2006 NFL calendar

March 18 -- NFL Europe League season begins.
March 26-30 -- NFL Annual Meeting, Orlando.
April 21 -- Signing period ends for restricted free agents.
April 28 -- Deadline for old club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.
April 29-30 -- NFL Draft, New York City.
May 10-12 -- NFL Coaches Career Development Symposium, Orlando.
May 20 -- NFL Europe League regular season ends.
May 21-24 -- NFL Spring Meeting, Denver.
May 27 -- World Bowl XIV, Düsseldorf, Germany.
June 1 -- Deadline for old clubs to send tender to unsigned unrestricted free agents to receive exclusive negotiating rights for rest of season if player is not signed by another club by July 22.
June 1 -- Deadline for old clubs to send tender to unsigned restricted free agents or to extend qualifying offer to retain exclusive negotiating rights.
June 15 -- Deadline for old clubs to withdraw original qualifying offer to unsigned restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting tender of 110 percent of previous year's salary.
June 25-28 -- NFL Rookie Symposium, Carlsbad, Calif.
Late July -- Training camps open.
July 22 -- Signing period ends at 4 p.m. ET for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender.
Aug. 6 -- Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio.
Aug. 10-14 -- First preseason weekend.
Aug. 29 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 65 players.
Sept. 2 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players.
Sept. 7-11 -- Kickoff 2006 Weekend.

The Indianapolis Colts offered backup safety Gerome Sapp a one-year tender.
Sapp's agent, Scott Smith, confirmed the move.
Sapp was to become a restricted free agent when free agency starts March 11. He can still negotiate with other teams, but the Colts can match another team's offer.
Four prominent players were expected to hit the market -- Colts career rushing leader Edgerrin James; kicker Mike Vanderjagt; starting linebacker David Thornton and defensive tackle Larry Tripplett, who has been a key piece in the Colts' defensive line rotation.
Team president Bill Polian has said he believes there's a 50-50 chance the team can retain James now that the salary cap has risen from $94.5 million to $102 million. But Polian acknowledged March 9 that it would be difficult for the Colts to keep Thornton and James.

Jets defensive end John Abraham will visit four teams next week in his hopes to work out a deal for a trade, his agent said.
Rich Rosa knocked down speculation that Abraham is close to a deal with Denver, not specifying what teams were interested in the three-time Pro Bowl selection.
For now, it is up to Abraham to decide where he wants to go, work out a deal with the new club, then go back to the Jets so they can put together the parameters for a trade.
How long that takes depends on the situation.
Abraham, who was designated the team's franchise player, has made it clear he wants out of New York. The Jets also have made it obvious Abraham has no future with them, placing the tag on him for the second successive year.
Along with Denver, Seattle, Atlanta and Washington are believed to be considering acquiring Abraham.
The 27-year-old Abraham is unhappy the Jets have failed to deliver a long-term deal, even though they all but assured him they would if he played in every game in 2005. He did, but was given a one-year franchise tender.
What happens with Abraham is one of the biggest questions facing the Jets heading into the start of free agency. The other is at quarterback. Though the Jets and Chad Pennington agreed to a restructured deal for salary-cap reasons, he is coming off his second shoulder operation.
The Jets need another quarterback, and have already started the process of finding one, meeting with Redskins backup Patrick Ramsey earlier in the week. The Redskins have given Ramsey permission to seek a trade. His agent, Jimmy Sexton, didn't return repeated phone calls seeking comment.
Another option is drafting a quarterback with the No. 4 pick. The Jets also need help on the offensive line and in the secondary, but aren't expected to make any moves for big-name players.

Minnesota has lifted the transition designation on CB Brian Williams after the one-year tender for the position was raised based on changes in the new collective bargaining agreement. As a result, Williams becomes an unrestricted free agent at the stroke of midnight

Green Bay has resigned DE Aaron Kampman just hours before he was to become an unrestricted free agent this evening. That may set up a potential draft day dilemma for the Packers. Green Bay has the 5th pick overall this year and most projections have them taking North Carolina State DE Mario Williams. The Packers, of course, could still take Williams if he was still available with the 5th pick, however, it could also have them looking at other players or even a possible trade down.

As the clock strikes midnight, the NFL trading period and free agent signing period finally gets underway. The NFL season was supposed to start March 3rd, however, it was delayed while the NFL and the players association worked out a new colective bargaining agreement.