Expected changes to the 2014 NFL calendar include the start of the league year on March 11 and a later-than-ever draft date of May 8-10 at Radio City Music Hall.
In a press release Tuesday, the NFL said future dates and sites of the draft are under consideration.
“No decision has been made regarding the dates of the NFL Draft in 2015 and beyond,” according to the league. “A variety of alternatives are being explored, teams were told, including holding the draft at Radio City or at other locations, either in the New York area or in other cities.”
The 2014 Scouting Combine will be held February 18-25, which follows the past schedule for the annual event in Indianapolis.
The “league year” will begin on March 11, 2014, when free agency commences. Most player contracts have clauses or bonuses tied to that landmark date.
Two weeks later — March 23-26 — the annual spring meeting is scheduled to take place in Orlando, Fla.
Scheduling for future years could include moving the combine to March, as was discussed last week in Boston, and then beginning the league year at the end of March.
Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear the NFL views delaying the combine by two weeks could be a benefit to the league, but negotiations with the NFLPA are ongoing.
There are signs New York won’t be the only city in the running for the 2015 draft, which could be held even later in May as soon as ’15.
“We haven’t found the location in New York that meets our requirements and where we think we can continue to grow the event,” Goodell said last week at the spring owner’s meeting. “If we do, that will be one of the alternatives. I think one of the things we have to do at some point is start looking at other cities.”