2022 NFL League Calendar: Important dates including Free Agency and the Draft

Now that we are in offseason mode in the NFL, it is appropriate to look at the important dates coming up on the league calendar, including dates related to the combine, free agency, and the NFL Draft.

NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Combine is back this year and will take place from March 1-7 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Franchise Tag, Free Agency, and NFL Draft Dates

Here are some other important upcoming league dates (for the year 2022) to be aware of:

• February 22nd: Teams can begin applying the franchise or transition tag to players on their team.
• March 8th: The final day to declare a franchise player, before 4:00 PM ET.
• March 14th - March 16th: Teams can begin entering contract negotiations with players who will be unrestricted free agents. Qualifying offers to restricted free agents and offers to unrestricted free agents who the team wants to retain should also be made during this stretch. This is otherwise known as the “legal tampering period.”
• March 16th: At 4:00 PM ET, free agency officially begins, and teams may begin signing players or trading players who are still under contract. Additionally, all teams must be under the salary cap at this time.
• March 27th - March 30th: Annual League Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida
• April 18th: Teams with returning coaches can begin their offseason programs. This includes the Browns. Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2021 regular season may begin offseason workout programs on April 4th.
• April 22nd: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
• April 28th - April 30th: NFL Draft, Las Vegas, NV