Chicago Bears Key Offseason Dates
Jul 26, 2013; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) huddles with his teammates during training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears key offseason dates were set, including a bonus veteran’s minicamp since they have a new coaching staff in place.
Scouting Combine Pressers: February 18th
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John Fox (10 AM) and Ryan Pace (11:30 AM) will meet the media at the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. This ought to be interesting as the coaching staff his been filled out since we last spoke to the new Bears regime. You can expect a lot of questions about what type of defense the Bears plan to play in 2015 and what kinds of players they’ll be looking for. The Scouting Combine will continue thru February 23rd.
March 2nd: Franchise Tag Date
Teams must designate a Franchise or Transition tag player. The Bears don’t likely have any players for this list, but they’ll be looking to see if some of the big ticket free agents hit the open market.
March 10th: Start of the 2015 League Year
The Free Agency period begins officially at 4PM EST. Teams can now legally tamper by negotiating between March 7-10. This is also an important date because right around this time is when contracts for 2015 start to kick in. For instance, part of Jay Cutler’s 2016 contract locks in within days after the start of the 2015 league year. If the Bears are going to make moves with some of their big names, this is the first time they’d have to make a decision.
Voluntary (not really) Veteran Bears Minicamp: April 28th – April 30th
They say these minicamps are voluntary, but we know better. Since the Bears have a new head coach, they get an extra minicamp so John Fox and his staff can start laying the groundwork to implement their systems.
NFL Draft: April 30th – May 2nd
The NFL Draft is coming to Chicago, so there will be a lot of cool events that fans can check out. With the 7th pick in the draft, the Bears will be in position to get an impact player.
Rookie Minicamp: May 8th – May 10th
Those rookies who just got drafted will get a chance to show their stuff to make an impression on the coaching staff. Besides their draft picks, the Bears will bring in some kids for tryouts. Guys like Al Louis-Jean and Senorise Perry were tryout players who stuck around.
Chicago Bears OTA’s: May 27th – June 10th
The Bears will conduct ten organized team activities (OTA’s) starting on May 27 and including three that are open to the media May 27, June 3 and June 10.
Mandatory Full Squad Minicamp: June 16th – June 18th
In addition, the Bears will announce the rookie and veteran winners of the prestigious Brian Piccolo Awards April 28 and host the Bears Care Gala in the United Club at Soldier Field May 30.