NFL Quarter Century: 25 moments that changed the league

The NFL is entering its 2025 season, which means we’re a quarter of the way through this century of football. All week long, Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Writer Frank Schwab will dive into the past 25 years in the league.

More: All-Quarter Century Team | 25 best draft picks | Top 25 teams | Top 25 games

It’s hard to say the NFL is more popular than it was 25 years ago. It was wildly popular at the turn of the century too.

But it seems like we’re all paying closer attention year-round to the most popular sport in the United States. It makes the big moments seem even bigger. That’s why we’re going to count down the 25 moments of the last quarter century that changed the NFL the most.

There are many on-field and off-field controversial moments on the list, but it’s not a list of 25 controversies. There isn’t much that’s controversial about Tom Brady winning championships, but that definitely changed the game. It’s a list of the moments that shaped the way we view the NFL now vs. a quarter century ago:

25. Calvin Ridley suspended for betting

The mere mention of point spreads or betting was taboo in the NFL 25 years ago. Then a 2018 decision by the Supreme Court paved the way for states to decide if legal sports betting would be allowed, and that has changed how games are presented and how they’re viewed. It also opened up more punishments for coaches and players betting on sports than we had seen in the NFL’s first 80 years combined. The biggest name to get caught was then-Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley, who was suspended a year for betting on NFL games while he was on injured reserve during the 2021 season. Ridley’s bets were legal but broke the NFL’s gambling policy, and was a sign that the NFL was in a new world when it came to betting on its games.

24. Wardrobe malfunction

When you hear the term “wardrobe malfunction,” you can thank the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show from more than 20 years ago. Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast at the end of the performance, setting off a controversy that extended far beyond football. After that, the NFL reverted to headlining the wildly popular halftime show with just as many old rockers as it could find, to avoid any more negative attention. The NFL changed course again after a while to include more modern artists, including inviting Timberlake back to do the Super Bowl LII show.

23. The NFL goes abroad

International games are a normal part of the NFL schedule now, but they weren’t in 2007. That season, the Dolphins and Giants played at Wembley Stadium in London, which was the first time a regular-season game had taken place outside of North America. That was a success, and in the NFL’s endless quest to increase revenue, the international series continues to grow. This season, there will be seven international games across five countries. There will be more to come.

22. Eagles hire Chip Kelly

Kelly didn’t work out with the Eagles in his three seasons as the team’s coach. But when he was hired from the University of Oregon in 2013, NFL offenses all looked mostly the same. That changed, as Kelly brought in offensive concepts that were growing in college, like spreading the field, running no-huddle offense to increase the tempo, and run-pass option plays. When you watch the NFL in 2025 you see many of those concepts all across the league, and that started with Philadelphia’s Kelly experiment.

21. New way to watch NFL: online streaming

In 2000, the idea of having to subscribe to anything other than cable to watch an NFL game was ludicrous. Now fans needing multiple streaming services to catch every game. When did it start? The first game exclusively streamed online was a 2015 Bills-Jaguars game in London that was shown on Yahoo Sports. It was viewed by more than 15 million people and the NFL was happy with the result, which paved the way for the league to look at other outlets to broadcast games other than traditional networks.

20. Andrew Luck retires

Over the last 25 years, NFL players retiring in the middle of their primes has become more prevalent. No retirement was more shocking than Luck’s a few weeks before the 2019 season. Luck was just 29 years old, but stepped away due in part to lingering injuries. Luck kept a low profile in retirement until becoming the general manager of the Stanford football program. Luck was an ascending star and we’ll never know what was next for him and the Colts in his prime.

19. Tom Brady wins Super Bowl with Bucs

Brady’s historical stature grew after leaving the Patriots. He already was a legend after winning six Super Bowls, but going to the Buccaneers and winning a title in his first season there took him to an even higher level. He changed the conversation about his legacy (and in some ways, Bill Belichick’s legacy) by winning a title outside of New England.

18. Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest

One of the scariest moments in NFL history happened early in a high-profile Monday night game between the Bengals and Bills during the 2022 season. What looked like a normal hit was anything but, as Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after tackling Tee Higgins. Hamlin had a cardiac arrest, and medical personnel performed CPR and used a defibrillator on him to save his life on the field. The game was canceled, the first time an NFL regular-season game was canceled and not replayed since 1935 (not counting labor disputes). Hamlin had a full recovery and has returned to be a key member of Buffalo’s defense. Plus, the ordeal raised awareness of commotio cordis and got the NFL involved in medical advocacy regarding cardiac arrest research and prevention.

