The NFL Offseason Calendar, Month by Month
The NFL never really stops. Follow the year from the Super Bowl through the combine, free agency, the draft, minicamps and camp, with what happens each month and why the dates matter.
The final whistle of the Super Bowl does not end the football year. It starts a different one. Within days, coaches are being hired and fired, scouts are packing for Indianapolis, and front offices are running numbers that will determine who is allowed to stay on the roster. Within weeks, free agency opens and the league's biggest contracts are signed. By the time the next season kicks off, the National Football League (NFL) has run through the draft, three rounds of offseason practices, training camp and cut-down day.
For a fan, the offseason can look like a blur of news. This guide lays it out month by month so each event has a place. One caution applies throughout: the exact dates move from year to year, and some details are revised in labor agreements and league rules. The calendar below describes the usual shape of the year. For specific dates, check the league's published calendar or our schedule page.
The shape of the year
It helps to think in six phases.
- The postseason and the reset (January to February): playoffs, the Super Bowl, coaching changes.
- The evaluation phase (February to early March): all-star games, the scouting combine, franchise tag decisions.
- The market (March): free agency opens and rosters are rebuilt.
- The draft run (April): pro days, the draft and the first work with new players.
- The practice phase (May to June): rookie camps, organized team activities and minicamps.
- The ramp-up (July to September): training camp, preseason, cut-down day and the opener.
January: the end of one season, the start of another
January is the postseason. While the playoffs play out, the teams that are not in them are already looking ahead. The weeks after the final regular-season games are known for coaching and front-office changes. Owners decide whether to keep their football leaders, and teams that make changes begin searches. Our guide to the NFL org chart explains who makes those decisions, and the Rooney Rule shapes how some searches are run.
Meanwhile, college seniors and underclassmen who are eligible for the draft make decisions about whether to enter. Our article on declaring early for the draft describes that choice. Several college all-star games take place in late January and early February, giving scouts a chance to watch prospects in practices and games against other draft-eligible players.
Playoff teams play on. For the structure of those games, see the wild-card round and the guide to the playoff bracket.
February: the Super Bowl and the evaluation season
The Super Bowl is traditionally played in early or mid-February, though the exact date depends on the length of the regular season, which has itself changed over time. For the organization of the game itself, see our piece on the Super Bowl. Associated events such as awards presentations and the Pro Bowl festivities fall around the same period; the difference between those honors is explained in our guide to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. The Hall of Fame class is traditionally announced during Super Bowl week, as described in our article on how the Hall of Fame elects players.
After the game, the league's attention turns to the scouting season and to the business of the cap. Teams review their rosters and decide which players to keep, which to release and which to let leave. Contracts with big cap numbers come under scrutiny.
Late in the month or early in March, the scouting combine takes place in Indianapolis. Draft-eligible players are measured, timed, tested and interviewed, and team doctors review medical information. Our article on the combine explains the tests and what teams actually use from them.
March: the franchise tag, free agency and the new league year
March is the busiest month for roster movement. A few key mechanisms define it.
The franchise tag window
Before free agency opens, teams have a short window to use a franchise tag or a transition tag on a player whose contract is expiring. This lets a team keep a player for a year at a salary set by a formula. Our guide to franchise tags and transition tags covers the rules. The window typically opens in late February and closes in the first half of March.
The legal negotiating period
A couple of days before free agency formally opens, teams are allowed to negotiate with agents of players who are about to become free agents. This brief window is sometimes called the legal tampering period. Players may reach agreements, but they cannot sign contracts until the new league year begins.
The new league year and free agency
The new league year starts in mid-March. At that moment, expiring contracts end, players become free agents, and teams can sign them. The cap for the new year takes effect, and teams have to be within it. The first hours and days of free agency tend to see a rush of agreements and the largest contracts of the year. Our article on free agency explains the different classes of free agents.
Trades also pick up around the new league year, as clubs shuffle their rosters and picks. The way picks are valued is covered in our guides to NFL trades and the draft trade value chart.
The annual league meeting
In late March, the owners gather for the league's annual meeting. This is where rule-change proposals are debated and voted on. Our explainer on how NFL rules change walks through that process. The compensatory picks awarded for the previous year's free-agent departures are also announced around this time, using the formula described in our article on the compensatory pick formula.
April: pro days, the draft and the start of workouts
April is dominated by the draft, but it has several parts.
Pro days and private visits
Before the draft, colleges host pro days where their draft prospects work out for scouts. Teams also conduct private workouts and bring selected prospects to their facilities for interviews, a limited number of visits per team. These are described in our piece on pro days and private workouts.
The offseason program begins
Under the labor agreement, teams begin their voluntary offseason workout programs in the spring. The program is structured in phases and limits what coaches can do with players. It starts with strength and conditioning and meetings, and builds toward on-field work. The precise start date depends on the agreement and on the team's circumstances, such as whether it has a new head coach. For the later phases, see our guide to OTAs and minicamps.
