The NFL released their 2016-2017 league calendar on Wednesday, providing an update on some important dates between now and the end of next April. I’ve created a page for the calendar, and I’ve added it to the “library” you can view at the top of any page (if it’s not showing up yet, it might take a few minutes).
We know roughly when most of these events are going to happen. We know the cut to a 75-man roster happens by the Tuesday of the final week of the preseason, and the cut to a 53-man roster is due by that Saturday. The league then has until Wednesday, September 7 to get in full compliance with the salary cap. For now, teams only have to have their top 51 salaries under the cap. On the 7th, the entire roster (53-man, practice squad, PUP, IR, NFI) need to be under the full cap. Finally for this year, the trade deadline is set for November 1. We don’t see many trades in the NFL outside of the Draft, but it is still noteworthy.
For next year, the new league year is set to start on March 9. The free agency tamper period will get going March 7, and things launch around the league on March 9 at 1 p.m. PT. Additionally, next year’s NFL Draft is scheduled for April 27-29. I’m glad they settled on that last week of April, instead of the one-time effort in May. That was annoying as all get-out.