The offseason for the Indianapolis Colts has officially arrived after they wrapped up their 2023 season narrowly missing a playoff bid.
With an intriguing quarterback looking to bounce back from a season-ending injury, plenty of salary-cap space and a full slate of picks in the 2024 NFL draft, the Colts will have the ammo to work with in order to make some key additions.
While the team can sign players to contract extensions and future contracts, the majority of moves will not be made until the new league year begins in March. There’s a good chance they sign a handful of their own pending free agents before then, though, so that will be something to monitor over the next month and a half.
Using NFL Operations page as the reference, here are the important dates for the Colts during the 2024 offseason:
January 2024
Jan. 8: Clubs may begin signing free-agent players for the 2024 season.
Jan. 8: Earliest permissible date for clubs to renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a player selected in any round of the 2021 NFL draft or any undrafted rookie who signed in 2022.
Jan. 13-15: Wild-card weekend
Jan. 15: Deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2023 NFL draft.
Jan. 20-21: Divisional playoff games
Jan. 28: AFC & NFC Championship games
February 2024
Feb. 1: East-West Shrine Bowl (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)
Feb. 3: Senior Bowl (Mobile, AL)
Feb. 4: Pro Bowl (Las Vegas, NV)
Feb. 8: 13th Annual NFL Honors Show (Resorts World Theatre, Las Vegas, NV)
Feb. 11: Super Bowl LVIII (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)
Feb. 20: First day for clubs to designate franchise or transition players
Feb. 27-March 4: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis, IN)
March 2024
March 5: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.
March 11-13: Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13 (aka “Legal Tampering Period”)
March 13: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2024 on all players who have option clauses in their 2023 contracts.
March 13: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation.
March 13: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit a minimum salary tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2023contracts who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agency credit.
March 13: Top 51 Rule begins. All clubs must be under the 2024 Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time.
March 13: All 2022 player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time. The 2024 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
March 13: The first day of the 2022 league year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 16. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the league office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time.
March 13: Trading period for 2023 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after the expiration of all 2023 contracts. (Trades can be agreed upon before then but aren’t official until this time).
March 24-27: Annual League Meeting (Orlando, FL)
April 2024
April 1: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2023 regular season may begin offseason workout programs
April 15: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs
April 17: Deadline for top-30 visits
April 19: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
April 24: Deadline for Prior Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to restricted free agents
April 24: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls), or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.
April 25-27: 2024 NFL draft (Detroit, MI)
May 2024
May 2: Deadline for clubs to exercise fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft (Kwity Paye)
May 3-6 or May 10-13: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.
May 13: Rookie development program begins
May 18-21 (Tentative): NFLPA Rookie Premiere
May 20-22: Spring League Meeting
