Transactions

• On April 2, 1990, Elvis Patterson signed as a Plan B free agent with the Los Angeles Raiders. He was waived on September 3 and later re-signed. He became a special teams standout and earned the nickname Ghost.^[2] He was a special teams captain for three years.^[3]

Trades

• On September 25, 1990, the Dallas Cowboys traded Steve Walsh to the New Orleans Saints for the Saint's first and third round picks in the 1991 NFL Draft and a second round pick (that could become a first round pick based on performance) in the 1992 NFL Draft.^[4]

Retirements

• Dallas Cowboys defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones announced his retirement on June 5, 1990.^[5]

Draft

The 1990 NFL Draft was held from April 22 to 23, 1990 at New York City's Marriott Marquis. With the first pick, the Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Jeff George from the University of Illinois. Selecting seventeenth overall, the Dallas Cowboys would draft Emmitt Smith, who would retire as the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

• Football coach George Allen died on December 31.
• Bronko Nagurski, also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, died on January 7, 1990

American Bowl

A series of National Football League pre-season exhibition games that were held at sites outside the United States, a total of four games were held in 1990.

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Score	Stadium	City
August 5, 1990	Denver Broncos	10	Seattle Seahawks	7	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo
August 5, 1990	New Orleans Saints	17	Los Angeles Raiders	10	Wembley Stadium	London
August 9, 1990	Pittsburgh Steelers	30	New England Patriots	14	Olympic Stadium	Montreal
August 11, 1990	Los Angeles Rams	19	Kansas City Chiefs	3	Olympiastadion	West Berlin

Scheduling formula

Highlights of the 1990 season included:

• Porkchop Bowl: A third game in the heated rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, following the Bounty Bowl of 1989, took place in 1990. Known as the "Porkchop Bowl". The game got its name because Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan choked on a pork chop in the week leading up to the game, Philadelphia won this game as well, 21–20.
• Thanksgiving: Two games were played on Thursday, November 22, featuring Denver at Detroit and Washington at Dallas, with Detroit and Dallas winning.

Final standings

Tiebreakers

• Cincinnati finished ahead of Houston and Pittsburgh in the AFC Central based on best head-to-head record (3–1 to Oilers’ 2–2 to Steelers’ 1–3).
• Houston was the third AFC Wild Card based on better conference record (8–4) than Seattle (7–5) and Pittsburgh (6–6).
• Philadelphia finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better division record (5–3 to Redskins’ 4–4).
• Tampa Bay was second in NFC Central based on best head-to-head record (5–1) against Detroit (2–4), Green Bay (3–3), and Minnesota (2–4).
• Detroit finished third in the NFC Central based on best net division points (minus 8) against Green Bay (minus 40).
• Green Bay finished ahead of Minnesota in the NFC Central based on better conference record (5–7 to Vikings’ 4–8).
• The L.A. Rams finished ahead of Atlanta in the NFC West based on net points in division (plus 1 to Falcons’ minus 31).

Team

Offseason

• Atlanta Falcons: Jerry Glanville was named the permanent replacement, after Marion Campbell was fired after the first 12 games of 1989, and Jim Hanifan served as interim for the final four games.
• Houston Oilers: Jack Pardee replaced Jerry Glanville.
• Los Angeles Raiders: Art Shell became the permanent head coach. Shell served as interim for the last 12 games in 1989 after Mike Shanahan was fired after the first four.
• New England Patriots: Rod Rust replaced the fired Raymond Berry.
• New York Jets: Bruce Coslet replaced the fired Joe Walton.
• Phoenix Cardinals: Joe Bugel was named the permanent replacement, after Gene Stallings was fired after the first 11 games of 1989, and Hank Kuhlmann served as interim for the final five games.

In-season

• Cleveland Browns: Bud Carson was fired after nine games, and Jim Shofner served as interim for the final seven games.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ray Perkins was fired after 13 games, and Richard Williamson served as interim for the final three games.

Individual teams

• The Atlanta Falcons unveiled new uniforms, switching both their primary jerseys and helmets from red to black. This was the first time the Falcons wore black jerseys since 1970, and the first time they had ever worn black helmets.
• The New York Jets added black trim to their logo, numbers, and stripes on their pants, and changed their face masks from white to black. They also added green pants to be worn with their white jerseys.
• The Phoenix Cardinals began wearing red pants with their white jerseys at the request of coach Joe Bugel.
• The San Diego Chargers began wearing navy pants with their white jerseys.

