The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone. So what should fans look forward to next this offseason?
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NFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers
The first step in acclimating rookies, whether draft picks, undrafted free agents, to life in the NFL. They’ll get playbooks, take part in non-contact on-field walkthroughs, and learn what to expect from their franchises and life in the NFL.
We already know each team’s opponents for the 2026 regular season, home and away, and the NFL has already revealed certain aspects of the schedule. For instance, the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks will kick off the season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to help accommodate the 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The NFL hasn’t announced the date or time for its full schedule release special, though based on recent history it’ll likely be Wednesday, May 13 or Thursday May 14.
Either way, the league likes to leak certain matchups throughout the week, whether holiday games or international games, so start looking out for reveals on Monday, May 11.
The annual May meeting will take place in Orlando, Fl., and team owners will come together to discuss rule proposals and other items.
Not much technically happens on June 1, but NFL teams are allowed to release (like Tua Tagovailoa) or trade (like A.J. Brown?) players with a post-June 1 designation, which helps them split the cap charges resulting from the transactions across the current upcoming season and the next.
In the case of released players, it helps them accelerate the process of finding a new team to sign with, rather than being left hanging in the wind for months.
The date of June 1 itself is a little arbitrary, though it does mark a neat-ish line of demarcation between the draft/free agency and the start of training camp.
This is the deadline for players who’ve been tagged to sign a multiyear contract or extension with their teams. After this date, the player may only sign a one-year contract and play out the 2026 season, without the eligibility for extension until after the regular season.
This year, three players received the franchise tag, including Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, Jets running back Breece Hall and Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts has reportedly signed his tag (which doesn’t preclude him from further negotiating an extension) and attended team workouts, while Hall is expected to work with the Jets toward a contract resolution in the coming weeks.
As for Pickens? Well, it was reported last week that he would sign his tag and play out the 2026 season without a long-term deal, which the Cowboys don’t want to give him at this time. But Pickens apparently still hasn’t signed.
OTAs: May 26-27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 15-16, June 18
OTAs: May 26-27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 15-18
OTAs: May 18-19, May 21, May 26-27, May 29, June 8-9, June 11
OTAs: May 27-28, June 1, June 3-4, June 8, June 10-11
OTAs: May 18-19, May 21, May 26-27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4
OTAs: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11