The Seattle Seahawks registered a dominant win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, and now every front office shifts to the same question: how do we close the gap? The 2026 NFL Draft sits at the center of that answer, with Pittsburgh hosting the event for the first time since 1948.
The draft arrives April 23-25, but the path from today to the Las Vegas Raiders making the first selection runs through Indianapolis, where the combine opens Feb. 23. Here’s what matters between now and draft weekend.
NFL Offseason Timeline: February Through April
The combine doesn’t wait. Teams have eight days at Lucas Oil Stadium to evaluate prospects before free agency transforms rosters.
Feb. 23-March 2: NFL Scouting Combine
Indianapolis hosts 324 prospects for measurements, interviews, and testing. The 40-yard dash and position drills air on NFL Network starting Feb. 26, with public access available through the NFL OnePass app.
March 3, 4 p.m. ET: Franchise Tag Deadline
Teams lock in their top pending free agents. The quarterback tag projects at $47.3 million, while receivers command $28.8 million. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens figures to headline the franchise tag class.
March 9-11: Legal Tampering Period
Agents and front offices negotiate until 4 p.m. ET on March 11, when contracts become official. This 48-hour window precedes the true start of free agency.
March 11, 4 p.m. ET: Free Agency Opens
The new league year begins. Any trades finalized before this moment won’t become official until 4 p.m. ET.
March 29-April 1: Annual League Meeting, Phoenix
Owners convene to vote on rule changes. Expect another tush push ban proposal after previous attempts failed.
When and Where Is the 2026 NFL Draft?
The draft arrives in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1948, marking the eighth city to host since the NFL moved the event from New York in 2015. The NFL Draft Experience at Point State Park offers free admission, with the Gateway Clipper Fleet providing river transportation between sites.
Pittsburgh will host the draft across three days at Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. The North Shore setup transforms the area into a football festival, with the Roberto Clemente Bridge closed to vehicles and operating as a pedestrian corridor between venues.
Las Vegas picks first. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza projects as the consensus No. 1 overall selection. The New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals follow at picks two and three.
- April 23, 8 p.m. ET: Round 1
- April 24, 7 p.m. ET: Rounds 2-3
- April 25, 12 p.m. ET: Rounds 4-7
What Comes After the 2026 NFL Draft?
The offseason calendar extends beyond draft weekend, with rookie minicamps scheduled for May 1-4 or May 8-11, depending on each team’s preference. The full 2026 regular season schedule drops in mid-May, followed by the spring league meeting May 19-20 in Orlando.
Organized team activities begin in late May, with mandatory minicamps following in June. Training camps open in mid-to-late July, with specific dates to be announced later this offseason.
Teams must sign franchise-tagged players to multiyear deals by July 15 at 4 p.m. ET, or those players can only sign one-year contracts that can’t be extended until after the final regular season game.
Pittsburgh marks the first stop in an offseason that determines which teams join the Seahawks as contenders and which slip further behind.
