era and Nike gear.
A few clubs go further with the uniform itself. The Cowboys' red helmet stripe is the best-known example, a nod to the stripe Dallas wore in the 1976 Bicentennial season. In 2026 two clubs have put confirmed alternates on their Salute to Service dates: Baltimore's Purple Rising set on November 5 and Buffalo's Cold Front Rivalries set on November 22.
For how every team actually looked on game day, the 2026 NFL uniform tracker logs each game once it is played.
Salute to Service 2026 Release Date: The Gear Is Out
The 2026 Salute to Service collection is already on sale. Neither the NFL nor its retailers announced a single launch date, so here is what we could verify:
- New Era caps: live September 21, 2026. The publish dates in New Era's own online store show the 2026 Salute to Service caps going live on September 21, with a few more styles following on September 23 and September 30. The New Era collection lists styles such as the 19TWENTY snapback ($44.99), the 9FIFTY snapback ($54.99), the 59FIFTY fitted ($58.99) and the pom knit ($37.99), and describes an army green crown, a digi-camo interior and a team logo shield on the undervisor.
- Nike sideline hoodies: on sale now. When we checked NFL Shop on October 13, the 2026 Salute to Service Sideline Dri-FIT pullover hoodie was listed for every team we looked at, at $119.99, alongside 2026 tees ($54.99), lightweight hooded long sleeves ($89.99) and bomber jackets ($199.99). Fanatics carries the same 2026 line.
That is earlier than last year. New Era's 2025 Salute to Service caps went up on October 16, 2025. Popular team and size combinations tend to sell through before the November games.
The NFL says all of its proceeds from Salute to Service apparel go to its military charitable partners, and game-worn items are auctioned on NFL.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are NFL teams wearing camo?
It is the NFL's Salute to Service program, which honors service members, veterans and their families every November. Players and coaches wear olive and camo sideline apparel from Nike and New Era, and fields carry Salute to Service stencils, banners and goal post wraps. The jerseys themselves are usually the team's regular uniforms.
Why are NFL coaches wearing green?
The green hoodies, jackets and caps are Salute to Service sideline gear. The olive and army green colors are a military tribute, and the NFL donates its proceeds from the fan versions to partners including the USO, Wounded Warrior Project and the Pat Tillman Foundation.
When is Salute to Service NFL 2026?
Salute to Service 2026 team games run from October 25 to November 30, with the biggest group in Week 9, November 5 to 9, right before Veterans Day on November 11. The NFL has not announced its official 2026 weeks. Team-announced dates run from October 25 (Titans) to November 30 (Buccaneers), with ten games in Week 9, November 5 through 9. The league used Weeks 9 through 11 in 2025 and Weeks 10 through 12 in 2024.
What is my team's 2026 Salute to Service game?
Twenty-two teams have named theirs, listed week by week above. The Bengals, Broncos, Browns, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Lions, Panthers, Rams and Saints have not announced a 2026 date yet.
Do NFL teams wear special jerseys for Salute to Service?
Usually not. The tribute lives on sideline apparel, helmet decals and field markings. In 2026 the Ravens will wear their Purple Rising uniform and the Bills their Cold Front Rivalries uniform on their Salute to Service dates, but those are team alternates, not camo jerseys.
Why do the Cowboys have a red stripe on their helmets?
Dallas adds a red center stripe for its Salute to Service game, a throwback to the 1976 Bicentennial season. The Cowboys have brought it back every year since 2021, and the 2026 game has not been announced.
What is the NFL Salute to Service 2026 release date?
The 2026 gear is already out. New Era's store data shows its 2026 Salute to Service caps went live on September 21, 2026, and NFL Shop was selling the 2026 Nike sideline hoodies at $119.99 when we checked on October 13. The NFL did not announce a single launch date.
When does the 2026 Salute to Service collection come out?
It is out now. The New Era caps went live September 21, 2026, about three weeks earlier than the 2025 caps, which arrived October 16, 2025. The 2026 Nike hoodies, tees and jackets are on NFL Shop and Fanatics.
When are the NFL Salute to Service 2026 games?
From October 25 (Titans vs. Browns) to November 30 (Buccaneers vs. Panthers). Ten of the 22 announced games fall in Week 9, November 5 to 9.
Where does the money from Salute to Service go?
To the program's five partners: the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Pat Tillman Foundation, TAPS, the USO and Wounded Warrior Project. The NFL says it has raised more than $75 million for those partners since 2011.
The Bottom Line
Salute to Service is not one weekend in 2026. It is a five-week run of team games, with the biggest wave on November 5 through 9 and the first one in Nashville on October 25. Twenty-two clubs have named their game, two of them with confirmed alternates, and ten are still to come, including the Cowboys and their red-stripe helmet. The 2026 gear is already on shelves, with the New Era caps live since September 21. We will fill in the league's official weeks and the remaining ten teams as each one is announced.
