| saintsfan1976 |
06-09-2025 06:22 AM |
Re: 2025 Saints Mini Camp
Was curious as to the rules and regulations of NFL Minicamp today so I looked it up:
Quote:
NFL Minicamp Rules
The NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), specifically Articles 21 and 22, governs minicamp rules to ensure player safety and standardize offseason activities. Below is a concise overview of the key rules for mandatory and voluntary minicamps, including rookie and veteran sessions.
Types and Timing:
Each team may hold one mandatory minicamp for veteran players during Phase Three of the nine-week offseason program, typically in June.
Teams with new head coaches can hold an additional voluntary veteran minicamp before the NFL Draft, no earlier than week three of the offseason program and after at least one week of Phase One activities.
Each team may hold one post-draft rookie minicamp (three days) on either the first or second weekend following the NFL Draft (e.g., May 2-5 or May 9-12 in 2025).
Rookie football development programs can last seven weeks (e.g., starting May 12 in 2025), but no activities occur on weekends except for the post-draft rookie minicamp.
Duration and Structure:
Minicamps last three days, with a maximum of 10 hours per day for player activities, including meals, classroom time, and on-field work. On-field practice is limited to 3.5 hours per day, with individual sessions not exceeding 2.5 hours.
Teams can hold two practices on two of the three days, but the second practice must be a walk-through.
The first day includes physicals, with three days of on-field work.
Contact and Equipment:
No live contact is allowed, including blocking, tackling, pass rushing, or bump-and-run drills. No one-on-one offense vs. defense drills (e.g., offensive vs. defensive linemen or receivers vs. defensive backs) are permitted.
Players wear helmets but no pads, and drills are conducted in shorts and jerseys to minimize injury risk.
Phase One (first two weeks) is limited to strength, conditioning, and rehab, while Phase Two (three weeks) allows non-contact drills. Phase Three (including minicamps) permits 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills without contact.
Rookie Minicamp Specifics:
Attendees include draft picks, undrafted free agents, first-year players, and up to five veteran tryout players not under contract.
Focus is on orientation, learning basic playbook elements (formations, coverages, routes), and assessing player readiness. Most time is spent in classrooms with scaled-down playbooks.
Some teams limit draft picks’ practice reps to prioritize conditioning, letting undrafted players get more field time due to injury concerns (e.g., Dante Fowler’s 2015 ACL injury).
Mandatory Attendance and Fines:
Veterans under contract must attend mandatory minicamps, or they face fines: $15,515 for the first day, $31,030 for the second, and $46,540 for the third (up to $93,085 total in 2022, subject to change).
Rookie minicamps and voluntary veteran minicamps are not mandatory, with attendance at the coach’s discretion.
Unsigned franchise-tagged players are not required to attend but can sign injury waivers to participate.
Safety and Compliance:
All practices must be filmed, with footage retained for 30 days before training camp to allow the NFLPA to investigate rule violations (e.g., excessive contact).
Violations, like contact drills or improper equipment (e.g., pads), can result in fines or loss of draft picks. For example, the 2016 Baltimore Ravens were fined approximately $350,000 and lost OTA days for using pads, and the Seattle Seahawks were fined $400,000 and docked a fifth-round pick for contact violations.
Injured players receive the same financial protections as during training camp.
Other Rules:
Workouts are limited to four per week, with no weekend sessions, and the mandatory minicamp counts as one week.
Intensity must prioritize player safety and learning, with drills at a teaching tempo.
Players receive meal allowances, travel expenses, and per diem for attending. Rookies and first-year players get specific daily compensation.
“Dead ball” drills in early phases allow limited activities (e.g., QBs throwing to uncovered receivers, long snappers snapping into nets), with no offense vs. defense matchups.
These rules balance player development with safety, limiting physicality to reduce injuries while allowing teams to install playbooks and evaluate talent.
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