17. Rams move back to Los Angeles

The Rams moving from St. Louis, including a legal battle over whether the NFL and the team lied to St. Louis as it planned to relocate, affected multiple franchises. The Rams moved to Los Angeles before the 2016 season, then into luxurious SoFi Stadium after a short time at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Chargers ended up moving from San Diego to Los Angeles before the 2017 season and ended up sharing SoFi Stadium with the Rams. The Raiders got caught up in the relocation as well, with the team trying to move from Oakland to Los Angeles but eventually being rerouted to Las Vegas. Those relocations, which are the only ones the NFL has navigated this century, changed football on the West Coast. The league had not had a team in the Los Angeles market for 21 seasons prior to the Rams moving back.

16. Dez Caught It

The Cowboys are still complaining about a replay review that went against them in a divisional playoff game at the end of the 2014 season against the Packers. Bryant made a great fourth down catch near the goal line late in a close game, which seemingly set them up for what would have been a go-ahead touchdown. But the ongoing debate about what constitutes a catch popped up, and after a review Bryant’s catch was ruled incomplete. The Cowboys’ longstanding drought of not appearing in an NFC championship game (which dates back to the 1995 season) continued, and the ruling led to more debate on the catch rules. Eventually the NFL simplified the catch rules, and the dustup over this play was a big reason.

15. OT rules change after Chiefs beat Bills

The 2021 season divisional playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills has an argument as the greatest game of the last 25 years. It also led to a huge rules change. After the Chiefs rallied in the last 13 seconds of regulation to force overtime, then won it on their first possession of OT, there was a lot of complaining that Bills quarterback Josh Allen never got a chance to touch the ball in overtime. That led to the NFL changing the longtime overtime rule, which allowed both teams a possession in overtime of a playoff game. In 2025, the NFL changed the regular season rules to guarantee both teams a possession in overtime.

14. Deshaun Watson’s guaranteed contract

There was a time when Watson was the hottest commodity in the NFL. Multiple teams were desperate to land the young Houston Texans quarterback in a trade. The Browns came over the top with a huge package of draft picks and also an unprecedented five-year, $230 million contract for Watson. The NFL has resisted guaranteed contracts, and the Watson deal obviously irked owners. There was a reason Lamar Jackson didn’t get any attention when he was on the franchise tag in 2023. That became part of a collusion claim by the NFLPA. Watson flamed out badly with the Browns, and his contract will be part of the NFL conversation for years to come.

13. Deflategate

This is when terms like “PSI” and “ideal gas law” became well-known by football fans. The Patriots were accused of deflating footballs below the minimum allowed by the rules, after the Colts brought the issue to the league’s attention after the AFC championship game at the end of the 2014 season. The league conducted a full investigation, and even though there were many holes in the Wells Report on the issue, the NFL suspended Tom Brady four games. It was a stunningly harsh punishment given the unproven crime. And it gave Patriots haters more reason to discredit the team’s dynasty.

12. Seahawks don’t give the ball to Marshawn Lynch

Super Bowl XLIX had the most debated play call of the century, and perhaps ever. The Seahawks, at the 1-yard line, called a pass instead of handing it to Lynch. Unknown (at the time) Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler made perhaps the most impactful single play in NFL history, changing who won a Super Bowl with one interception. The Seahawks looked like a growing dynasty at the time, but they’d never reach another Super Bowl. The Patriots played in four of the next five Super Bowls, starting with Super Bowl XLIX, winning three to solidify themselves as arguably the greatest dynasty in sports history. That play changed NFL history.

11. Spygate

In this era, NFL fans like tearing down anything good, and Spygate allowed them to denigrate the Patriots dynasty. The Patriots were caught filming their opponents’ signals, and the NFL got caught in the storm when it destroyed evidence right after its investigation and discipline against the Patriots. That would play a role in the over-punishment of the Patriots for Deflategate years later. Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the Patriots were fined $250,000 and stripped of a first-round pick, and Patriots haters had a way of diminishing the team’s dynasty for many years to come.

10. Pacman Jones suspended a year

In one of Roger Goodell’s first big acts as NFL commissioner, he announced a new player conduct policy in April of 2007 amid numerous off-field incidents. The face of the new policy was cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, who was arrested multiple times and was suspended for the entire 2007 season. That set a new tone for player discipline from the league.

9. Michael Vick changes QB play

There were other running quarterbacks before Vick, like Steve Young, Randall Cunningham and Fran Tarkenton. But Vick took it to another level with the Falcons, setting a new bar for quarterbacks who could make plays with their legs. Vick’s 173-yard rushing game against the Vikings in 2002, which ended with an oft-replayed and electric Vick touchdown run in overtime, seemed like a turning point at the position. In 2002, an undersized dual-threat quarterback was an anomaly. Now it is common in the league, and that traces back to Vick changing the game. Of course, Vick’s career was also defined by an infamous off-field scandal.