In Week 16 with the Gulf War looming closer, American flag decals were added to the back of the helmets of all players.^[18]

January

• January 3- Roy Ilowit, age 72. Played four games at guard for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937.
• January 4- Ed Ecker, age 66. NFL career spanned from 1947 to 1952, in which he appeared as an offensive and defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Rockets, Green Bay Packers, and Washington Redskins.
• January 7- Bronko Nagurski, age 81. Running back for the Chicago Bears from 1930 to 1937, came out of retirement in 1943. Elected to pro football hall of fame in 1963..
• January 9- Don Dimmick, age 86. Played halfback for the Buffalo Rangers in 1926.
  • Jim Gillette, age 72. Running back for the Cleveland Rams, Boston Yanks, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions whose NFL career was interrupted due to military service in World War II.
    • Rufus Mayes, age 42. Former first round pick of the Chicago Bears, long time starting tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals.
• January 10- Ralph Hutchinson, age 65. Played one season at guard for the New York Giants after being selected in the 8th round of the 1946 NFL Draft.
• January 15- Fred Mundee, age 76. Played Linebacker and center for the Chicago Bears from 1943 to 1945 as a wartime replacement player.
• January 16- Clarence Janecek, age 78. Played one season in the NFL, starting 11 games at guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933.
• January 17- Larry Todd, age 47. Played running back for the Oakland Raiders from 1965 to 1970.
• January 18- Fred Denfeld, age 91. Played offensive tackle for the Rock Island Independents and Duluth Kelleys in 1921 and 1925.
• January 19- George Gulyanics, age 68. Former running back and punter for the Chicago Bears from 1947 to 1952.
• January 20- Fred Venturelli, age 72. Played one season as a placekicker in the NFL, for the Chicago Bears, making the team as a 31 year old rookie.
• January 21- Jim Russell, age 81. Played guard for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1936 to 1937.
• January 25- Andy Puplis, age 74. Played defensive back for the Chicago Cardinals in 1943 as a wartime replacement player.
• January 29- Stan Batinski, age 72. Played offensive guard and tackle for the Detroit Lions, Boston Yanks and New York Yankees from 1941 to 1949.
• January 30- Bob Fosdick, age 95. Played guard and tackle for the Minneapolis Marines in 1923.
• January 31- Homer Griffith, age 77. Played running back for the Chicago Cardinals in 1934.

February

• February 6- Lew Erber, age 55. Offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 1982 to 1986. Also coached running backs and wide receivers for the Oakland Raiders from 1976 to 1981, Los Angeles Rams from 1985 to 1986. Also was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Cobras of the Arena Football League in 1988.
• February 8- Pete Kmetovic, age 70. Halfback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1942 NFL Draft, did not play in the NFL until 1946 due to military service during World War Two.
• February 15- George Daney, age 43. Played offensive guard for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1968 to 1974, was a reserve on the Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV.
• February 21- Lindy Mayhew, age 82. Played guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1936 to 1938.
• February 24- Darryl Usher, age 25. Drafted by the New England Patriots as a wide receiver in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft, was released in camp and split time between the San Diego Chargers and Phoenix Cardinals in 1989.
• February 28- Bob Armstrong, age 81. Former offensive lineman for the Portsmouth Spartans from 1931 to 1932.

March

• March 4- Frank McGrath, age 85. Played Defensive End for the Frankford Yellow Jackets and New York Yankees from 1927 to 1928.
• March 5- Vince Commisa, age 68. Played one season at guard for the Boston Yanks in 1944 as a wartime replacement player.
• March 6- Julian Spence, age 60. Played defensive back for and was an original member of the Houston Oilers. Also played for the Chicago Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.
• March 9- Lou Vedder, age 92. Played one season for the Buffalo Bisons in 1927.
• March 12- Rick Lackman, age 79. Played Running Back for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935.
• March 15- Paul Berezney, age 74. Played offensive tackle from 1942 to 1946 from the Green Bay Packers and Miami Seahawks.
  • Mike Witteck, age 26. Crossed the picket line to play for the New York Jets in 1987 during the players strike.
• March 16- Barry French, age 68. Played Offensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions from 1947 to 1951.
• March 20- Gar Leaf, age 87. Played Offensive Tackle for the Louisville Colonels in 1926.
• March 23- Ainer Cleve, age 92. Played in the NFL as a tail back for the Minneapolis Marines from 1921 to 1924.
• March 25- A.D. Williams, age 56. Wide receiver who played three years in the NFL (1959-1961) for three different teams: Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Minnesota Vikings.
• March 31- Saxon Judd, age 70. Played receiver for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All American Football Conference from 1946 to 1948.
  • Ed Rate, aged 90. NFL career consisted of one game for the Milwaukee Badgers in 1923.

