2016 Workout Schedule

NFL teams typically start preparing for the next season as soon as the last one ends. Even the Super Bowl champ has little time to celebrate and reminisce on a great season. The work starts all over again. Mrs. Flicker is always telling me that "there is no offseason in football." Teams have been adding and subtracting from their roster for a couple of months. The teams with new head coaches will be able to do a bit more than that starting tomorrow. Players from the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers will be allowed back in the team facilities for offseason workouts. The Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers can start tomorrow but are waiting a week to start. All the other teams, except the Carolina Panthers, have to wait until April 18 to kick off their offseason workouts. The Panthers have so little work to do that they have chosen to wait until the week of the NFL Draft to start. Here are the offseason workout schedules for each of the 32 teams. All dates are tentative and subject to change. Often changed by NFL head coaches at a moments notice depending on their mood.

Arizona Cardinals

Report: April 18; Organized Team Activities Offseason Workouts: May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31, June 1-3; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Atlanta Falcons

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, May 31, June 1, June 3, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Baltimore Ravens

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, June 1-3, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Buffalo Bills

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, May 31, June 1, June 3, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Carolina Panthers

Report: April 25; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Chicago Bears

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, June 1-3, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Cincinnati Bengals

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Cleveland Browns

Report: April 4; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2; Voluntary Minicamp: April 19-22; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Dallas Cowboys

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-8, Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Denver Broncos

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 13-16; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Detroit Lions

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Green Bay Packers

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Houston Texans

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-7, June 9-10; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Indianapolis Colts

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31, June 1-3; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Jacksonville Jaguars

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 31, June 2-3, June 6-7, June 9-10; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Kansas City Chiefs

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 7-10; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Los Angeles Rams

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 31, June 1, June 3, June 7-8, June 10; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Miami Dolphins

Report: April 11; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Voluntary Minicamp: April 26-28; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Minnesota Vikings

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

New England Patriots

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, June 1-2, June 13-14, June 16; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

New Orleans Saints

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

New York Giants

Report: April 11; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, June 1-3, June 6-7, June 9-10; Voluntary Minicamp: April 26-28; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

New York Jets

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Oakland Raiders

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9, Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Philadelphia Eagles

Report: April 4; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31, June 1-3; Voluntary Minicamp: April 19-21; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Pittsburgh Steelers

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

San Diego Chargers

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-25, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

San Francisco 49ers

Report: April 4; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2; Voluntary Minicamp: April 26-28; Mandatory Minicamp: June 7-9

Seattle Seahawks

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, May 31, June 1, June 3, June 6-7, June 9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Report: April 11; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Voluntary Minicamp: April 26-28; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Tennessee Titans

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, May 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Washington Redskins

Report: April 18; OTA Offseason Workouts: May 24-26, may 31, June 1-2, June 6-9; Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16

Not only do the six teams with new head coaches get to start the offseason workouts a couple weeks early they also get an extra voluntary minicamp. They get to hold that minicamp right before the draft. The Tennessee Titans also have a new head coach but the NFL doesn't see it that way. Mike Mularkey was the Titans interim head coach for the final nine games last season. He had interim label knocked his title after the season. It hardly seems fair that he's not considered a new head coach. It's his first offseason in the role. It's the first offseason in his system. One could say that new Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter and new Giants head coach Ben McAdoo have as much familiarity with their teams as Mularkey does with his seeing as they were the offensive coordinator of the teams that they now lead. All three are going into their first offseason as the head coach of their team. Mularkey should get the same considerations as the six other new head coaches.

Here's a little breakdown from the NFL's website of what the players can and can't do during these offseason workouts:

As per Article 21 of the collective bargaining agreement, each club's official, voluntary nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases:

Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual player instruction and drills as well as team practice conducted on a "separates" basis. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.

Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or "OTAs". No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

Players can't even touch a football at the team facilities until Phase Two. And even then they can't have a player opposing them. That comes in Phase Three.

There are also some additional workouts allowed for the rookies. But they can't work on weekends. This is, of course, an exception to the weekend rule for the Rookie Minicamp held a week after the draft.

The 2016 NFL season is creeping closer.