Detroit Lions OTAs – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Key NFL offseason dates to know for Lions fans

The 2021 offseason ramps up quickly

The 2021 offseason is about to really ramp up. Starting this week, the NFL starts to offer more activity and deadlines for the 32 teams.

Here are some important upcoming dates to know for Lions fans up through the NFL draft.

Feb. 23: First day for clubs to designate franchise tag or transition tag players. The Lions have the potential to use a tag on WR Kenny Golladay or DE Romeo Okwara.

March 9: Teams have a 4 p.m. ET deadline to designate franchise tag or transition tag players.

March 15-17: Legal negotiating window before free agency, a.k.a the “legal tampering” period. This ends at 4 p.m. on March 17th.

March 17: The NFL league year officially ends at 4 p.m. ET. After that time, teams are free to sign free agents to new contracts. It also is the first time trades can be made, such as the agreed-upon deal between the Lions and the Rams.

April 5: Teams that have made a head coaching change are eligible to being offseason workout programs. This applies to the Lions. It is not mandatory and the exact dates are flexible.

April 19: Teams with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 23: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets. The Lions have just one in 2021, CB Mike Ford.

April 28: Last day for clubs to match offer sheets for restricted free agents.

Apr. 29 through May 1: 2021 NFL Draft

[vertical-gallery id=58697]

4 things I learned about the Lions during the virtual offseason program

On Matt Patricia, Trey Flowers, Jeff Okudah and the respect for Matthew Stafford

The Detroit Lions wrapped up the virtual offseason program last week. It was a modification from the normal series of OTAs and minicamps due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The team did a good job keeping the media looped in via frequent Zoom teleconferences. With everyone working remotely, it was difficult to coordinate bringing everyone together.

Here are a few things I picked up about the team from the virtual offseason program.

Pages: 12345

Michigan’s stay-at-home order lifted but Lions cannot immediately return to action

Michigan’s stay-at-home order has been lifted but the Detroit Lions cannot immediately return to action just yet

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer elected to end the state’s stay-at-home lockdown order effective June 8th. Whitmer’s latest executive order will allow outdoor athletic practices, training sessions, or games to re-start with groups of up to 100 people present.

However, the Detroit Lions won’t be able to immediately jump right back into business as usual.

The NFL extended the virtual offseason period through June 12th and that mandate covers all 32 member clubs. Other than injured players receiving treatment, no players are allowed within team facilities. The Lions scheduled mandatory minicamp, from June 9-11, will need to be held virtually despite the latest edict from governor Whitmer.

Beyond the NFL’s own restrictions, the social distancing requirements laid out in Whitmer’s executive order remain firmly in place. While loosening restrictions, it notes that “participants not from the same household (must) maintain 6 feet of distance from one another at all times” during athletic activities.”

This is a necessary step toward the Lions being able to host training camp in late July at the team’s facility in Allen Park. There is still no word on what will happen with training camp, preseason or fans being allowed into Ford Field for scheduled games in the fall.

NFL sets up protocols for teams to reopen their facilities

Teams could begin Phase 1 as soon as May 15th, though local restrictions might prevent that for the Lions

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out an informative letter to all 32 teams regarding the necessary protocols for reopening team facilities and the 2020 season. It lays out stages of engagement with no clearly defined dates or schedules.

“It is impossible to project what the next few months will bring,” Goodell said in the release via AP. “Uninformed commentary that speculates on how individual clubs or the league will address a range of hypothetical contingencies serves to constructive purpose and instead confuses our fans and business partners, complicates the operations of other clubs, and distracts from the careful planning that is needed right now.”

Among the phases to return to normalcy, with a nod toward local restrictions and regulations that vary from club to club.

Phase 1 would allow for up to 50 percent of a team’s non-player employees (coaches, trainers, scouts, etc.) to occupy the facility on any given day, up to a maximum of 75. This phase could begin as soon as May 15th, though that would go against the current restrictions set in the state of Michigan by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

No players would be permitted in team buildings unless resuming a course of rehabilitation that was already underway when facilities were first closed.

Phase 2 is still up for revision and depends more on the local restrictions in place for each team.

Lions vets kick off ‘virtual’ offseason program on Monday

Even though the players can’t come to Allen Park to the team’s training facility, the Detroit Lions will still kick off the offseason program on Monday. Veterans will begin doing their supervised offseason workout program remotely, in accordance with the NFL’s policy adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

GM Bob Quinn laid out what the program will be like during his post-draft press conference on Saturday night.

“The virtual program for our vets, we’ll start there first, we’ll start Monday,” Quinn stated. “Really, what it’s going to be is during phase one normally, the players can be in the building for four hours, two of which can be on field. So, what we’re going to do for the Lions, and every team can be a little different, the League gave us a couple different choices, we’re going to use two hours every day during the phase one to do online classroom. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Quinn correctly noted that the workouts are voluntary and will be conducted four days this week. There will be no in-person rookie minicamp or local tryouts, which typically take place in the days after the draft.