3 things to watch: 2026 League Meetings

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3 things to watch: 2026 League Meetings

Detroit Lions
28 Mar 2026, 16:30 GMT+

Tim Twentyman

NFL team owners, executives, head coaches and other league personnel will meet in Phoenix over the next few days for the Annual League Meetings. It's where all the league business pertaining to the 2026 season will be discussed and voted on.

Here are three things to watch out for:

1. Club proposals, playing rules, bylaws & resolutions

During the league meetings, teams will discuss proposals to change playing rules, bylaws and resolutions, submitted by teams and the NFL's Competition Committee. For any rule change to go into effect for the 2026 season, it needs 75 percent of the ownership groups (24) to vote in favor.

Two team proposals by Pittsburgh and Cleveland:

Pittsburgh To make permanent the change implemented during the 2025 season that permits clubs to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agents during the Two-Day Negotiation Period, and to permit clubs to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.

Cleveland To allow draft selections to be traded up to five (5) seasons in the future.

Five Competition Committee proposals:

To permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.

To eliminate the kicking team's incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.

To modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team players in the setup zone.

To allow league personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.

For one year only, to allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses made by on-field officials that impact the game, in the event that there is a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.

The Competition Committee also proposed three Bylaw changes:

To permit the league office to adjust the procedures and related dates and deadlines for the final roster reduction to accommodate an international game scheduled in the first week of the regular season.

To establish the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend as business days to provide clubs with personnel notices during the first weekend after the roster reduction.

To permit players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform to begin a 21-day practice period after the club's second game of the regular season.

The full list of all playing rule, bylaw and resolution proposals can be foundhere.

2. Breakfast with Dan Campbell

The head coaches hold one-hour breakfast sessions with the media - NFC coaches on Monday and AFC on Tuesday. It's an opportunity to sit down with Dan Campbell and really do a deep dive into the offseason so far.

We typically discuss each free agent in detail, as well as how things are coming along with a coaching staff that saw some turnover at the offensive coordinator position this offseason with Drew Petzing coming in.

It's always good to check in with division coaches Kevin O'Connell, Matt LaFleur and Ben Johnson to see how they feel about their teams at the beginning of the new league year with the draft right around the corner.

The AFC session on Tuesday can certainly be informative as well. What are the Lions getting in some of the free-agent signings coming from AFC teams?

3. Rod Wood interview

The business side of football is an important aspect that sometimes gets overlooked, especially this time of year with free agency and NFL Draft prep in full swing.

This will be the last League Meetings for Lions team president Rod Wood, whoannounced in February he would be retiring before the start of the 2026 season.Wood will remain with the team until his successor is hired following a global search led by Russell Reynolds Associates.

Since taking over the role in 2015, Wood has accomplished a lot. He was part of the search team that brought general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell to Detroit. That decision has led to two NFC North titles in the last three seasons.

He also oversaw upgrades at both Ford Field and the Meijer Performance Center. Detroit's season-ticket sales, television and global reach continue to be among the league's best.

What will Wood have to say about the Lions playing in Germany next season in the NFL International Series and what might be planned for Lions fans there? There's always talk of scheduling and the team's perspective on some of the rule change proposals as well.