Important dates for the Saints from now until the draft

We’re approaching the busy period of the NFL offseason. For Fans of the New Orleans Saints, here are all of the important dates you need to know from until the start of the 2022 NFL Draft:

• March 8th: Deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag to a player (like Marcus Williams or Terron Armstead) - 4:00 PM ET.
• March 14th - March 16th: This is the two-day window before free agency begins, affectionately known as the “legal tampering period.” At this point, NFL cans are able to begin unofficially entering contract negotiations with players who are set to be unrestricted free agents. This is also the time qualifying offers to restricted free agents (or offers to unrestricted free agents) can be extended.
• March 16th: By 4:00 PM ET, the New Orleans Saints must be under the 2022 salary cap. The legal tampering period is over and free agency officially begins. At this point, teams may officially sign players to new contracts and/or trade players to/from teams who are already under contract.
• March 27th - March 30th: Annual League Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida
• April 4th: NFL teams that hired a new coach after the 2021 season (like the New Orleans Saints and Dennis Allen) may begin workout programs.
• April 18th: Teams that retained their head coach from last season can begin offseason workouts.
• April 22nd: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
• April 28th - April 30th: 2022 NFL Draft, set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the New Orleans Saints select 18th overall in the first round.