Add artificial intelligence (AI) to the NFL’s technological playbook.
The league and Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday announced a wide-ranging multiyear deal that covers AI use in everything from game data analysis for coaches and players on the sidelines to analyzing draft prospect performance outside the NFL Combine as well as Azure AI video tools during team practices to assist in coaching and player evaluations. The software giant and NFL, who have worked together since 2014, are also exploring AI beyond the sidelines to support game operations managers.
An upgraded Sideline Viewing System for all 32 teams could very well impact games and grab the attention of TV viewers. More than 2,500 Microsoft Surface Copilot+ PCs will offer about 1,800 players and more than 1,000 coaches and staff with real-time game data and analysis tools.
A new feature built with GitHub Copilot filters plays based on criteria such as down and distance, scoring plays, and penalties to quickly analyze formations, decipher coverages, and make more data-driven and strategic decisions.
“There are external factors that distract you from being able to make the best decisions,” Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said in a statement, assessing the improved sideline system. “You look back and say, ‘What was I thinking?’ By being able to have this technology, it will help you be able to make more consistent decisions that are in alignment with what you want to do to ultimately put your players in the best places in a game that has so many moving parts.”
An AI-powered sideline system during games enables coaches and players to sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, studying formations from different angles and photos, according to the league. “This is not AI making decisions. It’s not AI informing decisions. What it really is, is AI allowing people to get at information faster with less manual intervention,” NFL Deputy Chief Information Officer Aaron Amendolia told CNBC.
The latest wrinkle in AI use by the league builds off the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February, when coaches and scouts used a Microsoft Azure AI Foundry-powered app to grade the skills of some 300 prospects. The league has worked with Big Tech players such as Amazon.com Inc. in providing AI and machine learning tools.
““Extending our work together is more than just a football story; it’s a blueprint for transformation. Whether you’re preparing for the championship or running a global enterprise, the principles are the same: insights matter, preparation is essential and the ability to act quickly is critical,” Bryson Gordon, corporate vice president of global marketing at Microsoft, said in a statement.
The NFL season kicks off Thursday night, Sept. 4, when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
