The NFL new league year officially begins at 4 p.m. on March 14th and free agent contracts can be executed:
Let the games begin.
NFL clubs are now permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2017 player contracts at 4 p.m. on March 14. That is when the new league year officially begins and contracts can be executed. Until then, nothing can be signed.
Below is a breakdown of Giants players set to become free agents. The NFL salary cap has been set at $177,200,000 per club for the 2018 league year.
Unrestricted Free Agents:
LB Akeem Ayers
S Nat Berhe
DT Jay Bromley
LB Jonathan Casillas
CB Ross Cockrell
RB Orleans Darkwa
G D.J. Fluker
LB Devon Kennard
WR Tavarres King
CB Darryl Morris
OL Justin Pugh
C Weston Richburg
LB Keenan Robinson
LB Kelvin Sheppard
QB Geno Smith
RB Shane Vereen
DE Kerry Wynn
Restricted
C Brett Jones
Exclusive Rights
LB Curtis Grant
TE Ryan O'Malley
DT Robert Thomas
*A restricted free agent may be subject to a qualifying offer. Players with three accrued seasons who have received a qualifying offer become restricted free agents when their contracts expire. Unrestricted free agents have completed four or more accrued seasons. An unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any club with no draft choice compensation owed to his old club. An accrued season counts as six or more regular-season games on a club's active/inactive, reserved/injured or reserve/physically unable to perform lists. An exclusive-rights free agent has two or fewer accrued seasons.
NFL.com ranks the top players set to become free agents on March 14.
- QB Jay Cutler (AP Photo/Rich Barnes)
- C Travis Swanson (Detroit Lions via AP)
- RB Frank Gore (Matt Patterson via AP)
- OL Chris Hubbard (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
- G Senio Kelemete (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
- DE/OLB Junior Galette (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- C/G Matt Slauson (Ryan Kang via AP)
- RB Darren Sproles (G. Newman Lowrance via AP)
- LB Derrick Johnson (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
- RB LeGarrette Blount (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
- K Graham Gano (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
- DE Brent Urban (Al Tielemans via AP)
- CB Johnathan Joseph (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- DE/OLB Alex Okafor (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
- DE Kony Ealy (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr.)
- RB Doug Martin (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
- DE Pernell McPhee (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
- LB Jerrell Freeman (Scott Boehm via AP)
- WR Eric Decker (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
- RB Jeremy Hill (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
- S Tavon Wilson (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
- QB Colin Kaepernick (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
- WR Danny Amendola (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- DT Bennie Logan (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
- CB T.J. Carrie (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
- OT Cameron Fleming (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
- LB Todd Davis (Jeff Haynes/AP Images)
- DE/OLB Trent Murphy (Scott Boehm via AP)
- C John Sullivan (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
- RB Rex Burkhead (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
- DT Haloti Ngata (Detroit Lions via AP)
- S Tyvon Branch (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- RB Isaiah Crowell (Scott Boehm via AP)
- WR Taylor Gabriel (Jeff Haynes/AP Images)
- G Josh Kline (Al Tielemans via AP)
- LB NaVorro Bowman (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- WR Mike Wallace (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
- DT Dominique Easley (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
- DT Kyle Williams (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
- DE William Hayes (Jeff Haynes/AP Images)
- LB Demario Davis (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
- CB Aaron Colvin (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
- CB Rashaan Melvin (Jeff Haynes/AP Images)
- DE Adrian Clayborn (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- WR Donte Moncrief (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
- TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
- S Tre Boston (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- CB Patrick Robinson (Tom DiPace via AP)
- DT Justin Ellis (Paul Spinelli via AP)
- RB Jerick McKinnon (G. Newman Lowrance via AP)
- LB Anthony Hitchens (James D. Smith via AP)
- WR John Brown (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- G Josh Sitton (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
- LB Preston Brown (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
- QB Josh McCown (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
- CB Prince Amukamara (Scott Boehm via AP)
- OL Ryan Jensen (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- WR Marqise Lee (Margaret Bowles via AP)
- CB Morris Claiborne (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
- WR Paul Richardson (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
- CB Brent Grimes (Paul Spinelli via AP)
- LB Tahir Whitehead (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
- DE/OLB Julius Peppers (Chris Keane/AP Images)
- DL DaQuan Jones (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
- WR Jordan Matthews (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- TE Tyler Eifert (Paul Spinelli via AP)
- OL Jack Mewhort (Peter Read Miller via AP)
- TE Trey Burton (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
- QB AJ McCarron (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
- CB E.J. Gaines (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- WR Terrelle Pryor (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
- C Weston Richburg (Al Tielemans via AP)
- DT Star Lotulelei (NFL Photos via AP)
- RB Dion Lewis (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
