A Look at Important NFL Dates for the Rest of the 2023 Offseason

Important NFL Dates
Jan 31, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings helmets and equipment at the Super Bowl LII Experience at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With free agency largely behind us and the 2023 NFL Draft officially in the books, folks may be wondering what other important NFL dates actually remain this offseason.

Well, we are getting close to the end of the offseason as training camp, preseason, and the regular season approach. Here is a look at the remaining dates that we should pay attention to between now and Week 1.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills
Nov 13, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) and center Garrett Bradbury (56) take practice snaps before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

May 5-8 or May 12-15: Post-Draft Rookie Minicamps

Depending on what teams decide, either this week or next is when we get to see the rookies get on practice fields for their new teams. Keep an eye out on social media and this site for clips of Jordan Addison, Mekhi Blackmon, and other Vikings rookies getting their first action in a purple uniform.

May 11 (Reportedly): Regular Season Schedule Release

It seems a bit odd that we don’t have a truly confirmed date for the release of the regular season schedule yet, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on April 30th that the NFL is targeting May 11th as the release date. We have known the home and away matchups for each team for months now, but this will be the day that we finally see the order of each team’s games.

July 17: Franchise Tag Contract Extension Deadline

This is a date that doesn’t necessarily have an immediate impact on the Vikings, but it could begin to shape what the 2024 free agency class looks like. If a team franchise-tagged a player during this offseason, they have until this July 17th deadline to work out a multi-year extension. Otherwise, they are not able to do so until the end of the regular season.

Late-July: Training Camp Begins

Official dates for the beginning of training camp have not been set yet, but per usual, they will begin during the latter half of July and will vary team by team. This is when teams officially begin the evaluation process of trimming down the roster and forming their final 53-man rosters for the 2023 season.

Jul 27, 2022; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine (6) performs a drill at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

August 3: Hall of Fame Game

The 2023 preseason officially gets underway on August 3rd in the Hall of Fame Game. This year, the game will feature the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets facing off in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM Central at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

September 7: Regular Season Opener

At long last, after all these previous dates come and go, the 2023 NFL regular season will kickoff on Thursday, September 7th. Again, we still have to see what the official schedule looks like before this can be confirmed, but traditionally, this game is hosted by the Super Bowl champions. If that is the case once again, the game will be at Arrowhead Stadium and feature the Kansas City Chiefs.

Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.

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