Huge week ahead for NFL as CBA squeezes everything into one window

The NFL is going to have a very busy weekend that will lead to a very busy schedule the following week as the CBA pushes everything into a tight window.

The CBA has been sent to all NFL players to be voted upon. The deadline for that vote is now Saturday, March 14th. It appears as though the CBA, despite calls from some of the higher paid players in the league to vote against it, will indeed pass.

Due to the CBA changes and delay, the NFL has pushed back the deadline to assign franchise and transition tags to their players. This is where things will potentially get out of hand and somewhat confusing.

The deadline for the assingment of tags will now come on the 16th of the month, two days ahead of free agency’s start. That may not have been a problem in past years but the NFL began allowing teams to interact with the agents for impending free agent players, three days ahead of the start of the league new year.

This puts the legal tampering period start date at the 15th. The confusion could stem from any player that draws interest from another team and are eligible for either tags. Teams may view that player as having more value after tampering begins and apply the tag at the final moments thus taking him off the market and setting trade scenario possibilities.

Of course, free agency begins on the 18th. In a span of five days the league will have a CBA vote, legal tampering period, tag extension period, and the start of free agency.

The CBA is the key here. It will not take effect until the 2021 season but will have huge impacts on players salaries that are signed and agreed upon this year, especially if a 17th game in included in the package.

Teams are going to scramble to digest the language of the deal, something they have already been doing since it was sent to the players for a vote. Regardless, beginning next Saturday, the NFL is going to be a very busy place of business.