Categories
Contract Negotiation Headline NFL Players Sports Agents

NFL’s Tampering Window Contains Signings, Speculation And Confusion

Washington Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen (82) has signed a new deal with the Washington Redskins. Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen (82) has signed a new deal with the Washington Redskins. Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen (82) has agreed to a new deal with the Washington Redskins within the opening of the “tampering window.” Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

We are currently in the midst of a “tampering window”; a small, three-day opportunity for NFL clubs to enter into negotiations with the agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents.  The window opened on Saturday morning and closes at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12.  The opening of the window invites a bunch of speculation, with many in the media saying Player X will go to Team Y.  It led one football agent to Tweet the following.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/davidcanter/status/310409047998357506″]

And another, who made an effort to advise the media of his competitors’ tactics.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/RickSmith1956/status/310488876865159169″]

And what about the small number of players, such as Ed Reed, who are unrepresented?  The NFL has said,

“If a player is self-represented, clubs are prohibited from discussions with the player during the negotiating period.”

The “tampering window” is not truly a tampering window.  It is more of a window to allow players’s representatives to enter into discussions about future contracts with the league’s 32 teams…as if that has not already been occurring since at least the start of the NFL Combine.

Many agents I have talked to seem to be rather upset and somewhat confused about the new tampering window.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/MikeMcCartney7/status/310556845607616512″]

Why penalize players (by prohibiting them from having discussions with team personnel) for not choosing to sign with an agent?  Why create the tampering window only to threaten teams with a “tampering probe” should they violate a rule that stipulates, “prior to the beginning of the new League Year it is impermissible for a club to enter into an agreement of any kind, express or implied, oral or written, or promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent or understandings of any kind concerning the terms or conditions of employment offered to, or to be offered to, any prospective Unrestricted Free Agent for inclusion in a Player Contract after the start of the new League Year”?  The rumor is that this is all an effort to create an artificial “National Signing Day” in professional football.  There has to be a less confusing, back-door method to accomplish such a goal.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.