The road to Super Bowl LX in San Francisco starts here as the Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2025 season as reigning champions. Here are the key dates to know across the NFL’s offseason as we build-up to kickoff in September…
From free agency to the 2025 NFL Draft, here are some of the offseason dates to keep track of over the coming months…
Franchise tag period – February 18 – March 4
From Tuesday February 20, teams can begin to designate the Franchise and Transition Tags to players until 4pm Eastern Time on March 4.
NFL teams are allowed to apply the franchise tag once every offseason, with the one-year contract enabling an organisation to keep a player set to become an unrestricted free agent on a guaranteed deal.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts followed the tradition of Super Bowl MVP’s accepting Disney’s invitation to visit one of their parks – celebrating at Disney World, Orlando a day after the Eagles’ victory in Super Bowl 59
The exclusive franchise tag guarantees the player a salary based on the average top-five salaries at his position or 120 per cent of his previous year’s salary, whichever of the two are higher. It also prevents the player in question from negotiating with another team.
The non-exclusive franchise tag, meanwhile, gives players the opportunity to negotiate with another team. Should they agree to a deal with a new team, the original team has the chance to match it and agree to the new contract or elect against doing so and receive two first-round picks as compensation from the new team.
The transition tag sees the player receive the average annual salary of the top-10 highest-paid players at his position, though the player is also permitted to negotiate a long-term deal with other teams. The original team can again match the offer, however no compensation is given if they choose not to.
NFL Scouting Combine – February 24 – March 3
One of the highlights of the pre-Draft process sees Indianapolis play host to the NFL Scouting Combine as the country’s top prospects showcase their athleticism in a series of physical drills in front of team head coaches, general managers, scouts and officials.
Famously dubbed the ‘Underwear Olympics’ by fans, the Combine is the nationally-televised shop window in which prospects can exhibit their speed and strength in the hope of pushing their way up Draft boards. Among the notable drills are the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-tone drill, 20-yard shuttle and 60-yard shuttle, with players split up into their respective position groups throughout the week.
A look at the best of the off-field action from Super Bowl LIX
Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy currently holds the official record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine after posting a time of 4.21 last year, beating John Ross’ 4.22 in 2017.
Aside from the on-field activities, one of the most important components of Combine week is the opportunity for prospects to meet with coaches and general managers in interviews as teams seek to find out more about their character and personality.
Free Agency begins – March 10 – 12
The NFL’s legal tampering period begins on March 10 until the official start of the new league year on March 12, during which time teams are permitted to enter contract negotiations with the agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents when their 2024 contracts expire upon 4pm EST on March 12, which marks the beginning of the free agency period.
Only upon the start of free agency can players and teams finalise contracts, though much of the heavy lifting tends to take place in the two-day ‘legal tampering’ window. Expect drama.
In case you missed it, take a look at everything that unravelled in New Orleans at Super Bowl 59
Annual League Meeting – March 30 – April 2
This is the period in which all 32 team owners come together in Palm Beach, Florida to vote on prospective new rules.
2025 NFL Draft – April 24 – 26
The biggest date in the offseason calendar arrives on April 25 this year, as Green Bay, Wisconsin plays host to the 2025 NFL Draft.
As of the time of writing this, the Tennessee Titans occupy the No 1 overall pick after finishing the 2024 campaign with a 3-14 record. The Cleveland Browns hold the No 2 pick followed by the New York Giants with the No 3 pick, with both teams also finishing 3-14 but with a superior Strength of Schedule (SOS).
Newly-appointed New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will have the No 4 overall pick at his disposal, followed by Liam Coen’s Jacksonville Jaguars as they begin life following the firing of Doug Pederson.
The best of the action from Super Bowl 59 as the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans
As ever quarterbacks are expected to feature at the top of the draft in the form of Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, while Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter looms as one of the most fascinating early first-round selections amid questions over how he will be utilised in the NFL.
The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles currently sit with the No 32 overall pick at the end of round one, with the Kansas City Chiefs at 31.
Rookie minicamps are then due to take place from either May 2-5 or May 9-12.
NFL Schedule release – Mid-May
The 2025 NFL schedule will be released sometime around the middle of May as fans find out where their teams will begin their season as well as who will be playing on Thanksgiving and around Christmas.
It should also confirm dates for the NFL’s International Games as the Jacksonville Jaguars return to Wembley Stadium while the New York Jets and Browns prepare to host games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Indianapolis Colts will feature in the first-ever regular season game to be played in Berlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the inaugural game at Dublin’s iconic Croke Park in Ireland and the Miami Dolphins will play at the historic Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes describes his Super Bowl 59 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles as the ‘worst feeling in the world’
NFL Training Camps – Late July
Training camp is where it all begins to feel real. The scrimmages return, the pads come on, the offseason planning is put into motion, the weight training is ramped up and the preseason games get under way as players on the roster bubble fight for a place in the final squad, while others engage in position battles.
It is also when Hard Knocks returns as HBO’s access-all-areas docuseries takes you behind the scenes on one team’s preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri takes on the Ballon d’Or challenge, can he get the perfect score?
Hall of Fame Game – July 31
The Pro Football Hall of Fame game marks the traditional curtain-raiser to preseason, held each year in Canton, Ohio and contributing as part of the Hall of Fame enshrinement celebrations.
The class of 2025 was announced at NFL Honours prior to Super Bowl LIX and includes the following:
Eric Allen, DBJared Allen, DEAntonio Gates, TESterling Sharpe (Snr), WR
Phoebe Schecter plays ‘Would You Rather’ with Ndamukong Suh in an alligator-infested swap ahead of Super Bowl 2025 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
2025 Regular Season starts – September 4
The new NFL season is set to get under way on September 4, and as is tradition the Super Bowl champion Eagles will host the Thursday night kick-off after beating the Chiefs to claim their second ring.
Where and when is Super Bowl LX?
The NFL will stage the 60th edition of the Super Bowl on Sunday February 8 at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, California.
Sky Sports coverage of the NFL will continue through the offseason as we track the player moves and the storylines in the build-up to the 2024 season.
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