The 2027 NFL free agency period has confirmed dates, and this year comes with a significant change to the offseason calendar that will compress the timeline between the Combine and the start of contract signings.
Here are the confirmed key dates, how the tampering period works, what free agency actually means, and what to watch for when the 2027 market opens.
Confirmed 2027 NFL Free Agency Dates
The NFL officially released its 2027 offseason calendar in July 2026. Here are the key dates:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Franchise tag window opens | February 17, 2027 |
| Franchise tag deadline | March 3, 2027 |
| NFL Scouting Combine | March 1–8, 2027 (Indianapolis) |
| Legal tampering period begins | Tuesday, March 9, 2027 at 12:00 p.m. ET |
| NFL new league year / Free agency officially opens | Thursday, March 11, 2027 at 4:00 p.m. ET |
| Super Bowl LXI | February 8, 2027 (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles) |
These dates are confirmed per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and multiple verified NFL sources.
The Big Change for 2027: Combine and Free Agency Back-to-Back
For many years, there was approximately a two-week gap between the end of the NFL Scouting Combine and the start of the legal tampering period. That gap gave teams and agents time to transition from draft evaluation to free agency planning.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league’s free-agent negotiating window will open on March 9. That window will open just one day after the conclusion of the NFL Scouting Combine, which is a departure from how the league typically does things.
The NFL is getting rid of the two-week period between the NFL Combine and the start of free agency and the new league year.
In 2027, the Combine ends March 8. Free agency negotiations begin March 9. One day between. This is the first time in many years the league has compressed this timeline so tightly.
What this means practically: NFL executives and player agents will be working simultaneously on draft evaluations (from the Combine) and free agency negotiations. “The NFL scouting combine ends March 8. One day later, free agency begins — the first time in many years without at least a one-week gap in between,” Pelissero wrote. For fans, expect Combine news and free agency rumors to overlap significantly this offseason.
What Is the Legal Tampering Period?
The legal tampering period is the two-day window before free agency officially opens when teams can negotiate with the agents (not the players directly) of impending free agents.
The NFL implemented the legal tampering period in 2012. Before that, any contact between teams and players who were still technically under contract — even if the contract was expiring — constituted illegal tampering.
How it works:
- Begins: March 9, 2027 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Ends: March 11, 2027 at 4:00 p.m. ET when the new league year begins
- During this window, teams can contact and negotiate with certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins
- Teams cannot speak directly with the players — all contact must go through the player’s agent
- Agreements reached during this period cannot be signed until free agency officially opens
- Agreements are not binding until signed, meaning a player can change his mind before the new league year begins
What actually happens: The tampering period is when most of the major free agent signings are agreed upon verbally. By the time 4:00 p.m. ET hits on March 11, dozens of deals have already been reported by beat writers. The official opening of free agency is mostly a formality for big-name players — it is when the agreements get made official and contracts are signed.
See also: 2026-2027 NFL Schedule
What Is the Franchise Tag?
Before free agency opens, teams have the option to apply the franchise tag to one player who would otherwise become an unrestricted free agent. The franchise tag window opens February 17 and closes March 3, 2027.
How it works:
- A team applies the tag to a player, preventing them from becoming an unrestricted free agent
- The tagged player is guaranteed a one-year salary equal to the average of the top 5 salaries at their position (or 120% of their previous year’s salary, whichever is higher)
- There are two types: exclusive (player cannot negotiate with other teams) and non-exclusive (player can negotiate, but the team retains the right to match any offer)
- Most franchise tag contracts pay in the $30 to $50 million range depending on position
The franchise tag creates significant drama every February and March. Teams use it to retain elite players while working out a long-term extension. Players often push back against it because it limits their earning potential to a single year.
Notable 2026 franchise tag use: Several players were tagged ahead of the 2026 free agency period (which opened March 9, 2026). Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, wide receiver Mike Evans, and Kenneth Walker III were among the high-profile free agents available when the 2026 negotiating window opened — many reaching agreements within hours of the tampering window opening.
What Is Unrestricted Free Agency?
When a player’s contract expires and they have at least four accrued seasons in the NFL, they become an unrestricted free agent — free to sign with any team without restriction or compensation to their former team.
There are other types of free agency that apply to players with fewer accrued seasons:
Restricted free agent (RFA): Players with 3 accrued seasons. Their former team can apply a tender that gives them the right of first refusal or compensation if the player signs with another team.
Exclusive-rights free agent (ERFA): Players with fewer than 3 accrued seasons. Their former team can keep them by offering the minimum salary for their experience level. The player has no right to negotiate with other teams.
The players who generate the most free agency news are unrestricted free agents — established veterans who are fully free to negotiate with all 32 teams.
See also: How Many Days Until the 2026 NFL Season? Countdown to Kickoff + Everything to Know
How the 2026 Free Agency Shaped 2026 Rosters
To understand what 2027 free agency might look like, it helps to review what happened in 2026.
The NFL’s free agency period opened in 2026 with a 52-hour legal tampering period. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III head the list of high-profile players who signed new contracts. Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Kyler Murray also were seeking new teams after being released.
Some notable 2026 free agency moves:
- Mike Evans re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Kirk Cousins moved to a new team after being released
- Kyler Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals and signed elsewhere
- Multiple defensive linemen reset the market for their positions
The 2027 free agent class will be shaped by which players’ contracts expire after the 2026 season — a list that will become clear as the regular season plays out and teams make decisions about extensions, cuts, and restructures.
How Teams Prepare for Free Agency
The free agency period does not start in March. Teams begin evaluating their roster needs and researching potential free agent targets months earlier.
Post-season: Teams complete offseason reviews immediately after their season ends, identifying which free agents to retain and which positions need outside help.
February: The franchise tag window opens. Teams decide whether to use the tag on any impending free agent. Extension negotiations with their own players accelerate.
Combine (March 1–8, 2027): While evaluating draft prospects in Indianapolis, general managers and coaches hold informal meetings with agents representing upcoming free agents. Under the new 2027 calendar, these meetings happen simultaneously with the final preparation for the tampering window — meaning the first week of March will be exceptionally busy for NFL front offices.
March 9, 12:00 p.m. ET: The phones start ringing. Agents receive calls from teams. The largest deals are often agreed upon within the first 24 to 48 hours of the tampering window.
What the Salary Cap Means for 2027 Free Agency
Every signing in free agency must fit under the team’s salary cap for the 2027 season. The 2027 cap will be announced before free agency opens — it has grown significantly in recent years, from $182.5 million in 2021 to $255.4 million in 2026, a 40% increase in five years.
Teams with significant cap space will be the most aggressive in free agency. Teams that are cap-constrained — due to large guaranteed contracts for current players — will have limited ability to add free agents regardless of how much they want them.
Checking which teams have cap space available is one of the best predictors of free agency activity. Teams like the ones with new head coaches in 2026 (10 teams got new coaches) often restructure contracts and clear space specifically to be active in the following free agency period.
The AmericanFootballSchedule.com Editorial Team is a group of football writers, schedule analysts, and die-hard NFL fans dedicated to providing the most accurate and complete American football schedule information on the web. Our team covers all 32 NFL teams, every FBS college football program, and the full CFL season from opening kickoff through the Grey Cup.