With the Detroit Lions’ 2026 offseason upon us, it’s time to look ahead to the upcoming months to see what’s in store for the team and the NFL. There is no true downtime in the NFL, as the offseason is packed with important events, dates, and deadlines to keep teams active and the league in the news cycle.
This will be one of the more important offseasons for the Lions, as they try to recapture the success that brought them to relevancy under coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. Here are the important 2026 offseason dates for the Lions and the rest of the NFL.
January
Jan. 5 — Teams can start re-signing their own players, CFL players
On Day 1 of the offseason, teams can start signing players whose contracts expire at the start of the 2026 League New Year. We’ve already seen the Lions sign three of their exclusive-rights free agents and nine players from their practice squad. Those signings are likely to trickle in over the course of the next two months before the start of free agency.
Jan. 23-27 — East-West Shrine Bowl practices, game
One of the more popular college all-star games, the East-West Shrine Bowl will begin with practices on January 23 and culminate in the game on Tuesday, January 27 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on NFL Network.
Jan. 27-31 — Senior Bowl
Just as the East-West Shrine Bowl concludes, the Senior Bowl—another college football all-star game to highlight the 2026 NFL Draft class—picks up. Three days of practices will lead up to the game on Saturday, January 31, at 2:30 p.m. ET. This will also be televised on NFL Network.
February
Feb. 3— 2026 Pro Bowl games
The Lions had five players named to the 2026 Pro Bowl and five alternates. It’s unclear when the skills competition will be televised in the week leading up to the game, but the flag football game will be on February 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
Feb. 5 — NFL Honors award show
At 9 p.m. ET, the NFL will air its annual awards show on NFL Network and NBC. At this time, finalists haven’t been announced, but several Lions could be up for awards, including Aidan Hutchinson as a possible Comeback Player of the Year candidate and Jahmyr Gibbs as a potential long-shot at Offensive Player of the Year.
Feb. 17 — Franchise/transition tag window opens
Teams can start designating their selections for the franchise or transition tag (difference explained here). The Lions haven’t used the franchise tag since 2018 (Ezekiel Ansah), and there are no real candidates to get it this year. You can see the projected cost of each tag here.
Feb. 23 – March 2 — NFL Combine
While this event is about NFL Draft prospects, it’s also the time when the media meets with Lions general manager Brad Holmes, coach Dan Campbell, and any potential new coaching hires.
March
March 3 — Franchise/transition tag deadline
If a team plans on using the franchise tag, this is the last day they can use that designation.
March 9-11 — Free agency “legal tampering period”
Starting March 10 at Noon ET, teams can begin negotiating with agents of players who are set to become unrestricted free agents. Oftentimes, players will “agree to terms” with their new teams.
As a reminder, here is the full list of Lions players set to become free agents if not re-signed by March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
March 11 — New league year, start of free agency
Free agents can officially sign with new teams starting at 4 p.m. ET.
March 29-April 1 — NFL Annual League Meetings
New NFL rules are discussed and voted on. Media also typically meet with Campbell, Holmes, and team president Rod Wood.
April
April 15 — NFL Draft visit deadline
Teams must complete their top-30 and local NFL Draft prospect visits (at their own facility) by this date.
April 17 — RFA deadline
If a player is given a restricted free agent offer sheet, this is the deadline for those players to sign it.
April 20 — Offseason program begins
The Lions, and any other team with a returning head coach, can begin their offseason program.
April 23-25 — 2025 NFL Draft
This year’s draft will take place in Pittsburgh, PA.
May
May 1 — Fifth-year option deadline for 2023 first-round picks
This is the deadline for teams to exercise their fifth-year options for their 2023 NFL Draft first-round picks. The Lions have two picks from the first round of that draft: running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell. Both are almost certainly going to get that option picked up if they aren’t signed to an extension by then.
May 1-4 or May 8-11 — Rookie minicamp
Teams may hold a three-day rookie minicamp for their draft picks and UDFA class in either of the two windows.
Mid-May — NFL schedule release
There is no official date set for the NFL 2025 schedule release, but it was announced on May 14 in 2025, May 15 in 2024, and May 12 in 2023.
It’s worth noting that the NFL’s international schedule typically gets announced a few days before the full schedule release, and the Lions are expected to play one international game in 2026.
May 20-21 — NFL Spring League Meetings
More conversations are had about rule changes, and final rulings are made. There is typically no availability with Lions coaches/owners here.
Late May/Early June — OTAs + mandatory minicamp
This is the first opportunity for the entire Lions 2026 team—veterans and rookies together—to take the practice field. Typically, the Lions dismiss veterans for the final week of OTAs, choosing to spend that time on the young players in attendance
Last year’s OTA/minicamp schedule was cut short due to being in the Hall of Fame game, but this is what the Lions’ 2024 OTA schedule looked like:
- OTA week 1: May 21-23
- OTA week 2: May 29-31
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 4-6
- OTA week 3: June 10-12
July
July 15 — Franchise tag signing deadline
If a player is designated with the franchise tag, this is the date by which they must sign that tag. Teams and players often use this date as a deadline for agreeing to a long-term contract to avoid playing on the one-year franchise tag deal.
Mid/late July — Training camp
Last year, Lions rookies reported on July 16 and veterans on July 19, but that was a few days earlier than the rest of the league because of the Hall of Fame game. Expect 2026 dates to be a tad later.
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