As the offseason goes, the busiest week is upon us.
The new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 16. That’s when trades officially can happen. It’s when every team needs to be in compliance with the 2022 salary cap of $208.2 million, based on the 51 highest-paid players on the roster. It’s when players whose contracts with their current teams have expired may sign new contracts with new teams.
It all gets started, officially, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, when negotiations may commence between players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents (i.e., four or more years of experience with an expiring contract) and new teams. New teams can’t talk directly to the player (it happens sometimes, and the league rarely does anything about it — except when it does), unless those players represent themselves.
The discussions already have begun, with the Scouting Combine being the hotbed for it, since all teams and most agents are in town at the same time. Agents and teams have a general idea as to who the targets will be, even if teams have become a bit more discreet when it comes to actively exchanging numbers before the window opens. It’s tampering, but there’s nothing the league can do about it, because it’s so widespread.
The new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 16. That’s when trades officially can happen. It’s when every team needs to be in compliance with the 2022 salary cap of $208.2 million, based on the 51 highest-paid players on the roster. It’s when players whose contracts with their current teams have expired may sign new contracts with new teams.
It all gets started, officially, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, when negotiations may commence between players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents (i.e., four or more years of experience with an expiring contract) and new teams. New teams can’t talk directly to the player (it happens sometimes, and the league rarely does anything about it — except when it does), unless those players represent themselves.
The discussions already have begun, with the Scouting Combine being the hotbed for it, since all teams and most agents are in town at the same time. Agents and teams have a general idea as to who the targets will be, even if teams have become a bit more discreet when it comes to actively exchanging numbers before the window opens. It’s tampering, but there’s nothing the league can do about it, because it’s so widespread.