Nov 10, 2026
Trade deadline
Trading closes at 4 p.m. ET, concentrating contender upgrades and future-asset deals into one major deadline.
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League Cycle2026-27
NFL League Year Calendar
Follow the 2026-27 NFL cycle from training camp and kickoff through the playoffs, free agency, the Combine, Draft and spring programs.
Current phase
Regular season
The 18-week, 17-game regular season, with the trade deadline as its major roster milestone.
As of 2026-10-15 (New York time)
Next milestone
Nov 10, 2026
Trade deadline
In 26 daysExplore the calendar
Select a marked date to reveal its events.
November 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
2026-11-10
Season cycle
01Past
Camp build-up and roster shaping
02Past
Preseason and final roster decisions
03Now
Regular season
04
Playoffs
05
Free-agency preparation and Combine
06
New league year and free agency
07
Draft and spring programs
Current and upcoming key dates
Completed events move automatically to the archive at the bottom of the page.
November 2026
Nov 10, 2026
Trade deadline
Trading closes at 4 p.m. ET, concentrating contender upgrades and future-asset deals into one major deadline.
January 2027
Jan 9, 2027 – Jan 10
Week 18 and regular-season finale
Division titles, playoff seeds and the final postseason berths are settled in the regular-season finale.
Jan 16, 2027 – Jan 31
NFL Playoffs
Wild Card Weekend is Jan. 16-18, the Divisional Round Jan. 23-24, and the conference championships Jan. 31.
February 2027
Feb 14, 2027
Super Bowl LXI
The 2026 season champion is crowned at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Feb 17, 2027 – Mar 3
Franchise and Transition tag window
Clubs may retain negotiating control over key expiring players by applying a Franchise or Transition tag.
March 2027
Mar 1, 2027 – Mar 8
NFL Scouting Combine
Prospects complete measurements, medical checks, interviews and field drills in Indianapolis as draft boards take shape.
Mar 9, 2027 – Mar 11
Free-agent negotiation period (“legal tampering”)
Commonly called the “legal tampering” period, this window opens at noon ET on March 9. Clubs may negotiate with agents for prospective UFAs, but deals cannot be executed before 4 p.m. ET on March 11.
Mar 11, 2027
New league year, free agency and trading open
At 4 p.m. ET, the 2027 league year, free-agent signing period and trading period officially begin.
April 2027
Apr 5, 2027 – Apr 19
Offseason workout programs begin
Clubs with new head coaches may begin April 5; clubs with returning head coaches may begin April 19.
Apr 29, 2027 – May 1
2027 NFL Draft
The seven-round Draft takes place in Washington, D.C., with selections shaped by standings, trades and compensatory picks.
May 2027
May 2, 2027
Fifth-year option exercise deadline
The final day for clubs to exercise 2028 fifth-year options on 2024 first-round picks. Once exercised, the fifth-year salary becomes fully guaranteed.
CBA deadline: before May 3 (final calendar day: May 2)
May 17, 2027
Rookie Football Development Programs begin
Draft picks and undrafted rookies begin adapting to professional practices, facilities and off-field expectations.
May 25, 2027 – Jun 30
Spring League Meeting and OTA period
The Spring League Meeting is May 25-26. Club-specific OTAs and mandatory minicamps continue through May and June ahead of camp.
Completed events archive
9 completed events. Expand to review details and links.
Completed events archive
9 completed events. Expand to review details and links.
July 2026
Jul 15, 2026
Franchise Player extension deadline
By 4 p.m. ET, clubs must complete multi-year deals with designated players. All four 2026 tag recipients have signed their tenders; Pitts, Hall and Jones subsequently completed extensions, leaving only Pickens without a long-term deal.
Jul 22, 2026 – Jul 28
Training camp report window
Veterans begin reporting on July 22, with all 32 clubs in camp by July 28. Rookies may report up to seven days before their club’s veteran date.
August 2026
Aug 6, 2026
Hall of Fame Game
The Panthers and Cardinals open the preseason in Canton, giving young players and roster hopefuls their first live evaluation.
Aug 13, 2026 – Aug 15
Preseason Week 1
Games run Aug. 13-15 in the United States. Playing time centers on rookies, depth players and the first major roster battles. ESPN lists each kickoff in ET.
U.S. local dates. ESPN counts the Hall of Fame Game as Week 1, so this schedule is listed under week/2.
Aug 20, 2026 – Aug 23
Preseason Week 2
Games run Aug. 20-23 in the United States. For many clubs this is the clearest dress rehearsal for opening-week roles. ESPN lists each kickoff in ET.
U.S. local dates. ESPN lists this slate under week/3.
Aug 27, 2026 – Aug 29
Preseason Week 3
The final games run Aug. 27-29 in the United States and provide the last audition for 53-player roster and practice-squad spots. ESPN lists each kickoff in ET.
U.S. local dates. ESPN lists this slate under week/4.
Aug 30, 2026
53-player roster cutdown
By 6 p.m. ET, clubs reduce their Active/Inactive Lists to 53 players and make accompanying reserve-list decisions.
Aug 31, 2026
Waiver claims and practice squads
Final-cutdown waiver claims expire at 1 p.m. ET. Clubs may then form 17-player practice squads when one qualifying international player is included.
September 2026
Sep 9, 2026 – Sep 14
Kickoff Weekend
The season opens with Seahawks-Patriots on Sept. 9, followed by 49ers-Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10 and the full kickoff slate.
Sources and updates
This guide uses the NFL Important Dates calendar and ESPN’s official game schedule. Dates follow the local venue calendar; league deadlines use New York time, and timed events carry an explicit zone such as ET. Club-specific dates such as OTAs are summarized when no league-wide date applies.
- NFL.com — 2026-27 National Football League important dates ↗
- NFL.com — 2026 NFL training camp report dates and locations ↗
- Yahoo Sports — 2026 training camps and preseason schedule ↗
- ESPN — 2026 NFL schedule ↗
- ESPN — 2026 preseason Week 1 schedule ↗
- ESPN — 2026 preseason Week 2 schedule ↗
- ESPN — 2026 preseason Week 3 schedule ↗
- NFL-NFLPA — Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 7 Section 7 ↗
Last updated: 2026-07-24