What Is an OTA in Football? How Does OTA Work

March 16, 2023

OTA is not a single event, it is an umbrella term meaning “organized team activity.” OTAs refer to practices and team meetings during the off-season. Also, OTAs can mean team events like morale-building boot camps and bowling trips. In the NFL, teams have many different requirements for practice Because the league doesn’t close during the offseason after the Super Bowl ends, the NFL and the players’ association come to an agreement on when practices can be held and how they must be held.

The contract is made to allow players to rest and take time away from football. Which prevents players from putting too much wear on their bodies. You can divide the offseason into different categories with specific rules for each. One of these categories is “Organized Team Activities”, or OTAs. These are semi-practices held after the NFL Draft in April. And before training camp begins in late July or early August.

What Is an OTA in Football?

OTA stands for Organized Team Activities. Each NFL team is allowed a certain number of OTAs per offseason, based on the contracts reached. It’s worth noting that OTAs are voluntary which means teams cannot penalize their players for failing to participate.

However, in situations where a team has the autonomy to decide who gets or doesn’t get, most players usually volunteer their presence. The big exceptions are players who are negotiating contracts and who work through free agency. OTAs typically last nine weeks. Most NFL teams usually schedule their games between April and June.

What Are The Rules Involved With OTA?

Several rules are guiding the OTAs some of which we have already discussed. First, the maximum time on the field during OTAs is 2 hours per day. Also, the total time allotted for each day’s work cannot exceed 6 hours in any capacity. Furthermore, fully padded practice is not permitted, although helmets are. Practice pants and shoulder pads are prohibited.

In the previous CBA, players were forced to wear soft shells that were referred to as spiders or skeletons. They help in providing shoulder cushioning which helps in avoiding injuries arising from accidents. However, in today’s NFL, they are no longer allowed.

What are OTA’s Anyway?

The period between the end of the draft in April and the start of training camp at the end of July is considered a quiet period in the National Football League (NFL). Coaches and players are expected to recharge their batteries in May and June in anticipation of a hot, tough training camp. However, these months of lull have passed as a new and overused term “OTA” entered the vocabulary of NFL teams. OTA stands for “Organized Team Activities”. It’s a term coined in the legal terminology of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to keep a close eye on teams’ off-season preparations before training camp.

The Rules Around NFL OTAs

NFL rules specify that teams can hold OTAs for a total of 10 days. This 10-day period must be broken down over the period of the year… What the NFL calls “Phase Three” of its offseason program takes place over three days during the first two weeks. A maximum of four days may be held during the third or fourth week, and the other three days of OTAs may be held during what is termed “mandatory veteran minicamp.” In addition to setting the schedule, the contract between the NFL and the NFL Players Association dictates what can actually happen in practice.

OTA Schedules

NFL teams release their scheduled OTA practice dates. Practices are usually held in May and June and include veteran, recently drafted players and undrafted free agents invited as athletes. Generally, the OTA calendar consists of three parts:

1. NFL Offseason workout programs

The first few weeks of the OTA window are strength and conditioning. Players lift weights, run. Injured players are monitored during their rehabilitation and restricted to certain activities.

2. Learning the NFL playbook

According to former NFL coach Jon Gruden, a typical playbook contains hundreds of plays. Teams select 75 to 100 pass plays and 15 to 20 run plays when putting together a game plan for a given week. Playbooks and terminology vary from team to team. Systems take a while to learn if players change systems, so imagine the challenge for teams changing newly drafted players and free agents.

3. Low intensity contact and mandatory minicamps

With the OTA window closed, teams can schedule 10 days of full non-contact practice. Although no tackling and full speed blocking are allowed, teams may line up and engage each other in play drills. Veterans Minicamp: Teams can schedule up to 4 days of mandatory practices.

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