March is going to be a very busy month for the NFL in 2027.
On Monday, the league posted a rundown of upcoming important dates for 2026 and 2027 and it included one interesting change. The annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis will still fall between the Super Bowl and the beginning of free agency and cover eight days but it will now start on Monday, March 1. That's essentially a week later that last year, when the Combine kicked off on February 23 and was done by March 2.
The practical effect of this schedule change will be to bump the Combine right up against the start of the new league year and the onset of free agency. In 2027, the three-day negotiation period that precedes the start of free agency will be on March 9, just one day after events are totally wrapped up in Indy. That's actually the exact same date that the negotiation period started in 2026, but then it was on a Monday and now it will be on a Tuesday. That means free agency will start on a Thursday after typically beginning on a Wednesday.
Specifically, the negotiation window runs from noon ET on March 9 to 4:00 p.m. ET on March 11, with free agency then kicking off that same day. During that 52-hour period, team representatives are allowed to contact and discuss potential contract details with the agents of pending free agents, though no deals can officially be signed or announced until 4:00 p.m. on the 11th. The same is true for any trades that are agreed upon by teams prior to the start of the new league year. Given that dozens of long-term and lucrative contracts are announced each year almost immediately after free agency begins, it's clear that a very large amount of negotiation work gets done during that period. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved quickly in the early hours of free agency to get linebacker Alex Anzalone, edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad and running back Kenneth Gainwell under contract agreement.
Here are some other key dates on the NFL calendar between now and next summer:
August 30: Cutdown Day
On this Sunday following the last round of preseason games, all teams must have their rosters trimmed down to 53 players by 6:00 p.m. ET. This year, that deadline will fall two days after the Bucs conclude their preseason slate with a Friday night game in Jacksonville. Teams are allowed to place up to two players on a reserve list (injured reserve, PUP, etc.) and designate them for return at some point during the regular season. Any players placed on injured reserve prior to the cutdown to 53 who are not designated to return are not eligible to play for their teams again in 2026.
November 10: Trade Deadline
No more trades will be permitted in the NFL from 4:00 p.m. ET on this date until the start of the next league year. Also, after the trade deadline passes, all players, including vested veterans, will be subject to the waiver wire system. Prior to that date, vested veterans who are released immediately become free agents who can sign with any team.
January 11: Reserve/Futures Signing Period Begins
This is one day after the conclusion of the regular season and it allows both teams that are in the playoffs and ones that have been eliminated to start signing players for their 2027 roster. These contracts don't actually take effect until the day after the Super Bowl. Often, these players are ones who just had their practice squad contracts expire and are re-signed to stay with the same club. Last January, the Buccaneers signed 14 players to reserve/futures contracts on January 8 and 12 of them had just finished the 2025 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.
This is also the first day that a team can extend contract extensions to players it selected in the 2024 draft. For the Bucs, that list would include Graham Barton, Chris Braswell, Tykee Smith, Jalen McMillan, Bucky Irving, Elijah Klein and Devin Culp, presuming they are still on the roster at the end of 2026.
February 14: Super Bowl LXI
The Super Bowl to cap the 2026 season will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This is where the Bucs hope to be on this date.
March 3: Franchise Tag Deadline
Teams wishing to place a franchise or transition tag on a player prior to the 2027 free agency period have between February 17 and March 3 to do so. The Bucs last employed a franchise tag in March of 2024, when they placed one on safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Winfield and the team later agreed to a four-year contract extension in May.
March 21-24: Annual League Meeting
This important half-week gathering will take place in Phoenix for the second year in a row. Among other things that are covered during this string of meetings will be any potential rule changes team owners will be contemplating next spring.
April 29-May 1: 2027 NFL Draft
Next spring, the draft will be held in Washington, D.C. As always, it will start on a Thursday night with the first-round picks being made. The second and third rounds will be conducted on Friday night and the fourth through seventh rounds will take place on Saturday, beginning at noon.
