Sadly, the football season has come to an official end with the conclusion of Super Bowl LII. But the NFL does a great job of keeping fans engaged during the offseason.
Whether it be the beginning of the free-agent signing period or the NFL draft, fans love to look forward to the upcoming season and how their team might be able to end up in the big game, holding up the Lombardi Trophy.
Every team is 0-0 right now and the next several months will help shape how each team will go into the 2018 campaign. Of course, for coaches and other executives, there really is no offseason. There is always work to be done.
Here, you’ll find an offseason calendar for you to reference back to in order to keep up with key dates prior to the kickoff of the 2018 season.
February 20: Teams are able to hand out franchise or transitional tags to players on their rosters. The Chargers placed the franchise tag on Melvin Ingram last year, but the team doesn’t figure to use a tag on a player this offseason.
February 27-March 5: NFL scouting combine. The traditional event takes place from Lucas Oild Stadium in Indianapolis, giving teams a chance to see the top prospects in the draft in work outs.
March 6: Deadline to apply franchise or transitional tags to players.
March 12-14: Teams are permitted to begin negotiations with players who are unrestricted free agents.
March 14: At 4:00 p.m. ET, the free-agent signing period officially begins. This is also known as the start of the new league year.
March 25-28: Annual league meeting in Orlando, Florida. Perhaps they’ll talk about changing the ridiculous “what is a catch” rule?
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April 20: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 26-28: 2018 NFL draft from Arlington, Texas. The Chargers are currently slated to select at No. 17 in the first round, but their total number of draft picks has yet to be made official.
May 21-23: Spring league meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
July 16: Deadline for any team that designated a franchise player to sign that player to a multi-year contract or extension.
Late July: Training camp opens.
August 2: Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Teams TBD.
August 4: Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will include former Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard.
September 1: Teams must trim rosters to 53 players.
September 6: 2018 NFL kicks off in Philadelphia with the defending champions hosting the first game of the season.