The NFL Dates to Know for the Vikings Offseason
Standing above all other NFL dates are free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. Digging into the topic further reveals that other times offer intrigue, as well.
Consider, to begin, just the Super Bowl. The Patriots have plenty of connections to the Vikings, most notably through the roster talent, HC Kevin O’Connell, and DC Brian Flores. There’s then the Seahawks, a team being led by Sam Darnold. New England and Seattle square off on Sunday, February 8th to see which team will be remembered as the best one coming out of 2025. What’s next?
NFL Dates: The Vikings Offseason
The draft nerds will know that February is the time for The Combine.
The event will take place from February 23rd to March 2nd. For at least two reasons, fans should be interested in what takes place. For starters, there’s the ability to learn more about the young talent that’s soon to turn pro. There’s then the basic reality of the NFL all being in one location at the same time. Rumors tend to start flying as the league that doesn’t allow tampering profits off of the tampering that’s taking place.
On Tuesday, March 3rd, the NFL needs to see franchise tags applied. The Vikings don’t have anyone who will get tagged (Ryan Wright?). What’s of note for Minnesota is who will be taken off the free agency market due to getting tagged.
At 11 a.m. CT on Monday, March 9th, the NFL will open up the legal tampering portion of things. Players can’t get ink onto paper — that is, of course, unless the negotiation is taking place with the player’s current team. All that can happen here is verbal agreements. Every year, there are some players who back out of verbal commitments.
At 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 11th, the NFL will begin its new league year. As a result, contracts have officially expired, fully freeing the free agents.
The Vikings have most of the roster’s key players under contract. In fact, that’s part of the problem: a lot of high-priced players will need to get cut, traded, or see other adjustments (extension, restructure, pay cut) just to get the salary cap back into a decent spot.
Nevertheless, there are some players who are moving toward free agency. Most notable are linebacker Eric Wilson and receiver Jalen Nailor.
From March 29th to April 1st, the Annual League Meeting will take place. Again, anytime the league gets together in a single spot is of interest. Insight is going to arrive from plugged-in reporters. Press conferences will take place. Add it all up and there’s reason to have interest.
Finally (at least for the purposes of this particular piece), note that the 2026 NFL Draft will take place from April 23rd to April 25th. Unless some trades happen to lessen the total, the Vikings will move into the event armed with nine draft selections. Most valuable is the No. 18 selection, but there should be a pick in the 2nd alongside a pair in the 3rd.
As per tradition, the Vikings appear very likely to then get their elbows up within undrafted free agency, boxing out other teams with lucrative deals. Indeed, expect to see some high-end signings from within that portion of the talent acquisition phase.
Grafting promising, young, cost-controlled talent onto Minnesota’s roster is precisely what the Vikings need. Plenty of pressure is going to follow Minnesota into the event.
As always, stick around on PurplePTSD to continue getting all you need to know about the Vikings.
