NFL Calendar 2020
NFL Important Offseason Dates
Updated 3/3/2020
February
Feb. 27-March 1 – NFL Scouting Combine Player Workouts
Feb. 24-March 2 – NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Feb. 25 First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March
March – early – NFL Office announces 32 Compensatory Selections for NFL Draft 2020 from 3rd thru 7th Rounds after NFL Combine
March 10 – Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 16-18 – During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 16 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 18, 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 2019 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 18.
During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the head coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations.
No prospective Unrestricted Free Agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 18.
March 18 – The 2020 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
The first day of the 2020 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 18. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 18.
Trading period for 2020 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2019 contracts.
March 29-April 1 Annual League Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida.
April
April 6 – Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2019 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
April 17 – Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
April 20 – Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 22 – Deadline for prior club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.
April 23-25 – NFL Draft 2020, Las Vegas, Nevada.
May
May 4th – May 4th is the CBA-mandated date by which 5th Year Options must be exercised for 4th year players who were drafted in the 1st round. For the Ravens, this would be the deadline to exercise the 5th Year Option for CB Marlon Humphrey. As they did last year with OT Ronnie Stanley, it’s pretty much a no-brainer that the Ravens will exercise Humphrey’s option.
May 5th – The “May 5th Tender” date. This date, which was moved forward from June 1st a couple of years ago, is essentially the last date that the signing or losing of a free agent will count toward the Compensatory Draft pick calculation. The May 5th Tender – which rarely happens – is a way a team can potentially obtain exclusive negotiating rights with a player later in the summer. It also provides extended Compensatory pick eligibility if the player is tendered a contract of at least 110% of his prior year’s compensation by May 5th. Otherwise, if the player is not given the May 5th Tender, he no longer counts toward the Comp pick formula and the team cannot gain any special negotiating advantage later in the off season. As a practical matter, very few free agents who remain unsigned by May 5th are worth such a tender.
June
June 1st – In past years this was the last day that teams could release a player and have all of the dead money from that release count against the present year’s Salary Cap. If released after June 1st, only the present year’s bonus prorations counts against the Cap in that year and all future bonus prorations would count against the following year’s Cap.
If there is no new CBA agreed to before then, there will be no June 1 Cap relief this year.
July
July 15th – This is the deadline for signing a player who has received the Franchise or Transition tag to a long-term deal. If no long-term deal can be reached by this date, the player must play that year under the 1-year contract provided under the Franchise/Transaction Tender and cannot sign a long-term deal until after the season is over.
