Now that the 2017 season is in the books following Sunday’s dramatic Super Bowl, it’s time to fully turn attention to 2018. Here are some exact dates and some estimated ones of importance for Panthers fans over the next seven months before the 2018 regular season kicks off:
February 20 – This is the first day (March 6 is the deadline) for teams to designate one franchise or transitional player – a tool that prevents a player from hitting the free agent market in March. Typically, the tagged player either signs a long-term deal before the mid-July deadline (July 16 this year) or plays the upcoming season under the financial terms of the tag.