The NFL offseason is one of the slowest times for sports in America. Football is the only sport that creates a major buzz every week of the regular season. With baseball, basketball and hockey, we just don’t see the same type of exposure until deep in the playoffs. Now, the NFL could be looking to stay relevant over a larger portion of the calendar year.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has proposed an overhaul of its offseason calendar that would push the draft from April to May. It would also push the NFL scouting combine to early March and the start of free agency to early April. But why?
As Schefter pointed out, the NFL is looking to lengthen its offseason and make football relevant over a larger stretch of the year. The Super Bowl is in February, which is all you really need for that month. Pushing back the other events could help keep football fresh on everyone’s mind right through the start of training camp.
In addition, the proposal would also reportedly result in all teams beginning their official training camp on the same day. The way it stands now, teams begin their training camp during a time period that is scattered over several days in July. If every team began camp on the same day, that day would mark the “official” start to another season.
The NFL is a marketing machine, and most new ideas that are put into place by the league wind up being successful. This proposal would likely be no exception. People in America love football that much.
