The 2026 Super Bowl winner has already been decided, but NFL fans are already itching for more football.
Although the preseason doesn’t kick off until August, there is still plenty of fun to be had before then, starting with the NFL scouting combine, which began Feb. 26 and ran until March 1.
Here are important dates to know for the NFL offseason.
When was the NFL scouting combine?
The combine started Feb. 26 and ran through March 1.
When is NFL free agency?
Teams can begin negotiating with free-agent players starting at noon ET March 9, in what has become known as the “legal tampering period.”
The deals don’t become official until the new league year begins at 4 p.m. on March 11.
On this date, all contracts in their final year expire, and all deals negotiated during the negotiation period become official. Players who hit free agency are officially allowed to sign new deals with any team.
Teams can also start making trades at 4 p.m. on March 11.
When is the 2026 NFL draft?
The NFL draft is from April 23-25.
How to watch the 2026 NFL draft
The 2026 NFL Draft will air on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. Viewers can also stream the draft on NFL+, the ESPN App, and Fubo.
Where is the 2026 NFL draft?
The 2026 NFL draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – home of the Steelers.
Pittsburgh’s North Shore, including Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park, will be among the sites of the draft.
Top NFL free agents 2026
According to USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon, these are the 10 best players set to become free agents this year:
*Received the franchise tag from their team on March 3 and are no longer a free agent.
For the complete list of the top 25 players entering free agency, click here.
What is a franchise tag in the NFL?
Every NFL team has the option to apply a franchise tag on a player during the offseason. The player, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, will automatically be under contract with the team for another year once they receive the tag.
The move isn’t just for locking down a position, though, as it also provides more time for both sides to agree to a long-term deal. If the team doesn’t sign the player to a new contract, they will play the entire next season on the franchise tag salary.
What is the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive franchise tag?
There are two different types of franchise tags, exclusive and non-exclusive.
The biggest difference between the exclusive tag and the non-exclusive tag is that a player can negotiate a deal with another team under the non-exclusive designation. They are prohibited from doing so under the exclusive assignment. If the player agrees to a contract with a new team, the original team can match or refuse it. The latter would result in the franchise receiving two first-round draft picks for compensation.
When is the NFL franchise tag deadline?
NFL teams had until 4 p.m. ET on March 3 to decide whether to issue a franchise or transition tag on one player.
If they did apply the tag, they could continue negotiating toward a long-term contract, or the player can sign his one-year tender. A multiyear deal must be reached by July 15, or the player only has the option of playing the upcoming season on a one-year deal.
What is a transition tag in the NFL?
Like the nonexclusive franchise tag and with the same deadline, it still allows for players to negotiate with other teams while providing the issuing franchise the opportunity to match any offer sheet. Refusal to do so, however, will not yield any draft compensation.
Contributing: Kaycee Sloan and David Wysong, The Cincinnati Enquirer; Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When does NFL free agency start? When is the NFL Draft? What to know
Reporting by Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
