Seattle Seahawks offseason schedule: When are OTAs, minicamps and more

Most of the Seattle Seahawks organization is preparing for the 2024 NFL draft, of course, but coaches and current players are still trying to get a feel for each other. For the first time since 2010, Seattle has a new coaching staff and new systems to teach and learn. This has been a massive offseason of transition in Seattle so voluntary workouts and minicamps have taken on added importance.

The NFL regulates its offseason workouts. There are basically four phases if you count the mandatory minicamp as a phase. Throughout these phases, there won't be full contact, but that doesn't keep the players from understanding what the coaches need.

This will be new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's first time overseeing an offseason program. He will be learning as much as the players are. Besides just doing a bit of remodeling at the VMAC, Macdonald is trying to get players to buy into his philosophy.

Remaining offseason schedule for the Seattle Seahawks

When is Seattle's next voluntary minicamp?

Seattle will hold its next voluntary minicamp from April 22 through 24. This will be a day before the 2024 NFL draft is held so one can bet that the Seahawks' front office will be busy preparing for the weekend instead of focusing on voluntary workouts. The minicamp is more important this year for Seattle's coaching staff, though, because of the offseason coaching moves.

When is the 2024 NFL draft?

The NFL will hold its annual draft for 2024 between April 25 and 27. The first round will begin at 5 pm PT and will be the only round held on Thursday, the 25th. On Friday, April 26, the second and third rounds will be held and that will begin at 4 pm PT. The final day of the draft, Saturday, April 27, will begin at 9 am PT and will feature rounds four through seven. The draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan this year.

When is Seattle's organized team activities (OTAs)?

According to the NFL Players Association website, the following rules will apply to OTAs:

3 weeks for 10 total OTAs
A maximum of 3 OTAs each week for the first 2 weeks
During Weeks 1 and 2 a 4th non-OTA workout is allowed but phase two rules apply
A maximum of 4 OTAs for the 3rd or 4th week
One week for minicamp
No pads except protective knee and elbow pads, helmets are permitted
No live contact
7 on 7, 9 on 7, and 11 on 11 drills will be permitted provided no live contact takes place

The point seems to be that there can be "no live contact" in case you missed the various mentions of that above. Some old-school fans think that contact makes players tougher, but, of course, more live contact means the potential for more injuries. That could impact a player long-term, of course, by suffering an injury during a relatively meaningless part of offseason workouts.

Seattle will hold OTAs on May 20, May 22-23, May 28, May 30-31, June 3-4, and June 6-7. This year's OTAs are even more important than the ones in the last decade. The Seahawks' new coaches will still be trying to implement their new schemes with the players as opposed to former head coach Pete Carroll who was in charge for the last 14 seasons.

When is Seattle's final mandatory minicamp?

The NFLPA website lists the following rules for minicamps:

Physicals on Monday but no practice
Practices Tuesday-Thursday, with a day off on Friday
Allowed two practices totaling 3 ½ Hours on the field per day
Second practice limited to walk-through activities only

Seattle will hold camp from June 11 through 13. Minicamps will be the coaches' last chance to meet with players and get them ready for the 2024 season before training camp. The hope is that nothing notable happens between June 13 and late July because that usually means something bad has happened.