supafly

For all of you guys b!tching about the Mike Wallace situation (like there ever was one), RFA's cannot even be contacted with or negotiated with until 5 full days until free agency.

That would mean Saturday at the earliest.

This would also hold up for someone like Hoyer, who may possibly draw interest from other teams.

Even though I think any rumors about giving up a 1st round pick AND setting the market for Wallace are completely ridiculous, it would be exciting nonetheless.

But just don't complain about it until the weekend, at the earliest.

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DaBruinz

This was tweeted about by several of the pundits and the league office told them that this isn't true at all. RFAs can be contacted and negotiated with now.

brady199

Looks like they can be singed right away...

2012 NFL Free Agency Questions & Answers

Q. What is the time period for free agency signings this year?
A. For restricted free agents, from March 13 to April 20. For unrestricted free agents who have received the June 1 tender from their prior Club, from March 13 to July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). For franchise players, from March 13 until the Tuesday following the 10th week of the regular season, November 13. If a franchise player does not sign by November 13, he must sit out the season. There are no transition player designations this year.

MoLewisrocks

I checked the new CBA and it seems that the dates were supposed to be set in September. They are generally different from the start of the league year, but things have been getting compacted since the lockout and the new CBA. League years used to start the first week in March. This year it was March 13th. The CBA only additionally stipulates that there must be a minimum of 35 days for RFA that ends 5 days prior to the draft. This year there are only 39 days between the start of the league year and there being 5 days before the draft (which has also been moved back with the new Thursday/Friday first two rounds evening format).

Earlier league calendars all had the 17th as the start of the RFA signing period, but those were probably based on simple math and going with 35 days.

UK_Pat37

RFAs can be contacted straight away. I don;'t know where the pundits got their info from.

IMO Danny Amendola was spotted at Patriots Place last night......

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ctpatsfan77

What I've seen is that negotiations can begin, but teams can't sign other teams' RFAs to offer sheets until the 17th.

So was Michael Vick in 2009.

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signbabybrady

IMO stands for in my opinion right? Either he was there or wasn't what's opinion got to do with it?

Also I heard he was at The Place in Boston not patriot place and he has ties to the area.

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madmike77

It wouldn't really be fair to open RFAs up 5 days after FA.

No RFA would get targeted because there's no guarantee a team trying to sign them would actually be able to get them. And a team looking at an RFA would lose out on potential UFAs in the meantime.

I still see Wallace as unlikely. He'll cost a fortune in cap space and the 1st round pick. And the Steelers also opened up another $3 million or so in cap space by having Hampton take a paycut. If they re-do another contract or two they can get into the range where they can match a Wallace deal - it's just too risky to look at Wallace as a solution in my opinion.

MoLewisrocks

That's still the case though as once you sign one to a tender you're on the hook for the cap pending the 7 days the original team has to make up it's mind on a matching offer. Lots of teams avoid RFA's simply because they don't want to be tied up waiting on one for a week while other targets get gobbled up. Teams are more inclined to consider them after the first wave or two of FA has passed.

madmike77

Yeah that makes it tough - makes it seem like bidding on an RFA is a last-ditch desperation move if you lost out on the UFAs you wanted.