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The Chicago Bears will begin “Phase 1” of their offseason workout program tomorrow, April 18.
The workouts are entirely voluntary, and last two weeks. They are limited to rehab, conditioning and strength activities up to four hours a day. Limited on-field activity is allowed, but only strength and conditioning coaches can be on the field with the players and on-field activity is limited to 90 minutes, according to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players.
Teams can only schedule two of the four hours of activities while the players are at the facilities, and the players can choose what type of other participation they wish to do (weights, conditioning, treatment, etc.).
Here’s a list of all of the important off-season dates of note.
Bears Offseason Workout Dates:
- First day of Phase 1: April 18th
- First day of Phase 2: May 2
- Organized Team Activities: May 22-23, May 25, May 30, June 1-2, June 5-6, June 8-9
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 13-15
According to the NFL, Article 21 of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players lays out exactly how the offseason is run. Each club’s official, voluntary nine-week offseason program is conducted in three phases:
Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only.
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.
The Bears also will have Rookie “Mini-Camp” for those rookies eligible to participate within two weekends of the draft, as well as a seven week “rookie development program” which can start on May 15 for eligible players.