Important dates all Seattle Seahawks fans should know ahead of the 2024 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks are just beginning an uncertain offseason. That is a good thing. This means this offseason is going to be even more exciting than normal for 12s.

Seattle has already made massive changes as the team hired a new head coach (Mike Macdonald) and only has one coach returning from this past season (Karl Scott). The new staff is still uncertain exactly what the roster will look like, however. Before the 2024 season begins, the team still has free agency and the draft to go through.

But when will those two events take place? And what are other important dates between now and the draft? Here is a bit of information.

When can the Seattle Seahawks franchise tag a player?

Seattle is not likely at all to franchise tag a player this offseason simply because the team probably won't have the cap room. If Seattle does tag a player such as defensive lineman Leonard Williams or linebacker Jordyn Brooks, Seattle has from February 20 through March 5 to do so. Seattle could conceivably place the franchise tag on a player in hopes of working out a longer deal before mid-July when the amount of the tag becomes fully guaranteed.

When is the 2024 NFL combine?

Every NFL team will send a bunch of people to watch draft prospects' live workouts in Indianapolis, Indiana between Thursday, February 29, and Monday, March 4, at the NFL combine. This will be a chance for teams to interview players face-to-face and for the players to post ridiculous strength and speed numbers in order to hopefully improve their draft status. Of course, bad numbers will hurt a player. The schedule for the combine is thus:

• Defensive linemen and linebackers on Thursday, Feb. 29
• Defensive backs and tight ends on Friday, March 1
• Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers on Saturday, March 2
• Offensive linemen on Sunday, March 3

When does 2024 NFL free agency begin?

Free agency is probably the second-most interesting time for fans other than the NFL draft. The Seahawks were ultra-aggressive (for them anyway) in 2023, so who knows how general manager John Schneider will approach this offseason? Because Seattle is tight against the cap, they could lose more talent than they gain.

Free agency begins when the league's new fiscal year does and that is on Wednesday, March 13 at 1 pm PT. Teams are allowed to "legally tamper" with impending free agents from Monday, March 11 at 9 am PT until 1 pm PT on Wednesday. We will already know who many of the players are going to sign with before Wednesday because of the tampering period.

When is the NFL's annual league meeting in 2024?

Owners and whoever they want to bring along will meet from March 24 through 27 in Orlando, Florida. Rules changes will be discussed and likely a couple of other tidbits. Maybe owners will decide to completely do away with kickoffs during the meetings.

When can Mike Macdonald begin workouts with players?

Unlike every other offseason since 2011, the Seattle Seahawks have a new head coach (former coach Pete Carroll joined the team in 2010). This means Seattle can begin their offseason workouts a bit earlier. Macdonald could meet with players as soon as April 1. Teams with returning head coaches have to wait until two weeks later to meet with their teams.

What are the dates for the 2024 NFL draft?

This is basically a holiday weekend for NFL fans, right? The 2024 NFL draft will be held from Thursday, April 25, and run through Saturday, April 27. This year the draft will take place around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan. Currently, the Seahawks' draft picks are slotted as the following:

First round, pick 16
Third round, pick 78
Third round, pick 81
Fourth round, pick 119
Fifth round, pick 151
Sixth round, pick 194
Seventh round, pick 233