The next significant NFL event on the 2026 calendar is rookie minicamps. Those will take place for teams around the league either the first or second weekend of May. But that won’t be the case for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced the rookie minicamp dates, along with the dates for the rest of the offseason workouts around the league.
The Lions will be the only team in the league this offseason not to host a rookie minicamp.
Instead, Campbell and the team will hold their next round of offseason workouts from May 27-29. They will also have workouts from June 2-4 and June 9-11.
Detroit’s mandatory minicamp, which is the last offseason activity on the team’s calendar, will occur on June 16 and 17.
SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman reacted to the team’s decision not to host a rookie minicamp. Reisman called it a “significant oddity.”
“It isn’t breaking news the Lions aren’t holding rookie minicamp this year. The Detroit Free Press was the first to report this last week. However, with all 32 schedules out for OTAs, it’s now clear Detroit is the only one skipping out this year,” wrote Reisman.
“As for why, Lions general manager Brad Holmes was asked after Day 3 of the NFL Draft, and his answer didn’t provide much clarity. He simply noted that they have determined that there are more valuable ways to spend their time, as they looking to adjust and improve their process.”
Lions Won’t Have 2026 Rookie Minicamp
If the Lions were making this decision last year, it might have gone largely uncriticized. Last offseason, the team was coming off a 15-2 campaign where they earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Yes, the Lions suffered a really tough home loss in the NFC divisional round after their bye. But still, there was a lot of good faith around the organization last spring.
Not that the fan base shouldn’t still feel confident in Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes as decision-makers. But it just feels strange not to hold a rookie minicamp.
Every other team in the league found it worth their time this offseason.
After Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Holmes explained the team’s process of trying to be more efficient.
“I told you guys at the end of the season, me and Dan [Campbell] were going to take a long, hard look at everything single thing from top to bottom and that’s what we did,” Holmes told the media. “Those kind of involvements or efficiencies, those came about from that.
“We’re not doing things just to do it just because you feel like you have to do it. You can’t be scared when you want to try something new that you think is going to be better for the football team …
“That’s why some things are, from a calendar standpoint, look like they’re removed, but there are other things that are going to take their place.”
No rookie minicamp is just one of a few minor changes the Lions are making this offseason.
Reisman wrote the team didn’t hold a local pro day for the NFL Draft. Holmes also didn’t attend the NFL’s annual league meetings in March.
Finally, the Lions will not have any joint practices during training camp.
Lions Stand Alone With 1 Unusual NFL Offseason Decision