The NFL offseason can be full of questions for many people, and one of the more exciting yet confusing times for a lot of fans.
With mixed signals from different sources, it can get frustrating to know about the NFL procedures and dates, leaving fans questioning why a specific move for a player hasn’t happened, or simply won’t.
To help combat this, we have put together this briefing, full of rules, procedures and timing for all things NFL offseason, taking us from the day after the Super Bowl until Training camp.
Reserve/Future contracts list
January 7th: This is the start of when non-playoff teams can sign players to futures/reserve list, while teams currently in the playoffs can sign terminated contracts (players) to their active/inactive list, practice squad or reserve/future contracts list.
The future and reserve list is a way for teams to sign practice squad or eligible free agents to future deals. Essentially, this is a way to keep a player the team likes for the camp.
These contracts don’t count towards the 53-man roster, or the previous years salary cap, but have the same rules like minimum salary, signing bonus cap hits, etc. They do, however, count towards the 2023 salary cap, which contains 2022 rollover cap, and counts to the offseason limit of a 90-man roster.
Any player who ended the season as a free agent or was on a practice squad for a non-playoff team or eliminated team, is free to sign a futures deal for 2023. The players on futures contracts cannot sign with any other team, unless they are released.
Typical futures deals are veteran minimum deals, with little to no signing bonuses. So veteran players who have stronger markets will never sign these deals. It is unlikely a good player that is highly-touted will be on a futures deal, especially if they feel they’ll have suitors in free agency.
For example, Odell Beckham Jr. will not be signing a futures deal with anyone.
The Patriots, as of February 4th, have signed the following players to future/reserve list contracts:
LB Terez Hall
LB Calvin Munson
LB Olakunle Fatukasi
CB Rodney Randle Jr.
CB Quandre Mosely
S Brad Hawkins
DL LaBryan Ray
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
WR Tre Nixon
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
TE Matt Sokol
TE Scotty Washington
RB JJ Taylor
OL Hayden Howerton
With these signings, we have the Patriots roster at 60 out of 90 for the offseason roster. The Patriots will fill that 90-man roster before camp through future contracts, free agency, trades, draft picks, and undrafted free agents.
Contract Extensions and Team pending free agents
January 9th: This is the date that teams can sign their own free agents to new contracts to avoid free agency. This is also the earliest date that members of the 2020 Draft class are eligible to sign extensions. These contracts are no longer subject to any rookie contract stipulations.
If an undrafted free agent was signed in 2021 (not after the 2020 draft), they would also be eligible for extension.
Josh Uche, Mike Onwenu, and Kyle Dugger are notable players up for contract extensions this offseason, but the Patriots could opt to take these extension talks all the way up until March of 2024, prior to them hitting the open market.
The Patriots currently have the following free agents, and can re-sign any of them when they wish after January 9th.
Keep in mind, just because they can re-sign players doesn’t mean they will. Players and their agents may want to hit the open market, or the team may wish to part ways with the player without throwing a new contract offer their way.
Patriots 2023 Free Agents:
CB Jon Jones
CB Myles Bryant (RFA)
CB Joejuan Williams
WR Jakobi Meyers
WR Nelson Agholor
WR Kristian Wilkerson (ERFA)
RB Damien Harris
LB Raekwon McMillan
LB Mack Wilson Sr.
OT Yodny Cajuste (RFA)
OT Connor McDermott
OT Isaiah Wynn
OT Marcus Cannon
IOL James Ferentz
S Devin McCourty
S Jabrill Peppers
ST Matthew Slater
ST Cody Davis
LS Joe Cardona
P Michael Palardy
K Quinn Nordin (ERFA)
DL Daniel Ekuale
DL Carl Davis
2023 Waivers and Visit/Try out reporting
February 13th (first business day after Super Bowl): This is the day when the 2023 waiver system is in place, which states “a 24-hour claiming period will be in effect through the Friday prior to the last regular season game. Requests made on Friday and Saturday of each week expire at 4 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday.”
Players with at least four years of “pension-credited” seasons, whom a club desires to terminate are not subject to the waiver period until after the 2023 trading deadline.
In simple terms, players with four years or more of service become free agents immediately from this point until the following Friday after the trade deadline. But players with less than four years of service will be subject to waiver claims, which typically follow the order of the 2023 draft for the majority of the year.
Also on this day, all teams will be required to report any visits or tryouts to the league office, but not to other teams.
Franchise Tag and Transition Tag
February 21st – March 7th: Beginning on February 21, and lasting until 4 p.m. on March 7th, NFL teams can use the franchise or transition tags on players.
There are two versions of the Franchise tag: exclusive and non-exclusive.
The exclusive tag is a one-year contract offer that is the average of the top-five salaries at that player’s position, based as of April or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary—whichever is greater. If the player rejects this offer, they are unable to sign with any team for 2023, as this gives the club the exclusivity to negotiate.
The non exclusive tag is virtually the same, except for a couple of key differences. This tag is based on top-five cap hit, which includes salary and bonuses, and is not exclusive for negotiations.
Other teams can negotiate for the player under this tag, and if the player accepts, the tagging team can match the offer. If they refuse to match, they are entitled to two first-round selections from the signing team.
The transition tag takes the average of the top-10 salaries at the position and gives the player freedom to negotiate elsewhere with the tagging club’s ability to match. If they choose not to match, they will not receive compensation.
In 2023, the Patriots don’t really have anyone that fits the bill for franchise tag, as it is a huge cap hit, and could hinder the team’s flexibility. Technically, any player on the Patriots (outside of their already restricted free agents) could have this tag, but giving $18-plus million to a player like cornerback Joejuan Williams is probably not a good idea.
