The drive for Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona started yesterday for all 32 NFL teams. Even for the Seattle Seahawks. They had a few hours to enjoy their happy day and then it was back to work for general manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll and all the people that have a hand in building the Seahawks. They actually have quite a bit of work ahead of them. Michael Bennett, Golden Tate, Walter Thurmond, Brandon Browner, Breno Giacomini are among 18 soon to be unrestricted free agents. They don't have much room on the cap. Franchise cornerstones Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman are in line for significant contracts. Russell Wilson is fast approaching a raise. Building a champion is a difficult task. Keeping that team together might be as difficult.
The new league year, officially, begins March 11. The NFL waiver system started yesterday. Teams can start trimming players that no longer fit into their plans. Some might be waived so that teams can avoid paying particular bonuses. February 17 is the first day that teams can designate Franchise or Transition players. The Scouting Combine kicks off February 19. Some might think of the Scouting Combine as the start of the draft evaluation process. It's certainly a significant part of the draft evaluations but teams have been preparing for the draft for a while now. March 11 is when the obvious action really starts. That's when free agency begins. This will be the second year that teams will be allowed to talk to the agents of players, and even begin contract negotiations three days prior to the start of free agency. March 8, they can talk. March 11, a player can sign a contract with a new team. I still think that this three-day period to talk is more of a nuisance than anything that is the least bit necessary. But, that's just me. The first week or so of free agency is when we get most of the "action" of the offseason. Then, it tapers off until the draft. This year, the draft is pushed into the month of May. May 8-10, to be exact. That's a long wait. The draft has been the highlight of the offseason for as long as the NFL has held the draft during the offseason. Its' a grand event.
There's a couple of significant dates between the excitement of free agency and the euphoria of the draft:
March 23-26: Owner's meeting
April 7: Teams with new head coaches may begin offseason workouts
April 21: Teams with returning head coaches may begin offseason workouts
By the time that the last pick of the 2014 NFL Draft is made, there's only about two months before training camps open. That, of course, means that the 2014 NFL Season is right around the corner.
The NFL never sleeps.
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