NFL Extends Franchise Tag Window To First Day Of Legal Tampering, Setting Up For Crazy Day For Free Agency
BOSTON (CBS) -- Aside from swirling rumors and speculation, it's been a relatively quiet offseason for the NFL. That will not last long. Things are going to get real busy real quickly.
On Tuesday, news broke that the league was extending the window for teams to apply franchise tags or transition tags until Monday, March 16. The end of that window had been scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, at 4 p.m. ET. Yet with the NFLPA extending its deadline for players to vote on the new CBA proposal from Thursday to Saturday, seemingly everything in the league is shifting back.
The reason for the change is sensible. With the league entering the final year of the existing CBA, a provision existed that allowed teams to use both the franchise and the transition tags. (Normally, teams can either use one or the other -- or neither.) But if the new CBA passes, then teams won't have the freedom. So by extending the tag window until after the vote, teams are able to operate without the possibility of having to rescind one of those tags on an impending free agent.
And so, the setup for next Monday is certainly unique. Teams are allowed to place the franchise tag on players right up until 11:59 a.m. ET. After that, soon-to-be free agents will be allowed to speak with potential suitors, working out the framework for deals that can become official on March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
Some national NFL reporters are expecting a day -- and a week, really -- of madness.
Despite the changes, free agency will still begin as scheduled on March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
