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Football

What is NFL free agency? When does it start?

What is NFL free agency? When does it start?Getty

NFL free agency always serves up some of the most interesting storylines going into an NFL season. 

Some of the sport's biggest names are often involved moving freely between the league's 32 franchises and sign huge contracts. 

But what does free agency mean in the NFL, DAZN breaks down one of the most chaotic periods in the build-up to any NFL season. 

What is NFL free agency?

NFL Free Agency is when players not under contract are allowed to sign with any team of their choosing. 

When is NFL free agency?

Free agency begins at the start of the new league year.

For the 2022 season, free agency got underway on March 16 at 1 p.m. ET, but pending free agents were allowed to negotiate with teams on March 14 at 12 p.m. ET. 

What is the NFL salary cap?

While free agents may be able to sign huge contracts, NFL teams still have to abide to the league's salary cap. 

The salary cap is an agreement between the league and players which places a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on players' salaries. The NFL uses a hard cap meaning no team can exceed the salary cap for any reason. 

The salary cap was first introduced in 1994 with the cap set at $34.6m. This number changes each year and adjusted based off the league's revenues. 

For the 2022 season, the salary cap was set at $202.8m.