NFL Reveals 5 Dates Every Cardinals Fan Should Have Circled

This week, the NFL revealed some key dates in the future for the Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the league.

We've already known prior important dates from the regular season schedule to when Arizona will report to training camp, though we gained some clarity on some dates that could shape the future of the Cardinals:

Some key upcoming dates on the NFL calendar:

🏈Sunday, Aug. 30 - cutdown day with all rosters required to be at 53 players
🏈Tuesday, Nov. 10 - trade deadline
🏈Sunday, Feb. 14 - Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.
🏈Monday, March 1-March 8 - Scouting combine in Indy.
🏈Tuesday,… pic.twitter.com/YHSG9cja94
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 7, 2026

August 30: Roster Cut-Down Day

The Cardinals will be tasked with trimming their roster down to 53 players ahead of the regular season, which is about half of where Arizona's roster currently is. Training camp and preseason will be used to help determine who stays and who goes entering Mike LaFleur's first regular season as head coach.

While stars such as Trey McBride and Budda Baker have their spots sealed, players on the fringe of being cut (also known as bubble players) will look for every and any way to make themselves valuable enough to avoid being waived, where many either find a new team or rejoin the practice squad.

We listed three players who are on the chopping block ahead of camp, you can read more about that here.

November 10: Trade Deadline

Arizona, if expectations come to fruition, will again be in the basement of league standings halfway through the season (in this instance, the Tuesday after Week 9). The Cardinals could very well be sellers with hopes of potentially acquiring future draft capital.

All eyes are on Josh Sweat, who reportedly requested a trade earlier this offseason. The star pass rusher could fetch a Day 2 pick to help a team looking to solidify a Super Bowl push.

Don't rule out Jacoby Brissett either, as some general managers believe the Cardinals may look to offload him to clear space for rookie quarterback Carson Beck.

March 1: NFL Scouting Combine

There's no doubting how big the 2027 draft will be for Arizona, especially if they enter next offseason with intentions of grabbing their next franchise quarterback.

While the work on prospects and scouting reports will be practically concrete by now, the combine is Arizona's prime opportunity to meet face to face with players in meetings, compare on-field testing to tape and perhaps most importantly evaluate players with their own medical teams.

March 9: Free Agency Begins

The combine ends on March 8, prompting just one day before free agency frenzy begins.

This could be a massive time for the Cardinals, as they have a league-leading $119 million in projected cap space next offseason. Of course, this number will dwindle if/when extensions for Paris Johnson Jr. or Michael Wilson get finalized, though the Cardinals are still set to have massive spending power.

April 29: NFL Draft

This is where NFL teams build their foundation for the future, and 2027 could have the golden key to Arizona turning their fortunes around.

The Cardinals have all of their original draft picks but will still find themselves in high competition for a top pick next offseason. Whether it be a quarterback, tackle, edge rusher or whatever else, Arizona could find themselves in a spot to take a franchise-altering player.

After LaFleur's first season where he's able to lay the foundation for the future, 2027's draft lingers as the biggest one in recent memory.

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