Many teams opt not to use this as they will try to work out a long-term deal, or trade the player well before it comes to this. This year, however, Lamar Jackson could be the latest player to receive the tag.
The last Patriot to be tagged was in 2020 with offensive guard Joe Thuney, who played on the tag for one year, and left for Kansas City in free agency.
Scouting Combine
February 28 – March 6th: This is the time for this year’s 2023 Scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Teams can unofficially meet with prospects in a structured environment usually kept to under 30 minutes in a lightning round style.
Franchise Tag Deadline and Official 2023 NFL Draft Preparations
March 7th: At 4 p.m., teams must decide if they are using the 2023 Franchise tag.
Also on this date, teams can attend college pro days hosted by the institution, but they cannot practice or have any activities with any players outside of the scheduled activities. However, teams can have private dinners, meetings or interviews during this time
It’s a huge day, as teams can also begin their official top-30 visits for non-local players, and can schedule three video or telephone interviews, lasting no longer than one hour per player. The virtual meetings can go on until April 26th, while the top-30 visits go until April 19th.
Official top-30 visits are reported to the league, and typically have physicals, tours of the facilities, and interviews. Each team is allowed a maximum of 30 of these, and all must be reported to the league.
It is against NFL rules to have more than 30 official visits with draft eligible players. During these visits it is also prohibited for teams to have any on field workouts, or facility workouts/tryouts.
Free Agent Negotiating Period and insight into trades.
March 13 – 15th: Teams can contact and enter into negotiations with certified agents of players with contracts that will expire at 4 p.m. on March 15th (free agents). Front office members can negotiate with players, but coaches and staff are not permitted to be in these negotiations.
Typically, during this period, deals are already in place and become official on March 15th, which is why we will likely see a free agent frenzy for the first few days of reports that sound like the player signed, which is 99% the case. But those transactions don’t become official until March 15th.
Regarding trades, those can happen at any time between two teams out of the playoffs—or between any team, on February 13th (day after the Super Bowl). But they are not official until March 15th, and are simply “in agreement”.
Start of new league year
March 15th: At 4 p.m. ET is the official start of the 2023 NFL new league year. This time of the year is often chaotic, with multiple different pieces of the NFL offseason now becoming official. Here is a look at what occurs with the start of the year:
- Clubs must exercise All 2023 options on players with clauses in their 2022 contracts.
- Clubs must submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents to retain right of first refusal and compensation. If not, players like Yodny Cajuste and Myles Bryant would become unrestricted free agents.
- Teams must submit minimum salary tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to players with less than three accrued seasons of free agency credit that are on expiring 2022 contracts by 4 p.m.
- Top-51 accounting rule goes into effect. All teams must be cap compliant by 4 p.m. ET.
- All 2022 contracts expire at 4 p.m.
- Trades and free agents can be made official. Trades will be official when announced until trade deadline at this point.
June 2 cut designations
March 15th: Clubs can designate up to two players that if released/cut on or before June 1 and not renegotiated after January 9th shall be treated as June 2 cuts/releases.
Teams typically do this to help circumvent the cap and dead money if they plan on releasing someone.
If the Patriots release Jonnu Smith before June 2 the dead money would be $19.06M. They would receive a credit on their 2024 cap for any cash he receives in 2023. The maximum credit amount is $6.25M. https://t.co/rVp1gxCeON
— Miguel Benzan Patriots Cap Space Equals 34,067,070 (@patscap) January 7, 2023
Offseason workout programs begin
April 3rd: Teams that hired a new head coach after the end of 2022, can start offseason workout programs, whereas teams with returning coaches, like the Patriots, can start on April 17th.
Restricted free agent offer sheet deadline
April 21: RFAs (restricted free agents) like Myles Bryant and Yodny Cajuste are required to sign their offer sheets.
Five days later, on April 26th, the club who the offer sheet is with will have their chance to exercise the right of first refusal to any offers, or receive compensation, if they wish to decline to match contract.
NFL Draft
April 27: The NFL draft is here, and the Patriots are anticipated to have the following draft selections based on compensatory forecasts:
- Round 1: 14th
- Round 2: 46th
- Round 3: 77th (via Carolina)
- Round 4: TBD (via Los Angeles)
- Round 4: TBD
- Round 4: TBD (compensatory)
- Round 6: TBD (via Las Vegas)
- Round 6: TBD (via Carolina)
- Round 6: TBD
- Round 6: TBD (compensatory)
- Round 7: TBD (compensatory)
Round 1 of the NFL draft is held on April 27th
Round 2 and 3 is held on April 28th
Rounds 4 through 7 are held on April 29th
May 1 Tender and 5th year option for 2020 NFL Draft Class
May 1st: This date marks the deadline for “prior club” to send a May 1st tender to unsigned, unrestricted free agents. If they remain unsigned by July 22 or the first day of camp, they can negotiate or sign a contract until the 10th weekend of the season with their prior club only.
May 1st is also the day that fifth-year options for the first-round selections from the 2020 draft class must be exercised by 4 p.m. ET.
The Patriots, did not select a player in the first round in 2020, but have three players as mentioned before that might be up for contract extensions.
Rookie development and training camp
May 5-8 or May 12-15: These dates can be designated by the club to host a three-day post draft rookie minicamp. These are mandatory, and the team elects when to host these.
On May 15th, teams can begin their rookie football development programs for their new Draft selections.
Training camp typically starts in July, but as of now, it is TBD.
