Key Dates and Deadline for the Atlanta Falcons 2026 Offseason

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have reached the 2026 offseason, but there will be no days off for a team that flipped its front office and coaching staff around.

Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ new president of football, will lead a team featuring several new faces in the organization, headlined by a new general manager. These personnel teams will be hard at work looking to put together a team capable of snapping a dreadful eight-year playoff drought.

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There will be several major decisions to make, with extensions, free agency, the NFL Combine, franchise-tagging, and the NFL Draft looming large over the entire league. The decisions made over the next few weeks will go a long way in determining if the Falcons and the new staff, led by Kevin Stefanski, can achieve the goals that have eluded them.

The 2026 NFL offseason will ramp up in the coming weeks, but it will take off soon after that. See below for the most important dates to keep in mind as the milestones come and go.

JANUARY

January 27th: East-West Shrine Bowl (Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX)
January 27th – January 29th: Senior Bowl practices
January 31st: Senior Bowl (Whitney Hancock Stadium in Mobile, AL)

FEBRUARY

February 3rd: Pro Bowl Games (Verizon, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA)
February 8th: Super Bowl (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA)
February 17th – March 3rd: Teams may designate players to receive the franchise or transition tag
February 23rd – March 2nd: NFL Scouting Combine (Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)

MARCH

March 3rd: Deadline to use the franchise or transition tag on a player (4 p.m. ET)
March 9th – March 11th: The early negotiation period ahead of free agency, but no contract can be official until 4 p.m. ET on March 11th
March 11th: The new league year officially begins at 4 p.m. ET. At this point, any contracts set to end in 2025 will officially expire. Teams will be allowed to sign free agents and engage in trades.
March 29th – April 1st: The annual NFL league meeting (held in Phoenix, AZ)

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APRIL

April 6th: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the 2025 regular season may begin offseason workout programs. This would include the Falcons after they hired Kevin Stefanski this offseason
April 15th: Deadline for an NFL team to host a draft-eligible player at its facility for testing, medical evaluations, and interviews
April 17th: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign an offer sheet with a team
April 20th: Clubs with a returning head coach may begin offseason workout programs.
April 22nd: Deadline for a team to exercise its right of first refusal for a restricted free agent who has signed an offer sheet + deadline for NFL teams to conduct testing, medical evaluations, and interviews (including phone and video) with a draft-eligible player at any location.
April 23rd - 25th: The 2026 NFL Draft (held in Pittsburgh, PA)

MAY

May 1st: Deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year option on players selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. This would include Falcons wide receiver Drake London.
May 1st – 4th or May 8th – 11th: The first weekend during which teams can hold a three-day rookie minicamp following the NFL Draft. Teams are allowed to host a camp from Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday on one of the two weekends immediately following the draft.
May 19th – 20th: Spring league meeting (held in Orlando, FL)

JUNE

June 1st: 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 for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision.
June 15h: Deadline for club to withdraw higher qualifying offer to restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights
Late June: ‘Rookie Readiness Program’ to be held at individual clubs.

JULY

July 15th: Franchise tag deadline – If no multi-year contract agreement or extension is reached, the player can receive only a one-year contract that cannot be extended until after the 2026 regular season.
Mid-July: Training Camp Begins
July 22nd: The signing period ends for unrestricted free agents who received a UFA Tender by their 2025 club at 4:00 p.m.