Upcoming Key NFL Dates–and What they Mean for the Giants

Although there won’t be any football games to fill our Sundays for the next few months, that doesn’t mean that the NFL is hibernating in training camp.

Here’s a look at the upcoming key dates on the NFL’s offseason calendar and what they mean for the New York Giants.

February 17 to March 3: Franchise/Transition Window Open

New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson is among the Giants' 2026 top impending UFAs. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Of the Giants' 21 impending unrestricted free agents, there are maybe three –receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott–in which a case could be made to use a franchise tag.

But there are several reasons the Giants are unlikely to play tag this year, the biggest being the lack of salary cap space. Per Over the Cap, the Giants have $6.947 million of total cap space and are still in the red at -$3.151 million for effective cap space, which is the space that’s left after the top 51 highest cap figures are compiled.

The Giants are expected to make salary cap-related cuts–running back Devin Singletary ($5.25 million savings), offensive tackle James Hudson III ($5.38 million savings), kicker Graham Gano ($4.5 million savings), and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke ($9 million savings) are all top candidates to have their contracts lopped off the roster.

When you add in the potential cap savings and then look at what the projected franchise tag tenders are for Robinson ($28.824 million), Eluemunor ($27.924 million), and Flott ($21.414 million), it’s safe to say that the Giants won’t be using the franchise tag on any of those three, not at the risk of tying up $21+ million until a new deal is worked out.

February 23 to March 2: NFL Combine, Indianapolis

Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The annual “job fair” for NFL players, or the “Underwear Olympics” as some general managers call the week-long event.

Here is where the path to the draft not only continues, but, with all the certified NFL contract advisors due in town, it’s also an opportunity for general managers to discuss contract matters with agents regarding upcoming free agents and other matters, including the beginnings of trades.

A few years ago, it was at the combine where then-Giants general manager Dave Gettleman put the wheels in motion for a trade that sent defensive end Olivier Vernon and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for a first- and third-round draft pick, guard Kevin Zeitler, and safety Jabrill Peppers.

March 9: NFL Legal Tampering Period

NFL free agency is always an exciting time for fans. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In recent years, since the introduction of the “legal tampering period,” it’s actually replaced the start of free agency, as deals are announced at such a rapid pace (again, many of those deals are thought to begin crystallizing at the combine, if not earlier).

The Giants will be active in free agency. It will be interesting to see how many soon-to-be former members of the Ravens, Chiefs, and Titans they bring over to East Rutherford, as teams with new head coaches and coordinators usually bring a player or two (or three) from their previous stops to their new teams.

The important thing to remember about the “legal tampering period” is that contracts can’t be signed until the start of the new league year. While it doesn’t happen often, sometimes reports of a free agent-to-be agreeing to terms with a team end up not being the case if the player has a change of heart.

March 11: Start of the New League Year

March 11 is the starts of the 2026 NFL league year. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Happy 2026, everyone! On this date, free agents from other teams can officially sign contracts, and the NFL trading period resumes.

Will the Giants, who only have seven draft picks in 2026 and just two in the top 100, look to move a player via trade? The only one who makes any sense is outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, though the Giants wouldn't get a first-round pick in return for him.

But who knows? Perhaps if they were to try to move Thibodeaux, at the very least, they could recoup a third-round pick, which they don’t have due to having sent it to Houston last year, so they could move up in the draft to acquire quarterback Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25?

March 29- April 1: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona

More of a league-wide event, here is where new rule proposals/modifications get discussed. A highlight of this event is also the annual AFC and NFC Head Coaches breakfast, where media members can get reacquainted (or, in the case of new head coaches, acquainted) with the 32 men chosen to lead their respective teams.

April 6: Teams with New Head Coaches Can Begin Offseason Programs

New Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh can officially get his offseason program under way on April 6. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yes, the Giants fall into this category. They get an extra two weeks to lay the groundwork for what the players should expect under new head coach John Harbaugh.

April 15: Deadline for All Draft Visits

This is the last day teams are permitted to host draft prospects for draft visits. Previously, the Giants’ draft classes have consisted of mostly players they’ve brought in for visits, but will that change now with John Harbaugh in the building?

April 17: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to Sign Offer Sheets

The Giants have just three restricted free agents: outside linebacker Caleb Murphy, linebacker Zaire Barnes, and receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton.

Again, given the team’s cap situation and the fact that a “right of first refusal” tender stands at $3.547 million, if the Giants want to keep any of those three, they will probably do so on a much lower contract.

April 23-25 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh

The 2026 NFL Draft will be in Pittsburgh this year. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The lifeline of the roster-building process and an intriguing three-day event where all of us in the media and at home find out how wrong we really were about where our various prospects were slotted in the draft.

Will the Giants trade down in the first round? Probably not, given they’re at No. 5. Will they go receiver, safety, or something else? That’s where the intrigue really lies. Perhaps what they do in free agency will give a clue as to the direction they go in the draft, but until then, it’s going to be fun to run various scenarios.

May 1: Deadline to Exercise the Fifth Year Option on 2023 First-round Draft Picks

It would be a shock if the New York Giants exercise cornerback Deonte Banks's fifth-year option. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

It would be a complete shock if the Giants exercise the fifth-year option on cornerback Deonte Banks’s rookie deal, not at the estimated rate of $11.971 million.

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