There are several important dates leading up to the 2019 NFL season, some of those dates have been solidified, others are still being determined, but listed below are the specific dates Detroit Lions fans need to know for the offseason.
Currently — The Lions can decide if they wish to pick up 2016 first round pick Taylor Decker’s 5th-year contract option extending his contract through the 2020 season. They must make this decision by May 2nd.
January 18 — A list of league-approved underclassmen who have declared for the 2019 NFL Draft is distributed to teams.
January 19 — East-West Shrine Game (3:00 ET on NFL Network) and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (5:00 ET on FS1) All-star games are played.
January 26 — Senior Bowl (2:30 ET on NFL Network) is played.
January 27 — 2019 NFL Pro Bowl (8:00 ET on NFL Network) will feature two Lions players, Darius Slay and Don Muhlbach.
February 4 — NFL waiver system begins. Teams will need to have made decisions on their restricted and exclusive rights free agents before the NFL New Year begins.
February 12 — At 12:00 ET, NFL teams are allowed to sign Canadian Football players who have expired contracts.
February 19 — The window opens for NFL teams to designate Franchise or Transition players. The window closes on March 5th at 4:00 ET. Tagged players have until July 15 at 4:00 ET to reach a multi-year contract with their team or they will be restricted to a one-year contract option.
February 26 — NFL Combine begins and invited players arrive at the event.
March 1 — The NFL Combine on-field drills are televised on the NFL Network over the next four days.
March 11 — At 4:00 ET, the legal tampering period begins where NFL teams and certified players agents can have conversations about Unrestricted Free Agents and negotiate contracts — Note: contracts are not final until the NFL new year begins.
March 13 — NFL New Year begins at 4:00 ET. All NFL organizations must meet the Top-51 Rule and be under the designated 2019 NFL Salary Cap.
March 13 — Teams can now begin officially signing Unrestricted Free Agents as the free agency period opens at 4:00 ET.
March 13 — Teams are now eligible to trade players, starting at 4:00 ET.
April 15 — Teams with a returning head coach can now begin offseason workout programs.
April 19 — Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets with another NFL team.
April 25 — Day 1 of the NFL Draft, Round 1.
April 26 — Day 2 of the NFL Draft, Rounds 2 and 3.
April 27 — Day 3 of the NFL Draft, Rounds 4 through 7. After the Draft concludes, teams can begin signing undrafted free agents to contracts.
April — The Alliance of America Football Championship game is scheduled for the weekend of April 26-28 and players who receive an NFL contract offer are eligible to sign with an NFL team after the conclusion of the game/season.
May 3-6 or 10-13 — NFL teams hold their three-day Rookie Mini-Camp during one of these time frames.
Mid-July — teams are eligible to begin Training Camps for rookies and players in their first year with the organization.
Late-July — Training Camps open throughout the league.
August 1 — NFL Hall of Fame game begins the NFL 2019 Pre-season.
August 31 — By 4:00 ET, teams must declare their 53-man rosters.
September 5 — The NFL regular season begins.
