Feb 5: Beginning of period in which teams can designate franchise and transition players Feb 8: AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii Feb 18: NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Ind. Feb 19: Deadline for designating franchise and transition players Feb 24: Conclusion of NFL Scouting Combine Feb 27: Free Agency starts, this includes: - Deadline for submission of qualifying offers by clubs to their restricted free agents whose contracts have expired and to whom they desire to retain a right of first refusal/compensation - Deadline for clubs to submit offer of minimum salary to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with fewer than three seasons of free agency credit whose contracts have expired - Beginning of free-agent signing period (11 p.m. CST) - Beginning of trade period (11 p.m. CST)
The Transition Player's club must offer a minimum of the average of the top 10 salaries of last season at the player's position or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. In doing so, the team retains a first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet given to the player by another club after his contract expires.
