Super Bowl 59 is this Sunday, and the Lions are not involved, again.

Us Lions fans have gotten used to this by now, but we just had the best season in Lions history, in more ways than one. There is so much to be happy about, but it was a bitter end to the season. With that being said, lets take a look at the NFL Off-Season. Important dates, events, etc.

COLLEGE ALL STAR GAMES:

This past week we had our College All Star games. Including the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Alabama, and the East-West Shrine Bowl in Texas. These games are huge for NFL prospects. NFL Staffers and media members all pile into these cities for a week.

SUPER BOWL 59: February 9th.

Obviously, the next big NFL event is the Super Bowl. The Chiefs and Eagles will face off this Sunday in New Orleans to see who the best team in the NFL is this season. Game kicks off at 6:30pm EST.

NFL COMBINE: February 24th-March 3rd.

The next big event this off-season is the NFL Combine held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Scouting Combine, as we know, is a place for NFL prospects to show off their athleticism, and interview with teams, in person. I have gone for 2 years in a row. I was able to see Anthony Richardson in person, and I was able to see Xavier Worthy break the 40 yard dash record. It was amazing, and it is free to everyone. This year, we are hoping to have Media Credentials, which would allow us to interview prospects, as well as NFL staffers.

TAGGING PERIOD: March 4th, 4:00PM.

This marks NFL teams ability to re-sign or franchise tag players. Once 4:00pm hits, teams will no longer be allowed to use their designated franchise tags on players.

LEGAL TAMPERING PERIOD: March 10th-12th.

The NFL’s “legal tampering period” opens on March 10th at noon, which makes it officially legal for NFL teams to reach out to free agents. We all know that teams contact players before this, as there are always contracts agreed to by 12:01. Legally, contracts are not allowed to be signed until after 4:00pm on March 12th.

NEW LEAGUE YEAR: March 12th, 4:00PM.

Free Agency opens. The new league year officially begins March 12th at 4:00pm. This is when teams can legally put pen to paper in regards to new contracts. This is the first day of the next season. Signings are official. Trades are open.

ANNUAL LEAGUE MEETING: March 30th-April 2nd.

This marks the annual NFL meeting, held in Palm Beach, Florida. NFL GMs, Head Coaches, and front office staffers get together to discuss potential rule changes and more. This is where you get that fun picture of NFL coaches in Hawaiian shirts.

OFF-SEASON PROGRAMS BEGIN: April 7th.

Only teams with brand new Head Coaches can begin their off-season programs on this date. Think of it as the new coach establishing his programs culture, without having to take away from “real” practices.

DEADLINES: April 16th-23rd.

April 16th: Deadline for teams to do any pre-draft interviews or physicals with prospects at their own facility.

April 18th: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets from their team. If not, they are now unrestricted free agents.

April 21st: NFL teams with returning coaches can begin their off-season program. All NFL teams will have begun their off-season workouts by his date.

April 23rd: Deadline for restricted free agents first right of refusal. This means if the restricted free agent decides to sign an offer sheet with their non-original team, the original team gets the right to match or not match the offer. This is also the deadline to do any pre-draft interviews or physicals with prospects, anywhere.

April 24th-26th: The NFL Draft. The biggest event for the NFL season, not named the super Bowl. The draft is where the future of NFL franchises are made, or broken. Hundreds of prospects put their name in the hat. Only around 256 players hear their name called at all. This year’s draft will be in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Last year it was in Detroit, and I was there. It was an absolute blast. We are hoping to be at this draft as well, but this time with Media Credentials.

We will stop there, for now. As you can see, the NFL Off-Season has many layers and steps to it. To put it simply it goes; Free Agency, The Draft, and then off-season programs. NFL teams are built in the off-season. GMs love to say “once week 1 rolls around, my job is pretty much done, outside of a few moves here or there. It’s mostly just watching the team I built over the off-season.”

Stay tuned for more content. Subscribe to us so you don’t miss any news. The NFL Off-Season is heating up!