Well, the Green Bay Packers’ offseason has started much earlier than any of us really wanted. Once again. And while we all wait for the Packers to announce coaching staff changes – including who will be the new defensive coordinator – now is a good time to review some of the key dates and milestones for the upcoming offseason.
Let’s start!
Packers Are Now Able To Extend Certain Players
As of January 5th, Brian Gutekunst and company are now able to extend any players drafted in the 2023 draft class, as well as any undrafted free agents from the 2024 class. This includes tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, wide receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, and defensive linemen Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks.
I didn’t mention first-round pick Lukas Van Ness. This is because the Packers will need to decide whether to exercise his fifth-year option. There isn’t much urgency here, though, as the deadline isn’t until May 1st.
Out of the players eligible for extensions, I would only expect Green Bay to extend Tucker Kraft this offseason. Even then, there’s no real deadline — that could easily wait until training camp.
The Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
The Packers are heading into the 2026 NFL Draft without a first-round pick. That doesn’t mean there won’t be value to be found in the later rounds. Because of that, expect Green Bay to be very active in pre-draft visits and evaluation events.
Historically, Brian Gutekunst has relied heavily on the Senior Bowl. Prior to last year’s draft, Green Bay had drafted or signed 47 players who had attended the Senior Bowl. Simply put — the Packers love the Senior Bowl.
The NFL Combine is equally important for Green Bay, especially for interviews and medical evaluations. It’s also great for fans, given the Packers’ tendency to draft highly athletic prospects. This is where Relative Athletic Score (RAS) becomes a popular talking point, and you’ll likely hear plenty about it as the offseason rolls on.
The Senior Bowl starts this week with practices, and the game is scheduled for January 31st. The NFL Combine will take place from February 23rd through March 2nd.
Start of the New League Year
March 9th marks the beginning of the negotiation period for unrestricted free agents — the unofficial start of free agency. The official start comes when the new NFL League Year begins on March 11th at 4:00 PM Eastern (3:00 PM Central). Trades can happen at this time too!
The Packers have been more active in free agency and trades in recent years, but I don’t expect that to be the case this offseason. Green Bay is without a first-round pick in 2026, and with 2027 on the horizon, they’ll likely want to recoup draft capital. Because of that, they probably won’t sign unrestricted free agents outright, as doing so could impact their compensatory picks in 2027. Find out more about this here.
That said, players who are released by other teams due to cap constraints are fair game.
Packers and The NFL Draft
And then comes April.
The Packers can begin offseason training on April 20th, but the real headliner is the NFL Draft, which will be hosted in Pittsburgh from April 23rd through April 25th.
Green Bay won’t have a first-round pick this year. (I’ll just be watching Micah Parsons highlights when the Packers’ pick would have been.) Honestly, though, this may be the year to miss out on Round 1 — this draft class appears deeper in the later rounds and isn’t especially top-heavy. More on that in a future article.
After the draft, things start to slow down. The NFL schedule release typically happens in May. Last year it was May 14th, so if the league follows a similar timeline, it could fall on May 13th this year — though that’s far from official.
June will bring a mandatory minicamp, and by mid-to-late July, Packers training camp will be underway.
Then come the preseason games. And before you know it, the regular season will arrive — with the Packers opening against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Just guessing.
It’ll be here before you know it.
Go Pack Go!
——————
Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
——————
The post Packers Offseason 2026: Most Important Dates To Be Aware Of! first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.