The New York Giants start their first offseason under head coach John Harbaugh on April 7. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

John Harbaugh’s NY Giants Set 2026 Offseason Schedule with Early April Start

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Apr 3, 2026 2:06 PM ET

The New York Giants will open their voluntary offseason program on Tuesday, April 7, one of several teams with a new head coach who will get to start the offseason program two weeks before the rest of the league.

The Giants will also be eligible for an extra voluntary minicamp for veteran players, which according to Article 21 of the NFL CBA must be conducted prior to the NFL Draft (April 23-25), but no earlier than Week 3 of the club’s offseason workout program and after at least one week of the two weeks of Phase One activities that the clubs may hold.

Why John Harbaugh’s Giants are Starting the 2026 Offseason Two Weeks Early

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the exception of the full team minicamp, all activities are voluntary, though for the Giants, it’s believed that they will have strong attendance given that they have a new coaching staff.

Players can also earn any offseason workout bonuses in their contracts if they attend a certain percentage of the scheduled activities.

Here are the dates for the Giants’ activities (subject to change):

The Giants will have their voluntary minicamp April 21-23 at their East Rutherford, New Jersey headquarters. The camp is closed to both the media and the public.
The Giants OTAs are scheduled for May 19-21, May 27-29, and June 1-4. As has been the case in the past, the media will have access to every third OTA workout.
The Giants’ mandatory minicamp will be June 8-10.

In addition to the above, NFL teams may hold a seven-week rookie football development program starting on May 11. This will include the rookie minicamp, which for the Giants this year is scheduled to be held May 8-9.

The extra minicamp later this month will mark the first time that quarterback Jaxson Dart and the new additions on offense--tight end Isaiah Likely, receivers Darnell Mooney and Cavin Austin III, and fullback Patrick Ricard, will hit the field together as they start to learn the new system designed by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

NFL Offseason Program Refresher

The nine-week NFL offseason program is broken down into three segments:

Phase One (two weeks) is limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation.
Phase Two consists (three weeks in length) may include on-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills” and drills and plays with offensive vs. defensive players lining up across from one another but with said drills conducted only at a walkthrough pace.
Phase Three (10 days of OTAs over four weeks) allows for 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills, but no live contact. Within Phase Three is a mandatory minicamp.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: