KC Chiefs 2024 Free Agency: Explaining the NFL's Legal Tampering Window

With the NFL's two-day negotiating period opening on Monday at noon ET, the Chiefs will soon be able to get a head start on official free agency.

Jordan Foote | Mar 11, 2024

KC Chiefs 2024 Free Agency: Explaining the NFL's Legal Tampering Window /

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Kansas City Chiefs

Now that the 2023-24 NFL campaign has been over for a month, it's fitting that everyone is set to move on to the bulk stage of the offseason. That even applies to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are fresh off a Super Bowl LVIII victory but have plenty of work to do.

Luckily for general manager Brett Veach and company, things will soon ramp up in a major way leaguewide.

On Monday at 12:00 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT), the NFL's legal tampering window opens. That two-day negotiating period runs until the start of the new league year at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, giving all 32 clubs just over two full days to get a head start on official free agency.

What does "legal tampering" or "negotiating period" mean? How does it apply to Kansas City? Let's take a closer look at what the Chiefs are and aren't allowed to do until legal tampering evolves into free agency.

2024 NFL free agency legal tampering window green and red flags

It's important to keep in mind the technicalities of the legal tampering window. During this period, contracts can be agreed to in principle but not finalized. Most reporting should reflect that. The official nature of deals arrives on Wednesday at 4:00 in conjunction with the new league year and free agency launching.

With that said, per the NFL, teams are allowed to "contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon expiration of their 2023 player contracts." This, again, applies to only unrestricted free agents.

Players who are restricted free agents or may have exclusive rights tags utilized on them are not applicable here, nor are franchise or transition tag candidates. Additionally, those who have been released before free agency can sign elsewhere.

Teams are allowed to negotiate and finalize contracts with their own pending unrestricted free agents prior to free agency. The Chiefs have already done that twice, setting up linebacker Drue Tranquill and defensive tackle Chris Jones to multiyear pacts. Returners don't have to wait for free agency to begin, nor to practice squad free agents such as tight end Gerrit Prince.

Franchises can be over the salary cap until the official start of free agency. As of the publishing of this article, Kansas City is flirting with that designation depending on which site's estimate is taken into account.

One of the biggest points of emphasis every year during the tampering window is that players cannot be contacted directly by club personnel. Doing so would leave teams subject to league discipline, similar to when the Chiefs got fined and lost draft picks due to their alleged handling of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin's free agency years ago. Players can only speak with teams if they represent themselves and don't have an agent.