The NFL has officially announced offseason workout program dates for all teams. The New York Giants, under first-year head coach Ben McAdoo, will gather for the first time on April 11.
Here is the Giants' complete offseason schedule:
- First Day: April 11
- OTA Offseason Workouts: May 23-24, May 26, June 1-3, June 6-7, June 9-10
- Voluntary Minicamp: April 26-28
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 14-16
NFL teams are generally limited to one mandatory mini-camp. The Giants, as one of the teams in the league with a new head coach, have the benefit of being allowed to hold a voluntary mini-camp. Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, that voluntary mini-camp has to be held after at least one week of Phase One of the offseason program has been held, and most conclude before the NFL Draft, held this year beginning April 28, begins.
Per the CBA, the three phases of the offseason program work as follows:
- Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only. During this phase, Giants players will work under the direction of new strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman in their redesigned weight room.
- Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual player instruction and drills as well as team practice conducted on a "separates" basis. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.
- Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or "OTAs". No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
Teams may also hold a rookie mini-camp the first or second week after the conclusion of the draft. Dates for those will be announced at a later time.
There you have it, Giants fans. Players and coaches are anxious to get started. Fans are anxious to have them get started. The McAdoo era begins for real in just a few days.