The new league year begins on Monday in the NFL, free agents can sign with new teams. We provide you with all the information about what is perhaps the most important phase of the NFL offseason.
NFL – Free Agency: When does it start?
The league year 2021 begins on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. At exactly 10:00 p.m. German time, the NFL will switch from the past season to the new one.
From this point on, players can be officially signed and the agreement with the player officially announced. Trades can also only be confirmed by the teams from 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
In practice, however, the free agency actually starts earlier. Namely with the so-called Legal Tampering Period. This phase of the offseason begins on March 15th, i.e. next Monday.
The legal tampering period allows teams and players to officially come into contact with one another and to conduct contract negotiations. Usually, numerous teams and players agree on a contract already in this phase – even if the signature and the official announcement cannot take place until March 17th at 10 p.m.
NFL – Free Agency: who are the best players out there?
As in almost every year, numerous top-class players will also be free agents this year. Superstars like Dallas’ Dak Prescott or Chicago’s Allen Robinson were franchise tagged (see below), but there are still some top players on the open market.
One of those players is Kenny Golladay. After the franchise tags for Robinson and Chris Godwin, the Lions star leads a good receiver group (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Corey Davis, Will Fuller) in the Free Agency.
Another player who can look forward to a very big payday is Trent Williams, who was with the San Francisco 49ers last season. The offensive tackle could become the highest paid player in his position.
Other big names in the Free Agency include Shaquil Barrett (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers), Richard Sherman (San Francisco 49ers) and Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers). Here you can see an overview of the most important free agents.
NFL – Free Agency: The most important free agents
| Name | Position | Ex-Team |
| Kenny Golladay | Wide Receiver | Detroit Lions |
| Trent Williams | Offensive Tackle | San Francisco 49ers |
| Shaquil Barrett | Edge Defender | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Hunter Henry | Tight End | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Richard Sherman | Cornerback | San Francisco 49ers |
| Aaron Jones | Running Back | Green Bay Packers |
| Joe Thuney | Guard | New England Patriots |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins |
| Anthony Harris | Safety | Minnesota Vikings |
| Jameis Winston | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
| Will Fuller | Wide Receiver | Houston Texans |
| Corey Linsley | Center | Green Bay Packers |
| John Johnson | Safety | Los Angeles Rams |
NFL – Free Agency: Which players got the Franchise Tag?
As already mentioned, players like Prescott and Robinson ultimately did not become free agents despite expiring contracts. The reason for this is the franchise day.
The franchise day allows teams to tie a player with an expiring contract to their own team for another year. As a salary, the player receives either the average of the top 5 salaries in his position or 120 percent of his salary in the previous year – whichever is higher.
In 2021, in addition to Prescott, who received the tag but will sign a long-term new contract, nine players were held with the franchise tag. Here you can see the overview:
- Brandon Scherff (Guard, Washington Football Team)
- Chris Godwin (Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Cam Robinson (Offensive Tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Leonard Williams (Defensive Tackle, New York Giants)
- Allen Robinson (Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears)
- Taylor Moton (Offensive Tackle, Carolina Panthers)
- Justin Simmons (Safety, Denver Broncos)
- Marcus Maye (Safety, New York Jets)
- Marcus Williams (Safety, New Orleans Saints)
