What's Ahead in April (and the Rest of the Offseason) for the New-Look Dolphins

The first wave of free agency is done and so are the NFL owners meetings, but the NFL fun never stops. And, just like that, we're less than a week away from the start of the Miami Dolphins offseason program.

The Dolphins will be getting an earlier-than-usual start for that offseason program because they have a new head coach with Jeff Hafley, and that will kick off Tuesday when players oficially gather as a team for the first time since the end of last season.

This coming month features two other significant dates on the offseason calendar, the start of the offseason program and, of course, the 2026 NFL draft.

Here's the rundown of the official 2026 NFL offseason calendar from April onward. Miami Dolphins items of notes indicated.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE IMPORTANT 2026 OFFSEASON DATES

Dates Subject to change

APRIL 2026

April 6 — Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2025 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.

April 15 — Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility.

April 17 — Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.

April 20 — Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 22 — Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets. Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls) or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location. In regards to the RFA offer sheets, the Dolphins did not extend qualifying offers to any of their RFAs, so this deadline will not apply to them.

April 23-25 — NFL Draft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Dolphins currently are scheduled to have 11 picks in the 2026 draft after the trade of Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos.

MAY 2026

May 1 — Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft. The Dolphins did not have a first-round pick in 2023.

May 1-4 or May 8-11 — Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft. The Dolphins have gone with the second weekend after the draft the past four years, but that was under former head coach Mike McDaniel and it's not known whether new head coach Jeff Hafley will prefer having it the weekend after the draft.

May 11 — Rookie Football Development Programs begin

May 13-17 — NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Los Angeles, California

May 19-20 — Spring League Meeting, Orlando, Florida

JUNE 2026

June 1 — Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned restricted free agents who received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision.

June 15 — Deadline for club to withdraw higher qualifying offer to restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting lower “June 15 Tender” of one-year contract at 110 percent of the player’s prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged).

Late June — Rookie Readiness Program to be held at individual clubs

JULY 2026

July 15 — At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2026 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.

Mid-July — Clubs are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies (defined as a player who has never signed an NFL player contract with a club in a prior league year) beginning seven days prior to the club’s mandatory reporting date for veteran players.
-- Clubs may require first-year players (defined as a player who signed a player contract with any NFL club in a prior league year, but who does not have a pension-credited season) to report on the designated reporting date for all rookies, or at any time thereafter, including, but not limited to, the designated reporting date for veteran quarterbacks and injured players, or the designated reporting date for all other veteran players.
-- Veteran quarterbacks and “injured players” (as defined in CBA Article 21, Section 6) may be required to report to the club’s preseason training camp no earlier than five days immediately prior to the mandatory reporting date for all other veteran players, provided the club has already opened (or simultaneously opens) its official preseason training camp for all rookies.

At 4:00 p.m. ET, on July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp whichever is later) signing period ends for unrestricted free agents to whom a “UFA Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 4:00 p.m. ET, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.