- S Morgan Burnett (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- LB Avery Williamson (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- LB Nigel Bradham (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
- S Eric Reid (Ric Tapia via AP)
- S Kenny Vaccaro (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
- TE Jimmy Graham (James D. Smith via AP)
- RB Carlos Hyde (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)
- DE Muhammad Wilkerson (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- LB Zach Brown (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- OL Justin Pugh (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
- DT Dontari Poe (Al Tielemans via AP)
- OT Nate Solder (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
- CB Bashaud Breeland (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
- QB Sam Bradford (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
- QB Teddy Bridgewater (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
- DB Lamarcus Joyner (Paul Spinelli via AP)*UPDATE: Rams place non-exclusive franchise tag on Joyner
- CB Trumaine Johnson (Ryan Kang via AP)
- CB Malcolm Butler (Kevin Terrell via AP)
- QB Case Keenum (Kirby Lee via AP)
- CB Kyle Fuller (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)*UPDATE: Bears place transition tag on Fuller
- G Andrew Norwell (Ric Tapia via AP)
- WR Sammy Watkins (NFL Photos via AP)
- DT Sheldon Richardson (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
- WR Allen Robinson (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
- RB Le'Veon Bell (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)*UPDATE: Steelers place non-exclusive franchise tag on Bell
- QB Drew Brees (Kirby Lee via AP)
- QB Kirk Cousins (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Ahead of the league year's Wednesday start, the NFL issued a Free Agency FAQ:
Q. When does the 2018 free agency signing period begin?
A. At 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14.
Q. What are the categories of free agency?
A. Players are either "restricted free agents" or "unrestricted free agents." A restricted free agent may be subject to a "qualifying offer." A restricted or unrestricted free agent may be designated by his prior club as its franchise player or transition player.
Q. What is the time period for free agency signings this year?
A. For restricted free agents, from March 14 to April 20. For unrestricted free agents who have received the May 8 tender from their prior club, from March 14 to July 23 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). For franchise players, from March 14 until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season, November 13. For transition players, from March 14 until July 23. After July 23 and until 4 p.m. ET on the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season, November 13, the prior club has exclusive negotiating rights to unrestricted free agents and transition players. If the above-listed players do not sign by November 13, they must sit out the season.
Q. What is the difference between a restricted free agent and an unrestricted free agent?
A. In the 2018 league year, players with three accrued seasons who have received a qualifying offer become restricted free agents when their contracts expire at the conclusion of the 2017 league year on March 14. Unrestricted free agents have completed four or more accrued seasons. Upon expiration of his 2017 contract, an unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any club with no draft choice compensation owed to his old club.
Q. What constitutes an "accrued season"?
A. Six or more regular-season games on a club's active/inactive, reserved/injured or reserve/physically unable to perform lists.
*Q. How do the free agency rules apply to restricted free agents? *
A. If a player with three accrued seasons has received a "qualifying offer" (a salary tender predetermined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players) from his old club. He can negotiate with any club through April 20. If the restricted free agent signs an offer sheet with a new club, his old club can match the offer and retain him because the qualifying offer entitles it to a "right of first refusal" on any offer sheet the player signs. If the old club does not match the offer, it may receive draft choice compensation depending on the amount of its qualifying offer. If an offer sheet is not executed on or before April 20, the player's negotiating rights revert exclusively to his old club. In addition, prior to the start of free agency a player who would otherwise be a restricted free agent may be designated by his old club as its franchise player or transition player.
Q. What determines an unrestricted free agent?
A. A player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. He is free to sign with any club, with no draft choice compensation owed to his old club, through July 23 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). At that point, his negotiating rights revert exclusively to his old club if by May 8 the old club tendered the player a one-year contract for 110 percent of his prior year's salary. His old club then has until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season (November 13) to sign him. If he does not sign by that date, he must sit out the season. If no tender is offered by May 8, the player can be signed by any club at any time throughout the season.
Q. What is the salary cap for 2018?
A. The salary cap is $177,200,000 per club.
Q. When must teams be in compliance with the salary cap?
A. At the start of the 2018 league year, which begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14.
Q. If a team is under the salary cap at the end of a given season, can the team "carry over" room to the next season?
A. Yes. A team may carry over room from one league year to the following league year by submitting notice to the NFL prior to 4:00 p.m. ET on the day following the team's final regular-season game, indicating the amount of room that the club wishes to carry over.
Q. What is the maximum amount of room that a club can carry over?
A. A club can carry over 100 percent of its remaining 2017 room to its adjusted salary cap for 2018.