8. Michael Vick goes to prison for dogfighting

In 2007, an investigation discovered evidence that Vick and three other men ran a dogfighting ring called Bad Newz Kennels. Vick eventually pleaded guilty and spent nearly two years in prison. The Falcons cut Vick. Vick would play seven more seasons in the NFL, including a Pro Bowl season in 2010 with the Eagles, but remained a controversial figure for his role in the dogfighting ring.

7. Chiefs draft Patrick Mahomes

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chiefs traded the No. 27 overall pick, a third-round pick and a 2018 first-round pick to the Bills for the 10th overall pick. That got them ahead of the Saints, who liked a raw but talented quarterback out of Texas Tech named Patrick Mahomes. We didn’t know it at that time, but that move by the Chiefs to draft Mahomes would change the entire NFL landscape, with the Chiefs taking over as the NFL’s new dynasty when the Patriots’ time was done.

6. Dan Snyder sells

Snyder’s missteps could have been a top 25 list of its own. No owner did more to ruin a franchise on and off the field, causing many longtime Washington fans to turn on the franchise until Snyder sold it. Finally, amid allegations of sexual harassment and also underreporting NFL revenues, Snyder sold the Commanders in 2023. That ended a terribly embarrassing era for one of the NFL’s most historic franchises. It also allowed many fans to embrace their favorite team again.

5. Tuck Rule

The 2001 Patriots had plenty of moments that shaped the past quarter century. Drew Bledsoe getting injured on a hit by Mo Lewis, which led to Tom Brady taking over as New England’s starter, was a huge moment. As was New England winning a Super Bowl later in the season. But we’ll pick the Tuck Rule, which allowed the Patriots’ playoff run to keep going when Brady’s fumble — which would have finished a divisional round win for the Oakland Raiders — was reversed and ruled an incomplete pass. Who knows how NFL history is different if that little-known rule wasn’t invoked?

4. Congress grills NFL about concussions

In October of 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith were called to testify in front of Congress about the league’s handling of concussions and whether the league knew of a link between concussions and long-term health issues. That contentious testimony led the NFL to overhaul how it handles concussions within games and establish a protocol for when players can return after they have been diagnosed with a head injury. Go back and watch an old NFL broadcast; it’s startling how flippant teams, players and broadcasters were about concussions when they happened.

3. Ray Rice video

The NFL’s history with domestic violence before Rice was too lenient. Rice was suspended two games for a domestic violence incident in 2014, but then when a shocking video surfaced of the Baltimore Ravens running back punching his fiancée, the NFL turned the suspension into an indefinite one. That led to an avalanche of criticism to the NFL for its handling of prior domestic violence cases, and a tougher policy with longer suspensions. Rice never played in the NFL again.

2. Roger Goodell becomes commissioner

Goodell is a lightning rod for criticism, which is one reason he is reportedly paid more than any NFL player. Since taking over as commissioner in 2006, Goodell has been criticized repeatedly for the league’s handling of player discipline for off-field transgressions and other messy incidents (many of which are on this list), but he has been on the job for nearly two decades because he has overseen tremendous financial growth for the league. Goodell’s ultimate legacy will be complicated, but he has been a focal point of the league and its fans since taking over the top job, and many of his policies have shaped the league for better or worse.

1. Colin Kaepernick takes a knee

No story in the NFL over the last 25 years drew a stronger reaction than Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, taking a knee for the national anthem during the 2016 season. It has been nine years since that happened — it quietly started during the preseason, with hardly anyone noticing — and Kaepernick is still a divisive topic among NFL fans and non-football fans as well.

Kaepernick took a knee to bring attention to social injustice, and his intent got twisted to fit certain agendas. It became part of the 2016 presidential race when Donald Trump attacked the NFL and its owners, and when other players joined Kaepernick in taking a knee, the league desperately scrambled to figure out how to deal with an issue that went far beyond football and split the league in many ways. Kaepernick and 49ers safety Eric Reid reached a financial settlement with the NFL in their joint collusion complaint, after Kaepernick said the league conspired to keep him out after his protests. Kaepernick played with the 49ers during the 2016 season at age 29, but never played again as teams ignored him as a free agent.

Politics have been a part of sports for a long time, but the intersection was never stronger than when Kaepernick and many other players around the league were taking a knee to bring attention to social injustice. In many ways, coverage of all sports and how social issues are incorporated in the discussion has changed significantly since then.