Here is an overview of important NFL dates for the 2024-25 league year. All times are Eastern and all dates are subject to change.
| 2024-25 Important NFL Dates | |
| August | |
| 1-Aug | Hall of Fame Game, Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears (Tom Benson HOF Stadium, Canton, Ohio) |
| August 1-4 | Hall of Fame Weekend (Canton, Ohio) |
| 6-Aug | If a Drafted Rookie has not signed with his club by this date, he cannot be traded to any other club in 2024 and may sign a Player Contract only with the drafting club until the day of the Draft in the 2025 League Year. |
| August 8-11 | First Preseason Weekend |
| August 10-13 | Each Club has until five days prior to its second preseason game to provide any tendered, but unsigned Exclusive Rights Player or Restricted Free Agent with written notice of the club’s intent to place the player on the Exempt List if the player fails to report at least the day before the club’s second preseason game. Such notice must also be sent to the NFLPA. |
| August 15-18 | Second Preseason Weekend |
| August 22-25 | Third Preseason Weekend |
| 27-Aug | Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List. |
| Simultaneously with the roster reduction to 53 players, 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/Non-Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; terminate or request waivers with the designation of Failed Physical or Non- Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; trade contract; or continue to count the player on the Active List. | |
| Clubs are permitted to designate for return a maximum of two players who are placed on an applicable Reserve List during the business day of the final roster reduction. Any such player will immediately count against the club’s number of designations, even if the player does not subsequently return to practice. | |
| Players who are on the Reserve List or Exempt List and are not counting against the 90-player limit will begin to count against the 90-player limit. | |
| 28-Aug | Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 12:00 noon, New York time. |
| Upon receipt of the subsequent Personnel Notice, clubs may establish a Practice Squad of 17 players, as long as one player qualifies as an International Player. 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. | |
| Beginning at 4:00 p.m., New York time, any player placed on Reserve/Injured, Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness, or Practice Squad; Injured during the regular season or postseason, may be designated for return later in the season, subject to the applicable procedures. | |
| September | |
| 1-Sep | Final day of preseason training camp for all clubs, as defined in CBA Article 23, Section 10. |
| September 2-7 | In accordance with the Personnel (Injury) Report Policy, each club is required to file a Practice Report with the NFL Communications department by 4:00 p.m., New York time, (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for a regular season Monday game; Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for a Wednesday game; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for a Thursday game; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a Friday game; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a Saturday game; and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for a Sunday game. |
| Each club must also file a weekly regular season Game Status Report with the NFL Communications department by 4:00 p.m., New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice) on Saturday for a Monday game; Tuesday for a Wednesday game; Wednesday for a Thursday game, Thursday for a Friday game, Thursday for a Saturday game, and Friday for a Sunday game. An update must be reported if there is any change in a player's condition after the initial Game Status Report is filed. | |
| September 5, 6, 8-9 | First Week of Regular Season Games |
| September 6 | NFL International Game at Corinthians Arena (São Paulo, Brazil) Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| September 27, 30, | Beginning on the day after a club’s fourth regular season game (including any bye week), it is permitted to begin practicing players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform and Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness (if the player failed his preseason physical due to a non-football injury or illness) for a period not to exceed 21 days. Players may be activated during the 21-day practice period, or prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the conclusion of the 21-day period. |
| 1-Oct | |
| October | |
| October 6 | NFL International Game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London, United Kingdom) New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| October 13 | NFL International Game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London, United Kingdom) Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears |
| 15-Oct | Deadline for any player claiming the 2024 Injury Protection benefit to file a grievance. |
| October 15-16 | Fall League Meeting (The Whitley, Atlanta, Georgia) |
| October 20 | NFL International Game at Wembley Stadium (London, United Kingdom) New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars |
| November | |
| 5-Nov | All trading ends for 2024 at 4:00 p.m., New York time. |
| 6-Nov | Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons are subject to the waiver system for the remainder of the regular season and postseason. |
| November 10 | NFL International Game at Allianz Arena – Home of FC Bayern Munich (Munich, Germany) New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers |
| 12-Nov | At 4:00 p.m., New York time, signing period ends for Franchise Players who are eligible to receive Offer Sheets. |
| Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for Clubs to sign their unsigned Franchise and Transition Players, including Franchise Players who were eligible to receive Offer Sheets until this date. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2024. | |
| Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for Clubs to sign their Unrestricted Free Agents to whom the “UFA Tender” was made. If still unsigned after this date, such players are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2024. | |
| Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for Clubs to sign their Restricted Free Agents, including those to whom the “June 1 Tender” was made. If such players remain unsigned after this date, they are prohibited from playing in NFL in 2024. | |
| December | |
| December 10-11 | Special League Meeting/Front Office Accelerator (Ritz-Carlton-Las Colinas, Irving, Texas) |
| 2025 | |
| January | |
| 6-Jan | Clubs may begin signing free agent players for the 2025 season, including players from the CFL. |
| Earliest permissible date for clubs to renegotiate or extend the Rookie Contract of a Drafted Rookie who was selected in any round of the 2022 College Draft or any Undrafted Rookie who signed in 2023. Any permissible renegotiated or extended Player Contract will not be considered a Rookie Contract and will not be subject to the rules that limit Rookie Contracts. | |
| Clubs may exercise fifth-year options for players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft. | |
| 8-Jan | Beginning at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Wednesday following the final regular season weekend, rosters are frozen for clubs participating in the postseason with limited exceptions. |
| January 11-13 | Super Wild Card Weekend |
| Mid-January (Tentative) | Deadline for college players who are underclassmen to apply for Special Eligibility. |
| January 18-19 | Divisional Playoff Games |
| 20-Jan | NCAA National Championship Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 26-Jan | AFC & NFC Championship Games |
| 30-Jan | East-West Shrine Bowl |
| February | |
| 1-Feb | Senior Bowl (Hancock-Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama) |
| 2-Feb | Pro Bowl Games |
| 9-Feb | Super Bowl LIX (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana) |
| 18-Feb | Beginning this date through at 4:00 p.m., New York time on March 4, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players. |
| February 24 – March 3 | NFL Scouting Combine (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana) |
| March | |
| 4-Mar | Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players. |
| March 10-12 | Negotiation Period. During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 10 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12, 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 2024 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 12. |
| During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor (“Unrepresented Player”) is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the Head Coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations. The club is responsible for confirming the player’s status as an Unrepresented Player. | |
| No prospective Unrestricted Free Agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 12. | |
| 12-Mar | The 2025 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time. |
| Trading period for 2025. Trading begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2024 contracts. | |
| The first day of the 2025 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12. Clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the league office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12. | |
| March 30-April 2 | Annual League Meeting (The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida) |
| 31-Mar | Deadline for clubs to meet 2025 funding requirements for guaranteed or deferred compensation in NFL Player Contracts and contracts for non-player Club employees. |
| April | |
| 7-Apr | Clubs that hired a new Head Coach after the end of the 2024 regular season may begin offseason workout programs. |
| 16-Apr | Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview, or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility. |
| 18-Apr | Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets. |
| 21-Apr | Clubs with returning Head Coaches may begin offseason workout programs. |
| 23-Apr | 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 24-26 | Annual Selection Meeting/NFL Draft (Green Bay, Wisconsin) |
| May | |
| 1-May | Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft. |
| May 2-5 or | 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 9-12 | |
| 12-May | Rookie Football Development Programs begin. |
| May 20-21 | Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator (Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota) |
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