Jan. 5-6: Wild-card playoffs
Jan. 6: Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that have byes in the wild-card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the weekend.
Jan. 12-13: Divisional playoffs
Jan. 13: Assistant coaches under contract to playoff clubs that won their Wild Card games may be interviewed for head coaching positions through the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games.
Jan. 14: Deadline for underclass college players to apply for the draft.
Jan. 19: East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jan. 19: NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Jan. 20: AFC and NFC Championship Games.
Jan. 26: Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
Jan. 27: Pro Bowl, Camping World Stadium, Orlando.
Jan. 27: An assistant coach whose team is participating in the Super Bowl, who has previously interviewed for another club’s head coaching job, may have a second interview with such club no later than the Sunday preceding the Super Bowl.
Jan. 31: Deadline for NFL clubs to try out and negotiate with CFL players who are entering option years in 2019, or whose 2018 contracts are due to expire at 9 a.m. Feb. 12.
Feb. 3: Super Bowl LIII, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
Feb. 4: Waiver system begins for 2019.
Feb. 12: Beginning at 9 a.m. PT, NFL clubs may sign players whose 2019 CFL contracts have expired. Players under contract to a CFL club for the 2019 season or who have an option for the 2019 season are not eligible to be signed.
Feb. 19: First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
Feb. 26-March 4: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 5: Deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players (1 p.m. PT).
March 11-13: Clubs are permitted to contact and negotiate with agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents on March 13.
March 13: Clubs must exercise options for 2019 on all players who have option clauses in their 2018 contracts (1 p.m. PT). Clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents and minimum salary tenders to exclusive free agents. … All clubs must be under the Salary Cap by 1 p.m. PT. … All 2018 contracts will expire at 1 p.m. The 2019 league year and free agency period begin at 1 p.m. … Trading period begins.
March 24-27: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.
April 1: Clubs that hired new coaches after 2018 may begin offseason workout programs.
April 15: Clubs with returning coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 19: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets.
April 25-27: 2019 NFL Draft, Nashville.
May 3: Deadline to exercise fifth-year option for 2016 first-rounders.
May 3-6: Clubs may hold three-day rookie minicamp.
May 7: Deadline for prior club to send “May 7 Tender” to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a 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 season only with his prior club.
May 10-13: Clubs may elect to hold three-day rookie minicamp.
May 13: Rookie Football Development Programs begin.
May 16-19: NFLPA Rookie Premiere. Invited rookies (typically, first and/or second-round selections) must be permitted by their respective clubs to attend. Such players are unavailable for offseason workouts, OTA days and minicamps during this period.
May 20-22: Spring League Meeting, Key Biscayne, Fla.
June 2: For any player removed from the club’s roster or whose contract is assigned via waivers or trade on or after June 2, any unamortized signing bonus amounts for future years will be included fully in team salary at the start of the 2020 league year.
June 3: Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned Restricted Free Agents who received qualifying offers for right of first refusal only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “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).
Late June: Rookie Transition Program to be held at individual clubs. Attendance is mandatory for all rookies.
July 15: 1 p.m. deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2019 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular-season game.
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 rejoin the roster after that date may practice (including wearing pads) and play immediately after passing a physical.
July 22: Signing period ends for Unrestricted Free Agents to whom a “May 7 Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 1 p.m. on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.
Aug. 1: Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio.
Aug. 6: Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an accrued season for free agency. … If a drafted rookie has not signed with his club by this date, he cannot be traded to any other club in 2019, and may sign a player contract only with the drafting club until the day of the Draft
in the 2020 league year.
Aug. 31: By 1 p.m., clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the
Active/Inactive List. Simultaneously with the cutdown to 53, clubs that have players in the categories of Active/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must select one of the following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/NonFootball Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; trade
contract; or continue to count the player on the Active List.
Sept. 1: Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 9 a.m. … Clubs may establish a practice squad of 10 players (clubs participating in the International Player Development Program may sign one additional international player to a Practice Player Contract.) No club, including the player’s prior club, will be permitted to sign a player to a practice player contract until all clubs have received simultaneous notification via the above Personnel Notice that such player’s prior NFL player contract has been terminated via the waiver system.
Sept. 4: At 9 p.m., the Top 51 Rule expires.
Sept. 5: Season begins