Key NFL offseason dates and what they mean for 49ers
The 49ers appear to be on their way to a pretty quiet offseason. They’re without a first-round pick and a ton of salary cap space, and their list of key free agents is relatively short. Injuries under center provide the biggest question mark facing the club as it gears up for another deep playoff run in 2023, but for the most part things should be less hectic than they were last season with the Jimmy Garoppolo saga grabbing all the headlines.
Still, San Francisco can’t stand pat and wait for training camp. Their offseason moves may be small, but they’ll be vital in getting the 49ers back to the NFC championship game.
Here’s a rundown of the key dates on the offseason calendar and what they mean for the 49ers:
February 28 – March 6, NFL scouting combine
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With no picks until the compensatory portion of the third round, the 49ers will need to hit a home run with the draft picks they do have. Workouts will be key in finding high-upside athletes to take swings on late, but they’ll also meet with players in Indianapolis and get intel that could inform their decision-making on Draft Day.
March 7, Franchise tag deadline
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The 49ers aren’t likely to use their franchise tag this year, but this is the final date to do so if they wind up issuing a tag.
March 7 – April 19, Visits for draft-eligible players
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Visits don’t always tell the story of a team’s interest or lack of interest in a player. However, with the 49ers’ limited draft capital before Day 3, these visits will be crucial in determining which players they’ll take chances on. Keep an eye on the players the team has in for visits as reports come out, since they’ll provide at least some info on the types of players San Francisco is watching.
March 13-15, Legal negotiating window opens
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Players are still legally under contract until 1:00 pm Pacific Time on March 15. At 9:00am Pacific on March 13 teams can negotiate deals with pending free agents from other clubs. Teams up to this point are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents. While deals may be agreed upon in this window, they’re not official until the new league year begins (more on that shortly!) For the 49ers, any of their pending free agents they haven’t worked out extensions with will be able to explore the free agent market. If players like Mike McGlinchey and Jimmie Ward walk, they’ll have a couple of sizable holes to fill on each side of the ball.
March 15, 2023 league year opens
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At 1:00pm Pacific Time the 2023 league year will begin and the deals negotiated during the legal negotiation window can be signed. This will also be the point that Jimmy Garoppolo is officially no longer under contract with San Francisco, along with their other pending free agents who haven’t inked extensions.
As part of the league year opening, teams must be under the salary cap with their top 51 contracts by 1:00pm Pacific Time. The cap number this year is $224,800,000. San Francisco heading into the offseason is $8,063,016 under per Over the Cap.
April 17, Offseason workouts can begin
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This is a fascinating portion of the 49ers’ offseason since so much of their present and future hinges on what happens under center during the offseason program. If Trey Lance is going to make a real push for the starting job, it’s going to have to happen starting when the team’s three-phase offseason program begins. On-field work doesn’t begin until Phase 2, but it’s a vital offseason for the 49ers nonetheless. If it’s not right on April 17, the program will begin shortly after.
April 21, Restricted free agent offer sheet deadline
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The 49ers have a trio of restricted free agents. Offensive lineman Colton McKivitz, linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and defensive lineman Kevin Givens are all RFAs this year. McKivitz and Givens are all but certain to return, and Flannigan-Fowles may compete for a starting LB job depending on how free agency goes for the 49ers. Any RFA business is typically taken care of well before the end of April.
April 27-29, NFL draft
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Things won’t really get interesting for San Francisco until late on April 28. They have enough draft capital to perhaps sneak into the back end of the second round and pick a little earlier on April 28, but the real flurry of selections are more likely to come on April 29 – the final day where the 49ers are slated to pick seven times in the last four rounds.
May 1, Fifth-year option deadline
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This is the last day teams can exercise their fifth-year options on 2020 first-round picks. The 49ers selected DL Javon Kinlaw and WR Brandon Aiyuk in Round 1 of that year, though the fifth-year option decisions on each will be pretty substantially different.
