When does 2024 NFL Free Agency start?

While January 1 marks the obvious beginning of a new year for most of us, passionate football fans also know that phrase can refer to the middle of March, when the National Football League decides to begin a new league year—resetting any and all aspects of business for the 32 franchises in the NFL.

With the arrival of a new league year comes the turning of the page on all contracts involved for the hundreds and hundreds of players who are employed by the league. For some players with multiple seasons on their negotiated deals, they simply move on to the next number in line. But for many, especially in a sport known for a short shelf life for players, it means free agency.

This is why there is such a frenzy every March at the start of a new league year. It means that scores of new players are suddenly made available by the lapsing or expiration of their previous contracts, and teams fall all over themselves to try to convince these veteran players to sign with them before a new season is set to begin.

The new league year that begins in March every spring also brings the frenzy of NFL free agency.

Of course, the league's best teams will tell you that you cannot win free agency and expect to win the regular season, but even the strongest contenders know they can certainly help their cause by adding key components in free agency even if it's not wise to outbid everyone for players made expendable for one reason or another.

In 2024, free agency will officially begin on March 13 when the new league year is scheduled to start. However it's also important to note that the league has instituted a two-day tampering period in which teams and free agents-to-be are allowed to talk about potential contracts in advance. It's the NFL's way of nodding and okaying what was already happening behind the scenes in offseasons past. That means the buzz of free agency and "reported" deals should begin in earnest on March 11, 2024.