February 20, 2019
Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports
Nick Foles will be very interested in many of the below dates.
As I stared blankly at my laptop for a few hours this morning trying to think of something other than Nick Foles to write about, I took a peek at the NFL calendar, wondering when the next newsy thing on the horizon would be.
Maybe you're wondering the same? Anyway, below is a timeline of what's coming up in the NFL over the next few months, and how those events pertain to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Yesterday: First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players. One day in, the Eagles have not yet franchised Nick Foles.
• February 26 to March 4: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana. I'll be there for three days. The Combine is, of course, a gigantic job interview, where NFL teams will work out players physically and mentally. It is also where the entire NFL world converges for a week, and teams will (illegally, but not really enforced) begin to speak with agents about players on other teams with expiring contracts. This is when the meaty rumors begin to fly.
• March 5: Prior to 4:00 p.m., deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players. Will the Eagles franchise Foles? We'll see.
• March 11-13: Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2018 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., on March 13. This is otherwise known as the "legal tampering" phase of free agency, even though teams have been illegally tampering by now for weeks.
• March 13: Circle this day on your calendar. This is the official start of the new league year, which begins at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Sooooooo, kind of a big day.
• March 24-27: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona. From a media perspective, this is by far the best trip of the year, for those of you who care. Also, this is when compensatory picks are announced for the 2019 NFL Draft, for players lost via free agency during the 2018 offseason. The Eagles are projected to earn a fourth-round comp pick, as well as two sixth-round picks.
• April 1: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2018 regular season may begin offseason workout programs. This obviously does not apply to the Eagles.
• April 15: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
• April 19: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets. Again, Sudfeld.
• Mid-to-late April: Typically when the 2019 NFL schedules are released. You can see the Eagles' 2019 opponents here.
• April 25-27: 2019 NFL Draft, Nashville, Tennessee. The Eagles are currently projected to have 9 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
• May 3-6: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday. Since the Eagles only had five draft picks last year, they didn't even bother with this. We'll see if that changes this year.
• May 10-13: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday. You know, if they don't have it the weekend before.
• July 15: At 4:00 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. If this date is relevant to the Eagles, it is likely a disaster.
• Mid-to-late July: Training camp!
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