NFL’s Off-Season Sprint: Combine, Free Agency and Draft on Horizon After Seahawks’ Title

With confetti still settling from the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl triumph, the NFL is already shifting into its next gear. League business resumes in less than two weeks, launching a rapid-fire sequence of events that will shape the 2026 campaign.

The annual scouting combine opens Feb. 23 in Indianapolis and runs through March 2, giving coaches, general managers and medical staffs an up-close look at more than 300 draft-eligible prospects. Clubs will conduct interviews, time 40-yard dashes and sort through injury reports before turning their attention to the open market.

Free-agency negotiations begin March 9 with the customary two-day legal tampering window, allowing teams and agents to hammer out deals before the new league year officially starts. Front offices that do their homework in Indianapolis hope to strike quickly, while franchises with ample salary-cap space could reshape rosters in a matter of hours.

The league’s power brokers will reconvene later in March for the annual meeting in Phoenix, starting March 29. Owners are expected to debate several competition-committee proposals, including a potential ban on the tush push after officiating inconsistencies drew scrutiny this season. Replay review could also expand to cover crack-back blocks, low hits, blind-side contact, intentional grounding and illegal formations on kickoffs—changes that would allow officials to assess penalties after consulting video, a significant departure from current protocol.

Off-season workout programs will ramp up in April. The 10 clubs that hired new head coaches may open their facilities to players on April 6; all other teams can follow on April 20, setting the stage for organized team activities and mini-camps.

While roster construction dominates headlines, the league continues its global push. A record nine regular-season games will be played outside the United States in 2026, with first-time host cities Melbourne, Paris and Rio de Janeiro joining London, Madrid, Mexico City and Munich. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will square off at Melbourne Cricket Ground, a 100,000-seat venue, while the Dallas Cowboys are slated for Rio. Opponents for the Paris contest remain undecided.

NFL executive Jeff Miller said demand for international games far outstrips supply, but logistical hurdles—from medical infrastructure to travel demands—must be solved before the league reaches its goal of 16 overseas games per season. Expansion to an 18-game regular-season schedule could unlock that inventory, yet Commissioner Roger Goodell noted that player safety, competitive balance, roster size and an additional bye week would need to be collectively bargained. The current CBA expires in 2030, and NFL Players Association interim executive director David White indicated players currently have “no appetite” for lengthening the schedule.

Between the combine, free agency, potential rule changes and an ambitious international slate, the NFL’s brief respite is over. The next chapter of league history will be written at break-neck speed.