April

• April 1- Vince Pacewic, age 69. Played receiver for the Washington Redskins in 1943. Returned to team in 1947 after completion of military service.
• April 8- Tom Roberts, age 74. Played offensive guard from 1943 to 1945 for the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
• April 9- Bill Bailey, age 73. Played both offensive and defensive end for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1940 to 1941.
• April 17- Jim Eiden, age 88. Eiden's NFL career consisted of one game starting at tackle for the Louisville Colonels in 1926.
• April 27- Chuck Weimer, age 85. Played tailback and place kicker for the Buffalo Bisons, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians from 1929 to 1931.
• April 29- Jake Fawcett, age 70 Played offensive guard for the Los Angeles Rams and Brooklyn Dodgers.
• April 30- Charley Ewart, age 74. Head coach for the New York Bulldogs in 1949, leading the team to a 1-10-1 record in his only season as an NFL head coach.

May

• May 3- George Wilson, Jr, age 84. Played one season at defensive back for the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1929.
• May 5- Karl Thielscher, age 95. NFL career consisted of one game at fullback for the Buffalo All Americans in 1920.
• May 6- Paul Blessing, age 71. Played one season as an end, 1944, as a wartime replacement player for the Detroit Lions
• May 8- June James, age 27. Played one season for the Detroit Lions at linebacker after being selected in the 1985 NFL Draft. Played for the Indianapolis Colts during the 1987 NFLPA players strike.
• May 9- Ralph Maillard, age 84. Played one season at tackle for the Chicago Bears in 1929.
• May 10- Walter Mahan, age 87. NFL career consisted of one game at guard for the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1926.
• May 13- Ray Jenison, age 80. Played one season (1931) in the NFL at tackle for the Green Bay Packers.
• May 17- Jimmy Lawrence, age 77. Playing wing Back for the Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers from 1936 to 1939.
• May 19- Bernie Lee, age 77. Played quarterback in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1938.

June

• June 21- Tony Sarausky, age 77. Played running back for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1935 to 1938.
• June 25- Bob Garner, age 55. Played Defensive back for the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders of the American Football League from 1960 to 1962.
• June 26- Carroll Ringwalt, age 82. Played center and guard for the Portsmouth Spartans and Frankford Yellow Jackets from 1930 to 1931.
• June 28- Bernie Winkler, age 64. Played Offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Dons of the All American Football Conference.

July

• July 3- Potsy Jones, age 80. Played guard for the Minneapolis Red Jackets, Frankford Yellow Jackets, New York Giants and Green Bay Packers from 1930 to 1938.
• July 7- Ben Ciccone, age 80. Played center for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1934 to 1935, and returned to play for the Chicago Cardinals in 1942.
• July 11- Joe Watts, age 75. Played Tackle for the Washington Redskins in 1945. Voted to pro bowl in only NFL season.
• July 13- Harry Seltzer, age 71. Played running back for the Detroit Lions in 1942.
• July 15- Jay Hornbeak, age 78. Played running back for the Brooklyn Dodgers
  • Joe Ungerer, age 73. Played tackle for the Washington Redskins from 1943 to 1944. Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1941 NFL Draft.

August

• August 1- Carl Ekern, age 36. Former pro-bowl linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams.
  • Chet Pudloski, age 74. Started ten games at tackle for the Cleveland Rams in 1944.
• August 3- Jeff Modesitt, age 26. Played one game in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a replacement player during the 1987 Players strike.
• August 8- Walt Williams, age 71. Two way player who played defensive back and running back for the Chicago Rockets and Boston Yanks from 1946 to 1947.
• August 9- Art Van Tone, age 71. Played running back for the Detroit Lions from 1943 to 1945, and finished his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.
• August 12- Paul Cuba, age 82. Played tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935.
• August 16- Bobby Gordon, age 54. Played defensive back for the Chicago Cardinals and Houston Oilers from 1958 to 1960.
• August 17- Larry Weldon, age 75. Reserve quarterback for the Washington Redskins who also played place kicker from 1944 to 1945.
• August 20- Wiley Feagin, age 52. Played offensive guard for the Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins from 1961 to 1963.
  • Ray Johnson, age 75. Played running back and defensive back for the Cleveland Rams and Chicago Cardinals from 1937 to 1940.
• August 21- Larry Buhler, age 73. Played three seasons (1939-1941) at running back for the Green Bay Packers. Was the Packers first round pick in the 1939 NFL Draft.
• August 25- Bernie Feibish, age 71. Played center in the NFL for Philadelphia Eagles for three games in 1941.
• August 26- Tom Toner, age 40. Played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1973 to 1977.
• August 28- Ed Balatti, age 66. Played receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Yankees, and Buffalo Bills of the All American Football Conference.

