Frisco, Texas — The offseason has arrived earlier than expected for the Dallas Cowboys, and as much as they would like to forget, they must instead accept what happened during Super Wild Card Weekend against the Green Bay Packers — if anything… If you want to aim. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
There's a lot to do before things start in September, to say the least, with events and deadlines across the NFL calendar to adhere to and take into account.
Here is the offseason calendar for head coach Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys.
February:
- February 1: East-West Shrine Bowl (Frisco, Texas)
- February 3rd: Reese's Senior Bowl (Mobile, Alabama)
- February 4th: NFL Pro Bowl Event
- February 11th: Super Bowl LVIII (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- February 20th: Teams can designate players with franchise tag/transition tag
- February 27th – March 4th: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis, Indiana)
march:
- March 5th: Teams must designate franchise/transition players before 4:00 PM ET
- March 7th: Start of NCAA Pro Days
- March 7th – April 19th: Teams can begin making 30 official visits for draft prospects
- March 11th to 13th: Legal tampering allowed for pending free agents.
- March 13th: 2024 League Year/Free Agency Official Start is 4:00 PM ET
- March 24th to 27th: Annual League Meeting (Phoenix, Arizona)
April:
- April 15th: Start of off-season training for the team without a change in head coach.
- April 17th: Last day to visit draft eligible players (Official 30th)
- April 25th to 27th: 2024 NFL Draft (Kansas City, Missouri)
May:
- May 2: Fifth-year option deadline for players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft
- May 3rd to 6th/May 10th to 13th: Rookie Mini Camp
- Mid-June: Required OTA*
- Late July: Training camp begins*
- Early August: Hall of Fame Game, preseason begins*
*Date to be determined at a later date
For those wondering, the fifth-year option deadline only applies to one player, but linebacker Micah Parsons is the only former first-round pick in 2021. , this is a headliner and he is also eligible to begin contract negotiations, so it will take time. What direction do the Cowboys take with Parsons? They could extend him this offseason or simply exercise his fifth-year option and address the issue in 2025.
Again, exercising his fifth-year option at the deadline doesn't preclude him from agreeing to a new contract after that, but no matter what, he won't be in a Cowboys uniform in 2025. You are guaranteed to wear it.
As the months pass, the official start dates for minicamp, training camp, and preseason will be revealed. But for now, the Cowboys know exactly what their first few tasks will be: from deciding to use or not use the franchise/transition tag to retaining as many coveted in-house free agents as possible. Until the attempt, also keep an eye on players entering the market from other clubs.
Finishing the season 12-5 for the third consecutive year proves that the Cowboys understand the regular season formula and won the No. 2 seed and Division II title in just three seasons, but they What they do next will determine whether they succeed. I understand the postseason equation.
