CBA Notes

Page 68 of the proposed CBA says: "The 2020 League Year shall begin on March 18, 2020 at 4:00pm New York time."

Key dates for the NFL this year

Here are key dates for 2020 in the NFL:

Feb. 24-March 2: The NFL scouting combine takes place in Indianapolis, with a new schedule that will feature three nights of prime-time workouts. One big new item is a reduction in formal interviews with players, from 60 to 45. (The interview length limits were increased by three minutes, from 15 to 18.)

Feb. 25: This is the first day that teams can apply franchise or transition tags. If the NFL is still operating under the current CBA at this time, teams can use one franchise and one transition tag.

March 10: Any team wishing to use a franchise and/or transition tag must notify the league by 4 p.m. ET.

March 16-18: Teams can begin negotiating contracts with pending unrestricted free agents. By the end of this period, teams must also make qualifying offers to any of the restricted free agents they wish to maintain the right of first refusal on.

March 18: The free-agent market opens at 4 p.m. ET, officially known as the start of the new league year. Any deals negotiated during the March 16-18 window can be made official.

March 29-April 1: Owners, coaches, general managers, and team executives will gather in Palm Beach, Florida, for their annual league meeting. Among the on-field decisions to consider: renewing replay review of pass interference for another season and possible alternatives to the onside kick.

April 6: The five teams with new head coaches can begin offseason workouts. That list includes the Browns, Cowboys, Giants, Panthers, and Redskins.

April 20: The NFL's other 27 teams can begin offseason workouts.

April 23-25: The NFL draft will take place in Las Vegas, where players will ride a boat to the red carpet among the Bellagio Hotel's famed fountains.

April 27: This marks the first day that NFL teams can sign XFL players the day after the end of the XFL season. The league's inaugural regular-season rosters, announced in late January, included 207 players who had been on NFL rosters within the past six months.

May 1-4, 8-11: Teams can hold one rookie minicamp, over a maximum of three days, during one of these weekends.

May 19-20: NFL owners will meet for their spring meeting in Marina del Rey, California.

July 15: This is the final day for a franchise- or transition-tagged player to sign a multiyear contract. After this point, such players can only play under a one-year contract and can't return to the negotiating table until after the season.

Aug. 6: The annual Hall of Fame Game will be held in Canton, Ohio, with participants to be announced later this offseason.