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NFL Free Agency, Senior Bowl, Trade Deadlines, Franchise Tags & Other Important Offseason Dates

Here are the dates you need to know for the NFL offseason

The Chiefs season may be over, but here are some important dates to keep in mind as we head into the NFL offseason.

2014
December 29 Clubs may begin signing free agent players for the 2015 season.
December 29 Clubs may renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Any permissible renegotiated or extended player contract will not be considered a rookie contract, and will not be subject to the rules that limit rookie contracts.
December 29

Option exercise period begins for fifth-year option for first-round selections from the 2012 NFL Draft. To exercise the option, the club must give written notice to the player on or after December 29, 2014 but prior to May 3, 2015.

2015
January 3-4 Wild Card Playoff Games.
January 4 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that have byes in Wild Card weekend may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the Wild Card games.
January 10-11 Divisional Playoff Games.
January 11 Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that won their Wild Card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games.
January 17 East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.
January 18 AFC and NFC Championship Games.
January 24 Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
January 25 Pro Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
January 25 An assistant coach whose team is participating in the Super Bowl, who has previously interviewed for another club's head coaching job, may have a second interview with such club no later than the Sunday preceding the Super Bowl.
February 1 Super Bowl XLIX, University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona.
February 2 Waiver system begins for 2015.
February 7 NFL Regional Combine, Doctors Hospital Training Facility, Davie, Florida.
February 10 Beginning at 12 noon, New York time, 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.
February 14 NFL Regional Combine, Methodist Training Center, Houston, Texas.
February 16 First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
February 17-23 NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
February 21 NFL Regional Combine, Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre, Dove Valley, Colorado.
February 28 NFL Regional Combine, Under Armour Performance Center, Owings Mills, Maryland.
March 2 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 7 NFL Regional Combine, Halas Hall, Lake Forest, Illinois.
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 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 10. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 10.
March 10 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2015 on all players who have option clauses in their 2014 contracts.
March 10 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, 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.
March 10 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, 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.
March 10 Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the 2015 salary cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time.
March 10 All 2014 player contracts expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
March 10

The 2015 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

The first day of the 2015 league year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 10. 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 10.

March 10 Trading period for 2015 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2014 contracts.
March 19-21 NFL Career Development Symposium, Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona.
March 21-22 Super Regional Combine, Arizona Cardinals Training Facility, Phoenix, Arizona.
March 22-25

Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.

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 2015 NFL Draft, Chicago, Illinois.
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, California.

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.

June 1 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 4:00 p.m., New York time, only with his prior club.
June 1

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 4:00 p.m., New York time, 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 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.

July 22

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.

* or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later.

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