The Washington Commanders 2024 season will go down in the history books as one of the franchise's best as the team tripled its number of wins from the season prior, broke dozens of records and made its first trip to the NFC championship in 33 years. As Head Coach Dan Quinn has said, though, "while the floor has risen, we're nowhere near where our ceiling is going to be." The next chapter of work to build on the great foundation established in the last year begins with the 2025 offseason.
Fans will want to keep their eyes on these dates as the team prepares for Year 2 under Quinn and General Manager Adam Peters.
February
- Feb. 6: NFL Honors
- Feb. 9: Super Bowl LIX, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Feb. 10: Waiver system begins for 2025. With certain exceptions, a 24-hour claiming period will be in effect through the entire year; however, waiver requests made on Friday and Saturday of each week will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday. Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons whom a club desires to terminate are not subject to the waiver system until the day after the trading deadline.
- Feb. 17: HBCU Combine, Ochsner Sports Performance Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Feb. 18: Beginning this date through 4:00 p.m., New York time on March 4, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.
- Feb. 22: HBCU Legacy Bowl, Yulman Stadium, Tulane University
- February 24 - March 3: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
March
- March 4: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players. College Pro Days begin. Workouts of a school's Pro Day-eligible players during the days leading up to Pro Day activities are prohibited. Private dinners, meetings, interviews are permitted.
- March 4 - April 16: Draft-Eligible Facility Visits Begin. Clubs are permitted to 30 non-local players for physical exams/visits; no on-field workouts.
- March 10-12: Negotiation Period. During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 10 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2024 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 12.
- March 12 - End/Start of League Year. Deadline at 3:59:59 p.m., New York Time, for clubs to exercise individually negotiated options for 2025 on all players who have option clauses in their 2024 contracts, subject to any earlier deadline specified in a player's contract.
Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit Qualifying Offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation.
Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2024 contracts who have fewer than three Accrued Seasons of free agency credit.
Top 51 Rule is in effect. All clubs must be under the 2025 Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time. All 2024 NFL player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
The 2025 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
The first day of the 2025 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12. Clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 12.
Trading period for 2025. Trading begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2024 contracts.
- March 30 - April 2: Annual League Meeting, The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
April
- April 16: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview, or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility.
- April 18: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets
- April 21: Clubs with returning Head Coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
- April 23: Deadline for Prior Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents who signed offer sheets.
- April 24-26: NFL Draft, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- April 29: Deadline for Prior Club to send "April 29 Tender" to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a Player Contract with a Club by July 22 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later, he may negotiate or sign a Player Contract from that date until the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, only with his Prior Club.
May
- May 1: Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft.
- May 2-5 or 9-12: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.
- May 12: Rookie Football Development Programs begin.
- May 14-18: NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Los Angeles, California.
- May 20-21: Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator, Minneapolis, Minnesota
