Okay. How about we try this instead?

[Mr. Scot]

So it's pretty well accepted by fans that teams do their fair share of negotiating in the days prior to free agency. Hence, the annual midnight signings. Only this year there weren't any. The only news came from teams signing players they already had, preventing them from going to free agency.

My theory on that: Goodell asked teams to hold off on post midnight announcements to avoid the appearance of tampering.

Looks like in the years to come though, they may consider an alternative:

Tampering Rules Could Be Adjusted

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports the league's competition committee plans to make a proposal in May that, if enacted, would create a window before the annual opening of the NFL's free agent market in which players eligible for free agency could negotiate with any team.

Under the league's current tampering rules, a player eligible for free agency can negotiate only with his most recent team until 12:01 a.m. on the day the free agent market opens, when he's eligible to negotiate with and sign a contract with any other club.

A team that violates the tampering rules can be punished by the league if evidence is found to support an allegation of wrongdoing. The San Francisco 49ers were stripped of a fifth-round draft pick last year for tampering with Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.

But many people in the league think the tampering rules are widely ignored and should be adjusted. As part of his league-wide crackdown on cheating last year in the aftermath of the "Spygate" videotaping scandal involving the New England Patriots, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell instructed the league's competition committee to study the issue.

Competition committee members talked about creating a window before free agency, perhaps a week long, in which a free agent still could re-sign with his last team but also could negotiate with other clubs, although he couldn't undergo a physical for a new team or sign a contract with a new club.

The Red Zone

Interesting :sosp:

[SMACKDAB]

Is it just me, or are all the new rules taking effect,centered around the Patriots lately? :puke:

[thefuzz]

Is it just me, or are all the new rules taking effect,centered around the Patriots lately? :puke:

It's been that way for a few years.

While I respect what that team and FO have done, they are my most hated team in the NFL.