The Dynasty Implication - NFL Offseason Blueprint
Chew gives an overview of key dates in the NFL offseason and the impact for dynasty fantasy football managers. Because of the implication.
Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the NFL season just as much as the next degenerate, despite being a Carolina Panthers fan. But there is a certain magic to the offseason that really gets the dynasty juices flowing. No lineups to be set and the hope that I’ll make a savvy trade for a ghost-seeing Sam Darnold or draft the next Puka Nacua in the fourth round of my rookie draft. Regardless, it’s important to know the key offseason dates and the dynasty implications.
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February
Key Dates:
February 18th: The window opens for teams to tag players (Franchise or Transition).
February 24th: The NFL Scouting Combine begins in Indianapolis, Indiana.
A mere ten days after the Super Bowl and the excitement begins! The window to tag players doesn’t close until early March so the main focus in February is the NFL Combine. If the activity in your dynasty league has hit a lull since the fantasy championship, this is the time for rookie picks to be passed around more than (insert something inappropriate but witty).
The Combine is not just about who is fast or slow. Narratives are built based on who showed up, who skipped what drill, and who said what to which obscure interview question. This can be a huge help to dynasty managers who have been sculpting their rookie rankings up until this point. My favorite thing to do at this point in the offseason is to buy players I believe will get a boost from free agency, especially those that cost me a 3rd round pick or cheaper.
March
Key Dates:
March 3rd: The NFL Scouting Combine ends.
March 4th: The tag window closes at 4:00PM, New York time.
March 10th-12th: The “Legal Tampering Window” begins at 12:00PM (10th) and ends 3:59PM (12th), New York time. Teams can contact players but deals are not yet official.
March 12th: The 2025 league year officially begins at 4:00PM.
As Prison Mike would say, March is “da bell of da ball” for the NFL offseason. Free agency begins with the opening of the legal tampering window, of which I’m a huge fan. Legal = permitted by law. Tampering = corrupt influence upon. The NFL went out of their way to make early free agency discussions sound like The Purge.
NFL teams enter free agency with a salary cap of $275M, which is an increase of $10M from last year. Prior to the beginning of free agency look for teams to do the necessary cap gymnastics to dole out more money… cough, cough, Saints every year. And regardless of what we may think of certain free agents, the contracts give a certain level of security as a dynasty asset. Another trading opportunity opens in dynasty leagues as NFL teams put their literal money where their figurative mouth is.
April
Key Dates:
April 7th: Teams with new head coach after 2024 regular season can begin offseason workout programs.
April 16th: Deadline for teams to conduct workouts with draft-eligible players at their facility.
April 18th: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets.
April 21st: Remaining teams can begin offseason workout programs.
April 23rd: Deadline for teams to conduct workouts with draft-eligible players at any location.
April 24th-26th: The NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
NFL teams are finishing up their interviews and workouts for draft-eligible players with the NFL Draft beginning on April 24th. All our dynasty questions are answered in a matter of three days, as we see who gets the draft capital and who we hope pays off as a sleeper. A fresh round of mock drafts begin with all the necessary information to generate the most up-to-date ADP’s.
Rookie drafts for some dynasty leagues may begin as soon as the Monday following the NFL Draft. It’s the moment we have been waiting for since the end of the 2024 fantasy football season! Slow drafts will start strong and come to a screeching halt with a lack awareness that “it’s my pick?” The group messages for dynasty leagues during this time are pure gold as league mates add a rookie draft into their family, work, and school schedules. It is truly a great time!
May
Key Dates:
May 1st: Deadline for teams to exercise 5th-year option from 2022 1st round picks.
May 2nd-12th: Rookie mini-camp (3-days) can occur.
Remember those 1st round picks from 2022? Teams decide whether they get another affordable year of a young superstar or they made a huge mistake and can pull the ripcord. And I think it is pretty obvious who will get their 5th-year options picked up. The fantasy-relevant players from the 2022 draft include: Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, Treylon Burks, Kenny Pickett.
From a dynasty perspective, May is the month to react rationally (or not) to rookie expectations or already be looking to burn it all down for the 2026 rookie class. The dynasty trades from rookie drafts are likely to spill over into May as dynasty managers craft their own narratives for each rookie. This is the time to buy low on those day three or undrafted players that could be on the rise once training camps start.
June
Key Dates: Nothing of note.
The “real” training camps and pre-season games are not until next month so we are left to our own devices. If you’re feeling bored at this point maybe consider slipping further into fantasy football degeneracy by joining another startup draft or five.
July - August
Key Dates:
July 15th: Franchise Tagged players must sign multi-year deals by 4:00PM.
Mid-July: Rookie mini-camp begins.
July 21st: Training camp to start on/after this date.
July 31st: Hall of Fame game (estimated - no finalized schedule).
July is the time to overreact to camp reports and coach speak; as well as, slow motion videos of running backs juking trash cans and wide receivers making sideline catches. I’m guilty of it myself as I am still waiting for Ashton Dulin to take the next step.
This time through August feels like it drags on as we cruise through training camps and preseason games. Remember that a promising preseason don’t necessarily result in an immediate opportunity but could constitute a worthwhile stash in dynasty. I’m looking at you Jordan Whittington.
The NFL regular season schedule has not been announced but in 2024 it started on September 5th so if everything aligned the same the 2025 season would start on September 4th. We’ve finally reached the point where lineups need to be set. You’re no longer chasing offseason value spikes. Instead your quest for a fantasy football championship has begun. Best of luck!
So you made it this long and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow dynasty degenerates I would greatly appreciate it!
Maybe your best article yet FD, keep up the good work!!