FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coaches are currently enjoying some time off, and upon their return they will be swinging into action in the team-building portion of the NFL calendar. Along those lines, here are some key dates for them (and all teams):
Feb. 20 -March 6 -- The window for clubs to designate franchise or transition players
Feb. 27-March 5 -- NFL combine (Indianapolis)
March 12-14 -- Clubs are allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2017 player contracts at 4 p.