Super Bowl LI is in the rear-view, the NFL combine is closing in, and the chaotically awesome NFL free agency period is one month away. The NFL offseason is here, and the Buffalo Bills have a plethora of crucial decisions to make.
With that in mind, here are the most important dates of the 2017 offseason from NFL.com. Included are some Bills-related notes.
February 15 -- First day teams can designate franchise or transition players. (Think Stephon Gilmore here.)
February 28-March 6 -- NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.
March 1 -- 4:00 p.m. EST is the deadline for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.
March 7-9 -- At 4:00 p.m. EST, teams can “legally tamper” with players (and their agents) who are set to be unrestricted free agents. That means they can communicate with players and their agents and even get into contract negotiations. But a deal cannot be “executed” during this period.
March 9 -- The 2017 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m. EST. All 2016 player contracts expire at this time.
March 9 -- Deadline is 4:00 p.m. EST for teams have to exercise options for 2017 on players who have option clauses in their 2016 contracts.
March 9 -- Deadline is 4:00 p.m. EST for teams to submit qualifying offers to the restricted free-agents they want to retain. (Think Mike Gillislee here.)
March 9 -- Trading period for 2017 begins at 4:00 p.m. EST.
This, directly from the NFL.com article:
“The first day of the 2017 league year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 9. 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 9.”
March 11 - Deadline for Bills to pick up option on Tyrod Taylor’s contract.
March 26-29 -- Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona. New rule proposals can occur during this meeting.
April 3 -- Teams with a new head coach can start offseason workout programs. (Think Sean McDermott here.)
April 17 -- Teams with a returning head coaches can start offseason workout programs.
April 21 -- Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 27-29 -- 2017 NFL Draft, Philadelphia
May 5-8 -- Teams can have a three-day, post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.
Directly from the NFL.com article:
May 9 -- Deadline for Prior Club to send "May 9 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 12-15 -- Second period when teams can have a three-day, post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.
May 15 -- Rookie Football Development Programs begin.
May 22-24 -- Spring League Meeting, Chicago
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 "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).”
July 15 -- Deadline is 4:00 p.m. EST deadline for any team who used the franchise tag to sign that player to a multi-year extension. After this, that player is only allowed to sign a one-year contract. (Think Stephon Gilmore here.)
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.”
August 3 -- Hall of Fame Game, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio