NFL considers overhauling the offseason calendar

[srrono]

Pro Football Talk

For NFL fans, the Scouting Combine is typically viewed as the kickoff of the offseason in February, the draft is the offseason’s halftime in April, and the start of training camp is when football is back upon us at the end of July. But that could change in future years.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the NFL is considering changes to its off-season calendar that would move the Combine to March, the start of free agency to April and the draft to May. The NFL is also considering having all 32 teams start training camp on the same day.

The players’ union would have to approve such a radical change to the calendar, but the NFL may be able to persuade the players to buy in with an argument that it would increase revenue — some of which is shared with the players — and make the Combine, free agency and the draft bigger events.

It’s worth wondering whether the owners are also thinking that moving back the offseason could give them more breathing room if they expand the regular season to 18 games and move the Super Bowl from early February to late February.

For NFL fans, the draft is often viewed as the halftime of the offseason, but the reality is it’s really not the midpoint of the offseason at all: It comes less than three months after the Super Bowl, but with more than four months left before the start of the regular season. Moving the draft back a month would position it as a true halfway point between the Super Bowl and Week One, and potentially make it an even bigger offseason event.

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter
Under proposal, all NFL teams also would kick off training camp on same summer day, making it the official launch of the football season.

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter
Idea of overhauled calendar is to lengthen NFL off-season and make football relevant over longer period with one big event each month.

[CloakNNNdagger]

The NFL also wants to set up separate "regional" Combines that will determine who will ultimately end up in the THE Indianapolis Combine.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Yeh, I know.......but I want MORE!!!!!!

[badboy]

I like the idea of regional combines allowing focus on more players with some of them ending up in 333 at Indianapolis. I guess I would adjust to any movement but it is hard to get to the dates now, I guess I'll start taking downers.

[GP]

They should make the Indy Combine be the Division 1 schools.

The regional combines would be every level below D-1, so you can assimilate all that level of talent into one event where you can judge the talent without having to compare it to the D-1 guys. With as little talent that's there at that level, you could have two regional combines and gather enough talent to fill each of those regional combines.

Have a West Regional with Oklahoma-to-California talent. Have an East Regional with Louisiana-to-New York talent.

This would help teams scout the lower levels of talent, so you can target for late round draft picks and UDFAs better. Pitting the lower levels of talent against one another will show you really quickly which guys have NFL-level potential and which guys don't.

Just an idea off the top of my head.

Not a fan of having the draft in May. April is late enough. If anything, bump the training camp start dates up to mid-June, please.