Ultimate Guide to the NFL Offseason: Key Dates, Events, and Player Movements

By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Published:

- After 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was traded last month to the New York Jets
- Following 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady announced his retirement
- A look at all of the major NFL offseason moves and upcoming key dates as we move toward the September 7 kickoff to the regular season
Aa-Rod moved, and TB12 moved on. That, in a nutshell, sums up the two most significant moves of the 2023 NFL offseason.
Following 18 seasons and 230 games at the helm of the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers departed from Titletown and flew to the New York Jets. Can Rodgers do what Tom Brady did for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and lead the Jets to a Super Bowl title in his first year under center with his new team?
After seeming like he might never leave the game, Brady, 44, was announcing his retirement from the NFL on February 1 after 22 seasons as a QB. He won a record seven Super Bowls – six with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.
Let’s take a look at some other significant offseason personnel moves, as well as the key upcoming dates as we move toward the September 7 kickoff to the NFL regular season.
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NFL Key Dates for 2023 Offseason
Here are some of the key upcoming NFL offseason dates to keep track of.
- June 6: Start of mandatory minicamp for select teams. Clubs are allowed to have three mandatory practices.
- July 17: Deadline for teams that designated franchise players to sign a multi-year contract extension is 4:00 PM ET. After this, the designated franchise player can only sign one-year contract that cannot be extended until after the team’s final regular season game.
- Mid-late July: NFL training camps open
- August 3-6: Hall of Fame Weekend, Canton, Ohio. The Cleveland Browns are facing the New York Jets in this year’s Hall of Fame Game.
- September 7: NFL Kickoff game featuring the Detroit Lions playing at the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs launches the 2023 regular season.
NFL Offseason Player Movements
While a number of players will be donning new uniforms for the 2023 NFL season, certainly the biggest move of all saw Aaron Rodgers being traded to the New York Jets by the Green Bay Packers after nearly two decades with the Pack. Suddenly, the Jets have under center a guy who’s won the Super Bowl and been a multiple winner of the NFL MVP, two items that haven’t been checked off the resume of Josh Allen, QB for the AFC East-favored Buffalo Bills.
Aaron Rodgers is happy with the Jets ✨ pic.twitter.com/vDMPtvlADq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 23, 2023
The long, drawn-out process that ultimately led to Rodgers joining the Jets, also was steadily impacting the betting market on New York’s AFC squad in the Super Bowl odds. When rumors first began to circulate in early March that Rodgers was on his way to the Jets, the Super Bowl betting line on the club shortened in a quantum leap from +4000 to +1800.
A week later, as the rumors grew stronger, there was another shortening of the Jets’ Super Bowl odds to +1500. Finally, when the trade was officially consummated on April 24, the Jets settled in as the co-seventh betting choice to win the Super Bowl at +1400.
Brady Hangs ‘Em Up
After the Rodgers arrival, it was the departure of another legendary QB that rocked the NFL offseason. When Brady announced his retirement, it cashed out all the remaining credibility the Bucs held as an NFL contender.
Still don’t think that Brady is the GOAT? Since his departure from the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl betting line has doubled from +3500 to +7000.
Another significant departure came in Dallas, where the Cowboys were making the decision to release two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott’s yards per carry slipped for the fifth successive season, dropping to a career-low 3.8 yards per rush last season. His yards per game had shortened through each of his seven NFL seasons, hitting a career-worst 58.4 in 2022.
A new team has been reported as a potential landing spot for former #Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott which is the #Browns #Zeke played at #OhioState pic.twitter.com/YceSIH2x2t
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) May 16, 2023
The San Francisco 49ers were the NFL’s #1 defense last season, winding up a win away from going to the Super Bowl. An addition to their stout defense is DT Javon Hargrave from the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. He’s a disruptor along the defensive front. Hargrave was accounting for 11 sacks, 16 QB hits and nine tackles for loss last season.
The Niners are the +700 second betting choice to win the Super Bowl. They’re also the +330 chalk in the NFC Championship odds.


Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.