NFL Schedule Key Dates
Feb. 2 Waiver system begins for 2015
Feb. 7 NFL Regional Combine (Davie, Fla.)
Feb. 10 Beginning at Noon ET, NFL clubs may begin to sign players whose 2014 CFL contracts have expired. Players under contract to a CFL club for the 2015 season or who have an option for the 2015 season are not eligible to be signed
Feb. 14 NFL Regional Combine (Houston)
Feb. 16 First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players
Feb. 17-23 NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis)
Feb. 21 NFL Regional Combine (Dove Valley, Colo.)
Feb. 28 NFL Regional Combine (Owings Mills, Md.)
March 2 Prior to 4 p.m. ET, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players
March 7 NFL Regional Combine (Lake Forest, Ill.)
March 7-10 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 2014 contracts at 4 p.m. ET on March 10. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4 p.m. ET on March 10
March 10 Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must exercise options for 2015 on all players who have option clauses in their 2014 contracts
Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation
Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2014 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agency credit
Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the 2015 salary cap prior to 4 p.m. ET
All 2014 player contracts expire at 4 p.m. ET
2015 league year and free agency period begins (4 p.m. ET)
Trading period for 2015 begins (4 p.m. ET)
March 19-21 NFL Career Development Symposium (Phoenix)
March 21-22 Super Regional Combine (Phoenix)
March 22-25 NFL Annual Meeting (Phoenix)
April 6 Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2014 regular season may begin offseason workout programs
April 20 Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs
April 24 Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets
April 29 Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents
April 30-May 2 NFL Draft (Chicago)
May 8-11 First weekend after the NFL Draft: Clubs may elect to hold their three-day post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday
May 11 Rookie Football Development Program begins
May 15-18 Second weekend after the NFL Draft: Clubs may elect to hold their three- day post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday
May 18-20 NFL Spring League Meeting (San Francisco)
June 1 For any player removed from the club’s roster or whose contract is assigned via waivers or trade on or after June 1, any unamortized signing bonus amounts for future years will be included fully in team salary at the start of the 2016 League Year
Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a 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 contract from that date until the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, at 4 p.m. ET, only with his prior club
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 Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged)
June 21-27 Rookie Symposium (Aurora, Ohio)
July 15 At 4 p.m. ET, deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multi-year contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2015 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular 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 (defined as a player with at least one pension- credited season) other than quarterbacks or “injured players” (as defined in CBA Article 21, Section 6) 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. Players who join the roster after that date may practice (including wearing pads) and play immediately after passing a physical
July 22* Signing Period ends for unrestricted Free Agents to whom a “June 1 Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 4 p.m. ET, 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.)
July 22 Signing period ends for Transition Players with outstanding tenders. After this date and until 4 p.m. ET, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights