What must Rams fans know about the NFL 'Legal Tampering' period?

Approximately 48 hours before the start of the new NFL season, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to allow players (who have no representation) and their representatives to get a jumpstart on the business of negotiating new contracts for the next NFL season. Unofficially dubbed the NFL 'Legal Tampering,' period, it puts the rules of no contact with players or their agents aside with the interest of starting the bidding on players that much sooner.

More NFL rumors and news means more NFL headlines. Everybody wins.

And so it will come to pass that on Monday, March 11, 2024 at 9:00 am PT, the NFL's Free Agency market will begin to sizzle.

Some fun facts about the NFL Legal Tampering period

While there are many things that can take place, some scenarios are still prohibitted. Here is what you can expect for the next 48 hours once legal tampering begins:

• Players may not come into contact with any member of an NFL team's coaching staff during the legal tampering period)
• Contracts can be negotiated between players and teams. However, new contracts cannot be executed and filed with the league until Wednesday, March 13, at 1:00 pm PT
• While unusual, the delay between reaching an agreement and signing the contract can allow one side to change their mind and not sign (Frank Gore balked signing with the Eagles)
• Because no contracts are officially executed, some teams may appear to overcommit their NFL salary cap allotment.
• Teams will rush to get coveted players to commit quickly. However, the best value in the NFL Free Agency market is often found in the secondary or tertiary markets.
• Released players do not impact the algorithm that awards compensatory draft picks.
• Players signed to new contracts this year can be considered in the NFL algorithm to award new compensatory draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
• Players signed by a new team can trigger awarded compensatory picks for their former team. NFL teams that sign players may offset one potentially awarded compensatory pick per new player signed

Even as the stage is set for the Rams to fill holes in their roster in free agency, do not look for the Rams to be one of the early teams to make NFL headlines. This team is more likely to trade for a new player than sign for one. Trading bypasses the NFL algorithm for awarding compensatory draft picks. It also has the advantage of knowing the value of any player contract, affording a far greater role for the data analytics team.

Sit back and enjoy the ride today. For the rest of the week, NFL rumors and news will consume your days.

Thanks for reading.