The draft
The draft is held in late April in a city chosen by the league, with seven rounds spread over several days. The order is set by the previous season's results, as explained in our article on how draft order is set. The mechanics of rounds, trades and picks are covered in Inside the NFL Draft. Drafted players then sign rookie contracts under the wage scale described in our article on rookie contracts. You can follow the picks on our draft page.
Other April deadlines
Other contract-related dates fall in this period, such as deadlines related to restricted free agents. Also around the draft, teams decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option on players drafted in the first round three years earlier; the decision deadline falls in early May. We explain it in the fifth-year option explained.
May: schedule release and rookie camps
In May, the league releases the regular-season schedule. The release has become an event in itself, with a made-for-media reveal, though the games themselves were largely determined by the schedule formula months earlier. Our guide to the NFL schedule formula explains why teams play the opponents they do, and the final dates and times appear on our schedule page.
Teams also hold rookie minicamps, typically within a few weeks of the draft. Drafted players, undrafted free agents who have signed and tryout players attend, learning the playbook and meeting coaches. This is the first on-field work with the team for most rookies.
In late May, many teams begin organized team activities, usually called OTAs. These are voluntary practices that take place under rules limiting contact and the amount of time coaches can spend with players.
June: minicamp, then a pause
June begins with the continuing OTA schedule and typically includes a mandatory minicamp, a few days of practice that players are required to attend. After that, there is a quiet stretch. Players disperse for vacation or personal training, and coaches take a break before camp. Many analysts use this stretch to look back and plan.
June also has a financial milestone. Teams that release or trade certain players after June 1 can often spread the cap consequences over two seasons instead of one. This is why some veteran releases are timed for early June, a topic that links to our guide to dead money.
July: the lull and the arrival of camp
Early July is the quietest time of the NFL year. It is mostly vacations and workouts away from the facility. Contract negotiations may still occur, particularly for players with expiring deals, because a deadline to sign franchise-tagged players for multiyear contracts falls in mid-July. Players tagged in March and not signed to long-term deals by that date must play on the one-year tag.
In the second half of the month, rookies and veterans report to training camp. Camp is where the roster takes shape, and its structure is covered in our article on what really happens in training camp.
August: preseason and cut-down day
August brings the preseason. The first game is traditionally the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, in the week of the enshrinement ceremony. Preseason games give coaches a chance to evaluate players who are competing for roster spots. Starters often play little, and backups play a lot. The results do not count in the standings.
By late August, teams must reduce their rosters to the regular-season limit. This cut-down day is one of the most dramatic times of the year: many players lose their jobs in a short period, some of whom are claimed by other teams or sign to practice squads. Our articles on waivers, claims and cut-down day and the gamble of the 53rd man explain the process, and the practice squad describes where many of those players land.
September: the opener
The regular season opens in early September, usually on a Thursday following the Labor Day weekend, with a game featuring the defending champion at home. The rest of the opening weekend follows. By this point, the league has run a full year: the previous season's games, the transition period, the draft and a camp. For how the season is organized, see the structure of the NFL season.
A calendar at a glance
| Month | Main events |
|---|---|
| January | Playoffs; coaching and front-office changes; draft declarations |
| February | Super Bowl; Hall of Fame class announced; start of the combine period |
| March | Combine (if not February); franchise tags; free agency; league meeting |
| April | Pro days; draft; offseason workouts begin |
| May | Schedule release; rookie minicamps; OTAs begin |
| June | Mandatory minicamp; post-June 1 cap timing |
| July | Quiet period; tag extension deadline; training camp opens |
| August | Hall of Fame Game; preseason; cut-down day |
| September | Regular season opens |
Why the dates matter
The calendar is not just a series of events. Many of the dates are deadlines with consequences.
- Contract deadlines force decisions: use the tag or not, exercise the option or not, sign the player or let him go.
- Cap timing shapes when teams release players and how they structure deals.
- Roster limits at cut-down day determine who is employed.
- Practice rules in the labor agreement limit how much teams can work with players, which protects player health and time.
Reading the calendar this way makes the news easier to interpret. A veteran release in early June is probably about cap timing. A flurry of signings in mid-March is the market opening. A quiet July is normal, not a sign of trouble.
How to use this guide
Because dates change, treat this as a map and not a timetable. Look to official league announcements for specifics, and follow our scores page once the games begin. You can also see how the preseason, regular season and playoffs fit into the full year in our season overview.
The short version
- The NFL year runs on a repeating cycle: playoffs and Super Bowl, scouting and the combine, free agency, the draft, offseason practices, camp, preseason and the opener.
- January and February are about coaching changes and evaluation; March is the market.
- The draft is held in late April; the schedule is released in May.
- OTAs and minicamps run from late spring into June, followed by a quiet stretch.
- Training camp opens in late July; cut-down day comes at the end of August.
- Many dates are deadlines tied to contracts, the salary cap and roster limits.
- Dates shift each year, so confirm specifics with the league's current calendar.