Buckle up. The NFL's frenzy is about to escalate.
The league's free-agent negotiating period opens at noon ET on Monday.
What does the window opening mean?
NFL teams are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents when the new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13.
In lay terms, beginning at lunchtime on the East Coast, teams can discuss potential contract terms with agents of players set to hit the market. The window is often erroneously referred to as the "legal tampering period."
Officially, deals cannot be finalized during the negotiation window, and players are not allowed to visit potential new teams, but the framework for pacts can be constructed. The negotiation period provides for a flurry of deals to be announced when free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
The negotiating window is like a soft-open for free agency. Over the weekend, clubs did its best to lock down its own free agents before reps were legally permitted to talk to other teams, which led to a flurry of signings, including Chris Jones in Kansas City and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay.Â
With the start of the negotiating window, the weekend's flurry will ramp up into a storm of rumors and news as word leaks about potential destinations before it turns into a full-blown blizzard by Wednesday.
NFL Network's Free Agency Frenzy kicks off Monday at 11 a.m. ET to keep you covered on all the latest news, reports and buzz.
