NFL Releases Tentative 2021 Calendar of Dates for Draft, League Year and More

The NFL released a tentative league calendar for 2021 on Wednesday including planned dates for the start of the league year, the 2021 NFL draft and other key events.   

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted the calendar:

Although the NFLPA noted that the "dates may change," the current plan is for the new league year to begin on March 17, 2021, and for the 2021 NFL draft to take place from April 29 through May 1.

The tentative league calendar also provided dates for the deadline to place the franchise or transition tag on players, the start of offseason workouts and the deadline to sign or match offer sheets to restricted free agents.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the offseason leading up to the 2020 campaign, especially in terms of preventing teams from meeting in person until much later than usual and forcing the cancellation of preseason games.

Also, the 2020 NFL draft was held virtually rather than in front of thousands of fans in Las Vegas as was previously planned.

It is difficult to predict what the pandemic will look like in the coming months, which is among the reasons why the 2021 league calendar is preliminary and not set in stone.

Also, the 2021 NFL draft is tentatively scheduled to take place in Cleveland, but a second consecutive virtual NFL draft could be in the cards if it is still deemed unsafe to have large gatherings by late April 2021.

Before those decisions are made, there is still plenty of football left to be played in the 2020 season with Week 11 of the regular season set to commence.

Super Bowl LV is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida, and it stands to reason that offseason plans will become far more concrete once a champion is crowned and the 2020 season officially comes to an end.