2023 KEY NFL DATES

Important league dates for the NFL postseason and 2023 offseason:

January
January 7 A claiming period of 24 hours shall be in effect for any waivers requested during the period from the Saturday of the final regular season weekend through the conclusion of the final postseason game, except for waiver requests on Friday and Saturday of each week, which shall expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday. Assignment of player contracts will be deferred until the first business day after the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl, whichever occurs later. Terminations of player contracts will occur at the expiration of the claiming period. A club that is participating in the playoffs may sign players whose contracts have been terminated to its Active/Inactive List, Practice Squad, or Reserve/Future List. A club whose playing season has concluded may sign such players to its Reserve/Future List only.
January 7-8 Eighteenth Week of Regular Season games.
January 9 Clubs may begin signing free agent players for the 2023 season.
January 9 Earliest permissible date for clubs to renegotiate or extend the Rookie Contract of a Drafted Rookie who was selected in any round of the 2020 College Draft or any Undrafted Rookie who signed in 2021. 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.
January 9 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must provide the Management Council with written notice, signed by the individual club’s owner, indicating the amount, if any, of the club’s 2022 League Year Salary Cap Room to be credited to the club’s 2023 Team Salary.
January 14-16 Wild Card Games
January 16 Special Eligibility Deadline. Deadline for college players who are underclassmen to apply for Special Eligibility. A list of underclassmen who have been approved for entry into the 2023 College Draft will be sent to clubs on January 20.
January 21-22 Divisional Playoff Games.
January 29 AFC & NFC Championship Games.
January 31 Deadline for any player claiming the Extended Injury Protection Benefit for the 2023 season to notify his former Club in writing.

February
February 3 Deadline for non-playoff clubs to submit their individual lists of Physician-Certified 2023 Basic Injury Protection Benefit Candidates to the Management Council.
February 5 Pro Bowl
February 12 Super Bowl LVII (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)
February 13 Waiver system begins for 2023. A 24-hour claiming period will be in effect through the Friday prior to the last regular season game (waiver requests made on Friday and Saturday of each week will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday.) Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons whom a club desires to terminate are not subject to the waiver system until after the trading deadline.
February 13 Beginning the first business day after the Super Bowl through the opening of the first training camp for Rookies in 2023, clubs must report all tryouts and visits to the League office; however, such transactions will not be reported to other clubs.
February 16 Deadline for playoff clubs to submit their individual lists of Physician-Certified 2023 Basic Injury Protection Benefit Candidates to the Management Council.
February 21 Beginning this date through 4:00 p.m., New York time on March 7 clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.
February 28 – March 6 NFL Scouting Combine (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN)

March
March 7 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 7 College Pro Days Begin. Workouts of a school’s Pro Day-eligible players with players outside of the scheduled Pro Day activities are prohibited. Private dinners, meetings, interviews are permitted.
March 7-April 19 Draft-Eligible Facility Visits Begin. Clubs permitted 30 non-local players for physical exams/visits; no on- field workouts.
March 7-April 26 Video or telephone interviews with draft-eligible players begin. Three video or telephone interviews per player; no longer than one hour in length.
March 8-9 Deadline for clubs (60 day after final regular season game) to conduct physical examinations pursuant to CBA Article 45, Section 7(a) for players claiming the Extended Injury Protection Benefit for the 2023 season.
March 13-15 Negotiation Period. During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 15, 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 2022 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 15. 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 15.
March 15 End/Start of League Year. Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2023 on all players who have option clauses in their 2022 contracts. Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit Qualifying Offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation. 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 2022 contracts who have fewer than three Accrued Seasons of free agency credit. Top 51 Rule is in effect. All clubs must be under the 2023 Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time. All 2022 NFL player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time. The 2023 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time. The first day of the 2023 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 15. 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 15.
March 15 Trading period for 2023. Trading begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2022 contracts.
March 15 Commencing at 4:00 p.m., New York time, Clubs may designate up to two Player Contracts that, if terminated on or prior to June 1, 2023, and if not renegotiated after January 9, 2023, shall be treated as if terminated on June 2, subject to the further requirements of CBA Article 13, Section 6(b)(ii)(1).
March 23 Deadline for all Clubs to submit their individual lists of Physician-Certified Candidates for the 2023 Extended Injury Protection Benefit.
March 26-29 Annual League Meeting (The Biltmore, Phoenix, AZ)
March 30 Deadline for clubs to meet 2023 funding requirements for guaranteed or deferred compensation in NFL Player Contracts and contracts for non-player Club employees.

April
April 3 Clubs that hired a new Head Coach after the end of the 2022 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
April 17 Clubs with returning Head Coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 19 Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview, or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility.
April 21 Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets.
April 26 Deadline for Prior Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents.
April 27 Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls), or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.
April 27-29 Annual Selection Meeting/NFL Draft (Kansas City, MO)

May
May 1 Deadline for Prior Club to send “May 1 Tender” to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a Player 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 Player 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.
May 1 Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2020 Draft.
May 5-8 or May 12-15 Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.
May 15 Rookie Football Development Programs begin.
May 18-21 (Tentative) NFLPA Rookie Premiere, TBD
May 22-24 Spring League Meeting, TBD

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