September

• September 3- Ernie Hambacher, age 83. Played running back for the Orange Tornadoes in 1929.
• September 5- Charlie Huneke, age 69. Played tackle for the Chicago Rockets of the All American Football Conference and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1946 to 1948.
  • John Naioti, age 68. Played running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942 and 1945.
• September 11- Byron Eby, age 85. Played one season for the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930.
• September 17- Joe Maras, age 74. Played guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1938 to 1940. Originally drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the 10th round of the 1938 NFL Draft.
• September 20- Ed Robnett, age 70. Played Defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers in 1947. Originally drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 18th round of the 1946 NFL Draft.
• September 21- Frank Quillen, age 69. Played two seasons as Defensive end for the Chicago Rockets of the All American Football Conference from 1946 to 1947.
• September 22- Len Szafaryn, age 62. Played seven seasons in the NFL as a linebacker/offensive tackle. Played for the Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles.
• September 30- Al Lolotai, age 70. Played guard for the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Dons from 1945 to 1949.

October

• October 1- Tommy Thompson, age 63. Played center and linebacker for the Cleveland Browns from 1949 to 1953.
• October 8- Frank Cope, age 74. Played Offensive Guard for the New York Giants from 1938 to 1947.
• October 11- George Corbett, age 82. Played tailback for the Chicago Bears from 1932 to 1938.
• October 22 Frank Sinkwich, age 70. Running back who was the first round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in the 1943 NFL Draft. Missed two years due to military service.
• October 25- Ed Bagdon, age 64. Played middle guard, linebacker, and place kicker for the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins from 1950 to 1952.
• October 27- Garvin Mugg, age 69. Played three games at tackle for the Detroit Lions in 1943 as a wartime replacement player.
• October 28- Chet Adams, age 75. Former Offensive and Defensive tackle for the Cleveland Rams, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees.

November

• November 15- Robert Patton, age 63, Played guard for the New York Giants in 1952.
• November 26- Dick Folk, age 75. Played running back for Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939.
• November 30- Fritz Barzilauskas, age 70. Played guard for the Boston Yanks, New York Yankees, and New York Giants.
  • Richard Brown, age 83. Played one season at center for the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930.

December

• December 3- Ray Wagner, age 88. Played Defensive end for the Orange Tornadoes and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1929 to 1931.
• December 4- Nels Peterson, age 77. Played running back and placekicker for the Cleveland Rams and Washington Redskins from 19337 to 1938.
• December 6- Ed Bell, Age 69. Played offensive line for the Miami Seahawks and Green Bay Packers from 1946 to 1949.
  • Remi Prudhomme, age 48, Played center and defensive end for the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints from 1966 to 1972. Played for Kansas City in Super Bowl III.
• December 16- Art Koeninger, age 84.From 1931 to 1933, played center for three teams, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Staten Island Stapletons, and Philadelphia Eagles.
• December 19- Billy Tidwell, age 60. Played one season at running back in the NFL, for the San Francisco 49ers after being drafted by the 49ers in the 1953 NFL Draft.
• December 20- Mark Temple, age 79. Played one season in the NFL at Tailback, splitting the 1936 season between the Boston Redskins and Brooklyn Dodgers.
• December 21- Fred Washington, age 23. Played Defensive Tackle for the Chicago Bears, Killed in a car accident during his rookie season.
• December 29- Jack Nix, age 73. NFL career consisted of one game at Wing Back for the Cleveland Rams in 1940.
• December 31- George Allen, age 72. Hall of fame head coach for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins.
  • Ewell Phillips, age 81. Played offensive guard for the New York Giants in 1936.