After the season is before the season. The 2024 NFL season ended spectacularly with Super Bowl 58. But the upcoming NFL break won’t be boring either. What happens in the offseason? Which dates are important?

The NFL season reached its climax with Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers (25:22 after overtime). The longest Super Bowl in history now heralds the start of the offseason.

The task for all teams in the coming weeks is clear: as many construction sites as possible must be rectified.

Relaxation and a lack of events are therefore not on the agenda. The first important dates are already scheduled for February.

What else will happen between the Super Bowl and the start of the new season?

NFL offseason 2024: The most important dates until the first regular-season game
February 20 to March 5: During this period, the individual teams can award their franchise tags and transition tags.

February 27 to March 4: The Scouting Combine is coming up. The young talents from the college present themselves in the Lucas Oil Stadium. They show their skills in various disciplines in order to recommend themselves to NFL scouts and increase their draft value. A total of 321 players are eligible.

March 11-13: During this period, franchises are allowed to negotiate with players who will become free agents. Important: Contracts may not be signed until the new league year.

March 13: Free agency, and thus the new league year, begins at 10:00 p.m. German time.

March 24-27: The annual meeting of the NFL takes place in Orlando, Florida.

April 1: The first training programs begin – but only for teams that have hired a new head coach after the 2023 season.

April 15: All other teams start training. Offseason training programs include ten OTA (Organized Team Activities) days and a mandatory minicamp.

April 17: Teams have one last opportunity to test and interview draft-eligible players at their facilities. This also includes physical exams.

April 19: The last day on which Restricted Free Agents (players whose contracts expire without having at least four so-called “accrued” seasons) are allowed to sign a provisional contract.

April 24: Players eligible for the draft may no longer be interviewed, visited, tested or examined at any location. Video and phone calls are also prohibited.

April 24: It is also the last day on which the former team of a restricted free agent may exercise its “Right of First Refusal”. This allows the team to match another team’s offer and automatically keep the player.

25 through April 27: This year’s NFL Draft will take place in Detroit, Michigan. Team order will be decided by preseason ranking.

May 2: For the last time, franchises will have the opportunity to pull the fith year options of a first-round pick from the 2021 draft. Thus, players would play another year under their rookie contract.

May 3-6 or May 10-13: Teams may hold minicamps for their rookies on one of the two weekends. These may last a maximum of three days.

May 13: The Rookie Football Development Programs begin. This allows teams to familiarize their rookies with local resources, club culture, history, leadership and expectations.

Mid-May: Which teams will compete against each other in the upcoming season has already been determined. Whether these will be home or away games has also been decided. However, the time of the games is not yet known. As in the previous season, the full fixture list is expected in mid-May.

May 20-22: Owners, general managers, coaches and team officials gather for the spring meeting.

September 5: The kickoff of the new season takes place at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. It is not yet known who will face the current Super Bowl champions. The potential opponents: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans.