The road to the 2026 NFL season begins long before kickoff. Over the next several months, the San Francisco 49ers will navigate free agency, the draft, and other key offseason milestones as they work to build out their roster.
As the league moves through its annual offseason calendar, each deadline presents an opportunity to set the foundation for the season ahead. From contract negotiations to player acquisitions, this stretch will help shape how the roster comes together for 2026.
Below is a look at some of the key dates and deadlines on the NFL offseason calendar. Per the league, all dates and times are subject to change:
February 17: Beginning this date through 1:00 p.m. PT on March 3, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.
February 23-March 2: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.
March 3: Prior to 4:00 p.m. ET, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 9-11: From March 9 at 9:00 a.m. PT through March 11 at 12:59 p.m. PT, NFL teams can negotiate with the agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents when their contracts expire at 1:00 p.m. PT on March 12. Unrepresented players may negotiate directly with a team’s front office (excluding coaches), but no free agent can officially sign a contract with a new team until 1:00 p.m. PT on March 11.
March 11: The 2026 League Year and free agency signing period begin at 1:00 p.m. PT. Trading period for 2026 begins at 1:00 p.m. PT, after expiration of all 2025 contracts.
March 29-April 1: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.
April 15: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview, or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility.
April 17: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 20: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 22: Deadline for prior club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets. Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls) or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.
April 23-25: NFL Draft, Pittsburgh, Pa.
May 1: Deadline for clubs to exercise fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft.
May 1-4 or May 8-11: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.
May 11: Rookie Football Development Programs begin.
May 13-17: NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Los Angeles, Cali.
May 19-20: Spring League Meeting, Orlando, Fla.
June 1: Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned restricted free agents who received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision.
June 15: Deadline for club to withdraw higher qualifying offer to restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting lower “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).
July 15: At 1:00 p.m. PT, 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 2026 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.
Mid-July: NFL teams can open training camp for rookies up to seven days before veterans are required to report. Rookies are players who have never signed an NFL contract before. First-year players (those who signed an NFL contract last season but don’t yet have a pension-credited year) can be required to report with rookies or at a later team-designated date, including veteran reporting days. Veteran quarterbacks and injured players may be required to report up to five days before all other veterans, as long as the team has already opened rookie training camp. At 1:00 p.m. PT, the signing period for Transition Players with outstanding tenders ends. From that point until 1:00 p.m. PT on the Tuesday after Week 10, the player’s prior team holds exclusive negotiating rights.
July 22: At 1:00 p.m. PT, on July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp whichever is later) signing period ends for unrestricted free agents to whom a “UFA Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 1:00 p.m. PT, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.