Chargers Offseason Schedule: Key Dates for Combine, Draft and More

The 2025 NFL regular season is history, and preparation for 2026 is very much underway. What will the Los Angeles Chargers and the other 31 teams be doing over the next few months, and when will they be doing them? Here’s a quick look at some important dates leading up to the NFL draft, and a little beyond.

February 17: Next week, all 32 team can designate a “franchise” or “transition” player starting at 4:00 pm ET. Each club has until March 3 to make the decision. “Each team can apply a franchise or transition tender (‘tag’) to one player schedule to become a free agent, which prevents the player from hitting the open market.” The last time the Chargers used the “franchise” tag was 2020 on tight end Hunter Henry.

NFL Combine — Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers assistant strength and assistant coach Todd Hunt measures flexibility of LSU offensive lineman Miles Frazier (OL15) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

February 23: It’s the annual National Scouting Combine, which takes place at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s a seven-day event in which teams can evaluate the numerous players eligible for the NFL draft. From 40-yard-dash times (including NFL Network’s Rich Eisen’s traditional run), to interviews and more. It’s a time for each organization to get to know each potential draft choice, and also to find out which quarterback won’t be throwing in front of the team’s representatives.

Will Chargers Be Active in Free Agency This Offseason?

March 9-11: It is what’s been referred to as the “legal tampering period.” Teams can contact potential unrestricted free agents and negotiate with those players starting at Noon ET on the ninth and up until 3:59:59 ET on March 11. At 4:00 pm, it’s the start of the 2026 NFL fiscal year. All deals can become official at that time. That also includes trades previously reported.

April 23-25: The NFL’s 91st draft takes place in Pittsburgh, PA. As of this writing, the Chargers have the 22nd overall selection. The exact draft order for the three-day event has yet to be officially finalized as compensatory picks have yet to be announced.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) reacts after making a 60-yard reception against the Houston Texans during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Key Decision Time for Jim Harbaugh's Chargers

May 1: It’s the deadline for the clubs to exercise their fifth-year option for players that were first-round draft choices in 2023. For the Chargers, that means wide receiver Quentin Johnston. The 21st overall pick in ’23 has played in 46 regular-season contests and totaled 144 receptions for 1,877 yards and 18 touchdowns. What decision will general manager Joe Hortiz and the organization make?

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