Cardinals Have 2 Unique Offseason Advantages Over Other NFL Teams

The Arizona Cardinals can get a head start on their workouts.

Mar 30, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals, thanks to hiring a new head coach, will have a bit of a head start in terms of their offseason prep for the 2026 season.

NFL teams who hire a new coach are permitted to start their offseason workouts two weeks before other organizations. The Cardinals, after hiring Mike LaFleur, qualify for this and will get to work right away on April 7, when their strength and conditioning program can begin.

"I mean, we get extra days. For year one, we'll be smart with that. But per the rules that we get, we'll have these guys in and we'll get ready for that preseason game zero," LaFleur said at the NFL's owners meetings this week.

Arizona, who is participating in the NFL's Hall of Fame game to begin preseason festivities, also will begin training camp earlier as a result.

In the first year of LaFleur's tenure, where install is the biggest goal above anything to lay the groundwork moving forward, the early starts will be crucial.

It's been a whirlwind of a time for LaFleur, who was one of the final hires of this coaching cycle and quickly was tasked with assembling a staff, moving to Arizona from Los Angeles and preparing for free agency and draft festivities all within a short window of time.

"Truthfully, just getting the staff together was huge. It's a long process. It was a fun process. It was great to meet a lot of different people and get their perspective on some stuff. But once you got that done, then you could kind of hunker down a little bit and get into the into the ball aspect, because that's important too, obviously," LaFleur continued.

"I tell the staff, like, we don't need everything in right now. It's March 30. We just need to be ahead of these players. We're working to finish up on both sides and special teams, our scheme and all that kind of stuff. Got into my house this last week. So that at least gives a sense of normalcy with seeing my kids, at least at night, and putting my head on my own pillow for the first time in a while. So it's been nice."

Voluntary veteran mini-camp begins for the Cardinals on April 21. Rookie mini-camp will kick off on May 8. Offseason team activities in Arizona start on May 18 while mini-camp begins on June 8.