An experimental rule will be used for the first time in NFL free agency as teams look to acquire top talent ahead of a new season.
In February, the Pittsburgh Steelers proposed a rule allowing each team to make a video or phone call to up to five pending free agents in the two-day negotiation window.
According to NBC Sports, the Steelers are now aiming to make this a permanent change in the near future.
It’s believed that the owners could vote to formally adopt the rule full time at the upcoming annual meetings later in March.
The decision to fully adopt the rule change or the decision to extend the temporary rule for another year requires 24 votes.
If it is fully adopted, it would require another 24 votes to get rid of the rule if the league’s owners saw fit to do so.
NFL teams will be able to directly contact players before signing deals in free agency
The rule proposed by the Pittsburgh Steelers allows teams to make video or phone calls to pending free agents in the two-day negotiating window. They hope to make this permanent.
The NFL owners (represented by commissioner Roger Goodell) could vote on that rule change at the league’s annual meeting set to be held later this month
This adjustment to the negotiating window allows for teams to speak directly to free agents before reaching a deal.
Prior to this, since the league adopted the window in 2012, teams were only able to speak to agents and were prevented from speaking directly to players (unless a player acted as their own agent).
Now, with this new rule, teams can pitch themselves to free agents while also getting to know the player better before a deal is hammered out.
In addition to opening lines of communication, this experimental rule will also allow teams to make travel arrangements when a deal is reached.
