Are you ready for some voluntary offseason workouts?
Monday marks the beginning of the offseason program for 13 NFL clubs.
The Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders all kick off the offseason program today.
Seven additional clubs will begin workouts Tuesday. The 10 teams with new head coaches got a head start on their programs in the previous two weeks. The Philadelphia Eagles (April 25) and Cincinnati Bengals (May 2) are the final teams to begin workouts.
It's important to reiterate that this phase is voluntary, and players are not required to attend. Not until mandatory minicamps in June will veterans be mandated to show up for workouts.
All 32 teams are entitled to a nine-week voluntary offseason program. Phase One covers the first two weeks with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning and physical rehab only.
There won't be actual football on the field, but teams will begin installing their playbooks and covering ground in meetings. For instance, Patrick Mahomes can start meeting with his new wideout room to work on the plan for replacing Tyreek Hill. Or Christian McCaffrey will get to test his fitness after missing the end of the season with his latest injury.
While it's important to note that these workouts are voluntary, it's always interesting who skips the beginning of the workout program -- especially with contract negotiations looming for key players.