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monoxide · 01-23-2011, 07:29 PM

I've heard many different answers, but still haven't heard anything official. Some say it could be after the draft, and others say it will be at the same time as it usually is in the offseason. Anybody with some knowledge on the subject, I would appreciate an answer. Thanks!

**USAF HART** · 01-23-2011, 07:35 PM

It's all dependant on the CBA. If one gets done before I believe March 1st, FA will start March 1st. If one is not done before March 1st, there will not be a free agent period from what I have read. I will look for links for more evidence.

monoxide · 01-23-2011, 07:38 PM

(01-23-2011 07:35 PM)USAF HART Wrote: It's all dependant on the CBA. If one gets done before I believe March 1st, FA will start March 1st. If one is not done before March 1st, there will not be a free agent period from what I have read. I will look for links for more evidence.

thanks a lot Hart, that's really going to suck if it doesn't fall on March 1st this year.

***Peyton*** · 01-23-2011, 07:41 PM

I wouldn't look for there to be a CBA before March 1st. It'll probably be July before it gets done, then you'll have open FA after that.

**USAF HART** · 01-23-2011, 07:43 PM

Here's a good article about everything. I didn't see anything about now CBA and a Free Agency period so I am doing more research. This should be a good starting point though:

http://www.kffl.com/static/nfl/features/freeagents/

Anomaly · 01-23-2011, 08:02 PM

Yea. No Free Agency until the new CBA is done then it will start.

Irishfalconfan#35 · 01-23-2011, 08:15 PM

Yeah needs a new CBA first

Beef · 01-23-2011, 08:28 PM

I could have sworn I actually heard somewhere on the radio that FA is slotted for 3/15 because the deadline for CBA is 3/1, but I could be thinking of something else.

Even if the CBA isn't done by 3/1, there's no way we won't have an FA period at all. There'd be law suits all over the place & total chaos. It's logical that once the new CBA is complete, they'll probably open FA within a couple weeks of it when all the changes have been distributed to & absorbed by the team's FO's.

ggp · 01-23-2011, 09:28 PM

The way I understand it, Free Agency can only begin after the new CBA is in force.

The real question is how will a delay in FA affect our management of the off season?

I think that most teams will be forced to draft for need. If you think about it, that may permit the best teams to draft players that normally would not be available to them in the first round. With the worst teams drafting players that fill needs, there could be some very talented players dropping into the lower part of the first round. Positions like QB, OT, CB, DE and DT will be priorities. Instead of drafting the best WR on the board, many teams will be pressured to take the fourth or fifth best OT. Even 3-4 teams will need to draft their DE's before they consider LB's.

Without the ability to sign FA's, teams will be more inclined to work out trades. This off season may look more like Baseball than Football. Heck, we may even see a three-team trade!