Everything You Need to Know About the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason Schedule
By Luke Sims
The 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars offseason schedule has been announced by the NFL. Here’s what you can expect.
April 17 is the start of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ official offseason program. Offseason activities have already started getting attention for the Jaguars in light of executive vice president for football operations Tom Coughlin’s insistence on challenging the NFL’s reporting date for new coaches.
New coaches start on April 3, but head coach Doug Marrone was an interim head coach to end the 2016 season. The NFL originally granted a start date of April 10, but the NFL Player’s Association challenged the ruling and won, pushing the Jags back to April 17. The NFL notes in its communication that dates are subject to change, as easily evidenced by the Jags’ efforts.
As the offseason is quickly approaching, let’s explore what the different stages will mean for the Jaguars.
April 17, 2017 – Begin Phase One
For two weeks, starting April 18, the Jacksonville Jaguars (like other teams) will be able to work with players on training and teaching. It is important to note that beginning on this day, the team’s players can voluntarily come to the team facility (another point of contention brought on by Coughlin’s call for players to report earlier) to stay in shape and begin to learn the important schemes and programs the team will be implementing going forward.
It is important to note that players won’t be working out on the field in this two-week period. This is all about strength and conditioning and education. These are important efforts that may be easily overlooked in the offseason but can be critical to a team like the Jags that will have plenty of new faces to get on board.
May 3, 2017 – Begin Phase Two
May 3 marks the start of a three-week period called phase two for the Jaguars. The Jags will be able to go through drills at this time, though there is not contact permitted. Don’t expect to see anything about offense vs defense, either. It’s all about starting to implement the concepts the team has been learning while on the field.