As Free Agency Slows Down, The Vikings Look Ahead to the NFL Calendar’s Next Notable Dates
Over the past several weeks, the Vikings and the NFL more broadly have been moving through some significant dates.
The Super Bowl was followed by the Senior Bowl. And then there was the NFL Scouting Combine. Most recently, the football world has been getting tossed to and fro by the winds of change in free agency. And while there’s a natural exhale among fans now that so much firm news has arrived, Minnesota’s leadership will need to quickly pivot toward what’s coming next.
The Vikings and The NFL’s Upcoming Dates to Know
First off, a word on free agency.
The beginning is always when things are most chaotic. Deals fly off of social media faster than flapjacks at IHOP. But while there’s some temptation to assume that this portion of the offseason can be neatly tucked away, the reality is that free agency is an event that spans most of the year. After all, the Vikings signed starting left guard Dalton Risner well into the 2023 season, so Minnesota’s fans understand that NFL free agency is an ongoing ordeal.
Next up will be the Annual League Meeting down in Florida. That event will take place from March 24th-27th. And while it won’t be as exciting as signing a new pass rusher, the League Meeting always offers a chance to get important people in front of a microphone. In other words, there will be press conferences and pressing questions, helping to satiate the ever-present desire to understand what’s going on behind the scenes.
On April 15th, the Vikings will be able to begin their offseason workouts. Note that we’re talking about workouts and not full pads Oklahoma drill.
The major event that’s lingering not too long afterwards is the 2024 NFL Draft. I find free agency more compelling, but a lot of people consider this the high point of football’s offseason.
The three-day extravaganza is scheduled for April 25th-27th. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be jumping into his third draft as Minnesota’s GM and he’ll be armed with nine draft picks (or, at least, that’s what he has right now). Keep in mind that the young executive has pulled off a whopping nine trades over his pair of drafts in the captain’s chair.
On May 2nd, teams will need to decide on whether they want to sink the 5th-year option into their opening-round selection(s) from 2021. In Minnesota’s case, that means Christian Darrisaw. It’s a 99.99% certainty that his 5th year gets picked up by Adofo-Mensah.
On either May 3-6 or May 10-13, teams can have their rookie minicamp. And then the NFL will have its Spring League Meeting and Coach Accelerator from May 20-22.
As always, PurplePTSD will be walking with readers step-for-step by providing updates, analysis, and opinion. Keep swinging by, folks.
Editor’s Note: The information in this piece comes courtesy of the NFL’s important dates calendar.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.