Miami Dolphins and NFL Key Offseason Dates for April And Beyond
The Miami Dolphins, as wild as it may sound, are not even halfway through the offseason, even with the first and significant phase of free agency now done.
This coming month features two other significant dates on the offseason calendar, the start of the offseason program and, of course, the 2025 NFL draft.
Here’s the rundown of the official 2025 NFL offseason calendar from April onward. Miami Dolphins items of notes indicated.
Dates Subject to change
April 7 — Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2024 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
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. The Dolphins have one RFA, cornerback Kader Kohou, and he almost assuredly will be back after they extended him a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) tender.
April 21 — Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs. This will be the Dolphins’ offseason program start date with Mike McDaniel returning for a fourth season as head coach.
April 23 — Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets. This could come into play for the Dolphins only if Kohou hasn’t signed his tender by then and another team signs him to an offer sheet.
— Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls) or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.
April 24-26 — NFL Draft, Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Miami Dolphins currently are scheduled to have 10 picks in the 2025 draft after being awarded three compensatory picks in March.
May 1 — Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft. The Dolphins did not have a first-round pick in 2022.
May 2-5 or May 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. The Dolphins selected the second weekend after the draft the past three years.
May 12 — Rookie Football Development Programs begin
May 20-21 — Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator, Minneapolis, Minnesota
June 1 — Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned restricted free agents who received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision.
June 15 — Deadline for club to withdraw higher qualifying offer to restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting lower “June 15 Tender” of one-year contract at 110 percent of the player’s prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged).
Late June — Rookie Readiness Program to be held at individual clubs
July 15 — At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline 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 2025 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.
Mid-July — Clubs are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies (defined as a player who has never signed an NFL player contract with a club in a prior league year) beginning seven days prior to the club’s mandatory reporting date for veteran players. A club’s preseason training camp will be deemed to have officially opened on the designated reporting date for all rookies.
— Clubs may require first-year players (defined as a player who signed a player contract with any NFL club in a prior league year, but who does not have a pension-credited season) to report on the designated reporting date for all rookies, or at any time thereafter, including, but not limited to, the designated reporting date for veteran quarterbacks and injured players, or the designated reporting date for all other veteran players.
— Veteran quarterbacks and “injured players” (as defined in CBA Article 21, Section 6) may be required to report to the club’s preseason training camp no earlier than five days immediately prior to the mandatory reporting date for all other veteran players, provided the club has already opened (or simultaneously opens) its official preseason training camp for all rookies.
July 21 — At 4:00 p.m., New York time, signing period ends for Transition Players with outstanding tenders. After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.
— At 4:00 p.m., New York time, on July 21 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp [July 16 in 2025], whichever is later) signing period ends for unrestricted free agents to whom a “UFA Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.
