When does Free Agency start this year?

[ggp]

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!