What Happens Now: NFL Calendar

The NFL lockout is over, so what happens now?

We now have the full calendar from the NFL on how the coming days will go down.

Here are a couple key dates/events: (all times are ET)

Tonight:

Complete eligible free agent list released from the league

Tuesday: 10 AM:

*Club facilities open. Payers can go work in the weight rooms and meet with coaches.

*Clubs may negotiate with and SIGN their own drafted rookies and any undrafted rookie. Clubs may have such players report to the club’s facilities for physical examinations prior to signing.

* Clubs may NEGOTIATE with, but not sign, or extend offer sheets to, their own UFAs, RFAs, exclusive rights players and franchise players and other clubs’ UFAs, RFAs, non-exclusive franchise players and free agents.

*Trade discussions can open

Thursday:

*Chiefs go to training camp

Friday:

6 PM: Free agents will be able to sign with new teams

Now remember, since teams can negotiate with free agents starting tomorrow, things really get kicked off tomorrow. We may start hearing about agreements as early as tomorrow morning. It is just that nothing will be official until Friday.

The entire calendar is after the jump.

2011 NFL Calendar: Key dates

At 10 a.m. ET, clubs may negotiate with and SIGN their own drafted rookies and any undrafted rookie. Clubs may have such players report to the club’s facilities for physical examinations prior to signing.

All 2011 contracts signed on or after July 26 shall be binding upon the player and the club when signed, but shall not become effective unless a CBA is ratified by the NFLPA (Aug. 4).

At 10 a.m. ET, clubs may NEGOTIATE with, but not sign, or extend offer sheets to, their own UFAs, RFAs, exclusive rights players and franchise players and other clubs’ UFAs, RFAs, non-exclusive franchise players and free agents.July 26-27A club may require a player to report for a mandatory physical examination in order for the player to qualify for any bonus in a pre-existing contract if the “measuring date” for such a bonus has been changed pursuant to CBA Article 11 (transition rules for the 2011 league year).July 27 Camp opens for 10 clubs whose first preseason game is on Aug. 11 (ARZ, BLT, DAL, DEN, JAX, NE, OAK, PHI, SD, SEA).July 28Camp opens for 10 clubs whose first preseason game is on Aug. 12 (ATL, CIN, DET, KC, MIA, NO, PIT, SF, TB, WAS).At 4:01 p.m. ET, waivers begin for the 2011 league year.July 29Camp opens for 10 clubs whose first preseason game is on Aug. 13 (BUF, CAR, CHI, CLV, GB, IND, MIN, NYG, STL, TEN).At 6 p.m. ET, clubs may SIGN, or extend offer sheets to, all eligible players, in addition to drafted and undrafted rookies. Clubs may have such players report to the club’s facilities for physical examinations prior to signing. Eligible players may visit or try out at any club facility.Veteran players who sign player contracts on or after 6 p.m. ET, on July 29 shall be required to report to, and remain with, their clubs, except that, prior to the start of the 2011 league year on Aug. 4, such players may not participate in on-field activities, workouts, weight training or other physical activities, but shall be required to attend meetings, classroom instruction and any other non-physical activities scheduled during the club’s preseason training camp.

The restrictions set forth above shall not apply to drafted or undrafted rookies who are under contract, regardless of the date upon which such players signed their player contracts. If any such player is injured as the result of participating in training camp activities, the terms of the player’s contract shall cover such injury whether or not the CBA is ratified.

If a pre-existing contract contains a “measuring date” related to salary and/or the exercise or non-exercise of any club option, which measuring date: (A) was expressed as a calendar date that fell between March 11, 2011 and July 25, 2011 or (B) was expressed solely as being related to a certain number of days from the start of the 2011 league year, such measuring date shall be deemed amended to be 4 p.m. ET, on July 29, 2011, provided the player has undergone any physical examination required by the club on July 26 or 27. If the player fails or refuses to undergo such physical, as directed by the club, the measuring date shall be extended by one day for each day the player fails to report for the physical.July 31 Camp opens for two clubs whose first preseason game is on Aug. 15 (NYJ, HST).Aug. 4First day of 2011 league year at 4:01 p.m. ET, assuming NFLPA has ratified the CBATop 51 begins at 4:01 p.m. ET timeAll clubs must be within the salary cap at 4:01 p.m. ET.

All 2011 contracts signed on or after July 26 become effective at 4:01 p.m. ET, assuming NFLPA has ratified the CBA.Aug. 9 Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an accrued season for free agency.Aug. 11-15 First preseason weekend.Aug. 12 Deadline: if a drafted rookie has not signed a player contract by Aug. 12, he cannot be traded during his initial league year and may sign a player contract only with the drafting club until the day of the draft in the next league year.Aug. 13-17Each club has until five days prior to its second preseason game to provide any tendered but unsigned exclusive rights player or restricted free agent with written notice of the club’s intent to place the player on the exempt list if the player fails to report at least the day before the club’s second preseason game.Aug. 18-22Second preseason weekend.Aug. 20Deadline for signing of offer sheets by restricted free agents.Deadline for June 1 tender to unrestricted free agents. If the player has not signed a player contract with a club by Sept. 3, he may negotiate or sign a player contract from Sept. 3 until the Tuesday following the 10th week of the regular season, at 4 p.m. ET, only with his prior club.Aug. 24Deadline for old club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.Aug. 25Deadline for June 1 tender to restricted free agents who have received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only. The prior club shall be the only club with which the player may negotiate or sign a player contract during the period from Aug. 25 until the Tuesday following the tenth week of the regular season.Aug. 25-28 Third preseason weekend.Aug. 30Possible roster reduction from 90 players to 75 players.Sept. 1-2Fourth preseason weekend.Sept. 3 Signing period ends for unrestricted free agents who received the June 1 tender.Roster reduction to 53 players.Sept. 5Deadline for June 15 tender to restricted free agents. If player’s qualifying offer is greater than 110 percent of the player’s prior year’s Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior year contract carried forward unchanged), the club may withdraw the qualifying offer on Sept. 5 and retain its exclusive negotiating rights to the player, so long as the club immediately tenders the player a one-year player contract of at least 110 percent of his prior year’s Paragraph 5 Salary, with all the terms of his prior year’s contract carried forward unchanged.Sept. 8-12 First regular-season weekend.Sept. 18-19 Second regular-season weekend.Sept. 20Deadline at 4 p.m. ET, for any club that designated a franchise player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2011 season, and such contract may not be extended until after the club’s last regular-season game.Source: NFL.