If you are one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' hardcore fans, the NFL offseason is perhaps the slowest months of your year. During these months without those thrilling Sunday games featuring Steelers games, you will also miss the fun online conversations with fellow Steelers fans about fantasy football.
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Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels aggressively as Styx famous song, Renegade plays during a home game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
It’s a downtime for those who enjoy the rush of anticipation as you follow your favorite team’s games on weekends. But there are many things you can do to survive this long, dreary offseason, and that’s what we will explore in this list.
Football-Themed Games
Beyond the NFL, you can be involved in pro football games through football-themed games. You have many options, from interactive football games where you can kick the ball with your fingertips to luck-based pokies like Gridiron Glory.
It may not have the same rush as Sunday night games, but football-themed games can still teach you valuable skills for a better experience this season.
For instance, you can explore training modes in football video games to practice specific skills. This keeps your mind sharp as you devise strategic decisions like choosing formations and substitutions, among many other moves. You can also improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, spatial awareness, and overall cognitive skills as you play these games on your device.
Free Agency
Free Agency is the time when NFL players with expiring contracts can negotiate and sign contracts with other teams. Technically, those player’s contracts do not expire until the free agency kicks off. More than that, fans are most excited because it’s also the time when teams can draft picks to other teams and officially trade players.
During this time, you can also evaluate the moves and see how teams can benefit from factors like team need and contract terms, positional value, and player upside, among many other things.
NFL Salary Cap
The NFL salary cap limits are a major factor in negotiations between players' unions and league management. They limit teams’ and players' ability to negotiate higher salaries. The limit is established each year and is likely based on the leagues’ revenue–sharing agreements.
With the NFL salary cap, fans can determine if their favorite team has good general managers, as the best GMs will find ways to build a competitive roster. Meanwhile, bad GMs misspend their budget on positions that don’t give enough value to the team. While the salary cap aims to ensure a fairer share of the league’s profit, it does not guarantee team parity.
The Draft
The NFL has a year-round calendar, and the NFL Draft is perhaps one of the biggest moments in the league. This is where all 32 NFL teams gather to pick new players from the college football ranks. The NFL Draft has produced big moments, from shocking trades that altered a team’s destiny in the upcoming seasons to those humble transitions of overlooked players to become the next stars of the league.
But besides the league players, analysts, and fans also await the NFL Draft. This event allows spectators to assess the league’s future as it allows the teams to start from a clean slate, try to rebuild, and strategize for the upcoming season.
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Steelers' 2024 first round pick Troy Fautanu gets introduced as a Pittsburgh Steeler by Art Rooney II
NFL Training Camp
The NFL training camp intends to narrow the 90 prospects to 53 recruits. This sounds a bit harsh, but as an NFL fan, you should know that sports leagues need to make tough decisions to showcase the best players for the season.
Moreover, training camp is also a chance for rookies to stand out. You might have watched players who have been around a while slowly making their way towards the field. They want to be on the season’s roster and will try to make their mark in training camp.
It’s the best time for managers to see which players plate well together. It’s good to see the initial chemistry before they work with others. The goal is to find duos or trios that complement each other’s playing styles and perform beautifully together.
Wrapping Up
Every NFL season involves so many actions that it might be difficult to detach ourselves from those moments. So, we should use the offseason to take a breather and prepare for a new season. This way, we can move forward with a renewed perspective about our favorite teams and players, allowing us to speculate with a sound mind the following season.
