The San Francisco 49ers league year is just about ready to get under way now that the NFL Lockout is heading into our rear view mirror. The 49ers have a variety of draft picks and free agents of their own to sign and will also be looking to add undrafted rookie free agents for depth and veteran free agents to fill holes throughout the roster. Throw in the possibility of some trades and it's going to be a busy "offseason."
Normally the league calendar stretches from free agency in Early March to the draft in late April to the start of training camp in late July. This year we will see that five month calendar compressed into a week-long period. It will start with the signing of draft picks and undrafted free agents and will culminate in veteran free agency opening on Friday night. The NFL provided a rundown of what will be a hectic next few days. Here is the league calendar for this week:
Monday: Teams receive the official list of free agents at 3:00pm pacific.
Tuesday: Team facilities open at 7:00am pacific and players may report for physicals and voluntary strength and conditioning. At the same time, rosters expand to 90 men, trading begins for 2011 and teams can begin signing their own draft picks as well as undrafted rookie free agents. Teams can also start negotiating with, but not sign, any and all free agents on their own team or around the league.
Wednesday: Training camps begin to open.
Thursday: Cut day as teams can begin to cut players to get under the cap, beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. The San Francisco plan to open camp on Thursday to begin preparations for their exhibition opener on Thursday August 12.
Friday: Veteran free agency transactions can be filed, beginning at 6 p.m. EDT.