2019 NFL Offseason Calendar
January 18, 2019
By Steve Thomas
The Redskins have been in offseason mode for, let’s face it, quite a while now, so it seemed like a good time to publish the annual NFL’s offseason calendar. Feel free to use this as a reference throughout the offseason. It will be linked in a subtab on here on the site until the regular season begins.
The major dates to keep an eye on are the start of the league year (March 13), free agency (March 13), and the draft (April 25 – 27). Here’s the full list of dates you need to know:
| Jan 19 | East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida. |
| Jan 19 | NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California. |
| Jan 26 | Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama. |
| Jan 31 | Deadline for NFL clubs to try out and negotiate with CFL players who are entering an option year in 2019, or whose 2018 contracts are due to expire at 12:00 noon, New York time, on Feb. 12, 2019. |
| Feb 4 | Waiver system begins for 2019. |
| Feb 19 | First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players. |
| Feb 26-Mar 4 | NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana. |
| Mar 5 | 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for clubs to designate Franchise/ Transition Players. |
| Mar 11-13 | Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2018 player contracts at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 13. |
| Mar 13 | Prior to 4:00 p.m. ET, clubs must exercise options for 2019 on all players who have option clauses in their 2018 contracts. |
| Mar 13 | Prior to 4:00 p.m. ET, clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts to retain a Right of First Refusal/ Compensation. |
| Mar 13 | Prior to 4:00 p.m. ET clubs must submit a minimum salary tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2018 contracts who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agency credit. |
| Mar 13 | Top 51 Rule begins. All clubs must be under the 2019 Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m. ET. |
| Mar 13 | All 2018 player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m. ET. |
| Mar 13 | The 2019 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m. ET
The first day of the 2019 league year will end at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the league office during the period between 4:00 p.m. and 11:59:59 p.m. ET, on March 13. |
| Mar 13 | Trading period for 2019 begins at 4:00 p.m. ET, after expiration of all 2018 contracts. |
| Mar 24-27 | Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona. |
| Apr 1 | Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2018 regular season may begin offseason workout programs. |
| Apr 15 | Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs. |
| Apr 19 | Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets. |
| Apr 25-27 | 2019 NFL Draft, Nashville, Tennessee. |
| May 3-6 | Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday. |
| May 7 | Deadline for prior club to send “May 7 Tender” to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a player contract with a club by July 22 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later, he may negotiate or sign a player contract from that date until the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, only with his prior club. |
| May 10-13 | Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday. |
| May 13 | Rookie Football Development Programs begin. |
| May 16-19 | NFLPA Rookie Premiere. Invited rookies must be permitted by their respective clubs to attend. Such players are unavailable for offseason workouts, OTA days, and minicamps during this period. |
| May 20-22 | Spring League Meeting, Key Biscayne, Florida. |
| June 2 | For any player removed from the club’s roster or whose contract is assigned via waivers or trade on or after June 2, any unamortized signing bonus amounts for future years will be included fully in team salary at the start of the 2020 league year. |
| June 3 | Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned Restricted Free Agents who received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision. |
| June 15 | Deadline for club to withdraw qualifying offer to Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting “June 15 Tender” of one-year contract at 110 percent of the player’s prior-year salary. |
| Late June | Mandatory Rookie Transition Program to be held at individual clubs. |
| July 15 | 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2019 season & such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last reg season game. |
| Mid-July | Clubs are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies and first-year players beginning seven days prior to the club’s earliest permissible mandatory reporting date for veteran players. |
| Veteran players other than quarterbacks or “injured players” may report to a club’s preseason training camp no earlier than 15 days prior to the club’s first scheduled preseason game or July 15, whichever is later. | |
| Veteran quarterbacks and injured players may be required to report to the club’s preseason training camp no earlier than five days immediately prior to the mandatory reporting date for all other veteran players, provided the club has already opened (or simultaneously opens) its official preseason training camp for all rookies and first-year players | |
| A three-day acclimation period will apply to players who are on a club’s roster up to and including the mandatory veteran reporting date. | |
| July 22* | Signing period ends for Unrestricted Free Agents to whom a “May 7 Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights. |
| * or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later. | |
| Signing period ends for Transition Players with outstanding tenders. After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights. | |
| Aug 1-4 | Hall of Fame Weekend, Canton, Ohio. |
| Aug 6 | Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an accrued season for free agency. |
| If a drafted rookie has not signed with his club by this date, he cannot be traded to any other club in 2019, and may sign a player contract only with the drafting club until the day of the Draft in the 2020 league year. | |
| Aug 31 | Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List. |