After slogging through the month of February with not a ton to talk about in regard to the Tennessee Titans, the 2024 NFL offseason is about to pick up in earnest in March.
That’s because free agency will begin this month — and it should be a rather exciting period for the Titans, a team that sports the fourth-most cap space in the NFL with $75.6 million, according to Over the Cap.
But don’t expect the Titans to spend a ton just because they have the money.
General manager Ran Carthon said Tennessee plans on being patient and smart with its money, which is the right approach when you consider that there isn’t a particularly impressive group of free agents available.
As we turn the calendar to March, here’s a look at all the important dates for the Titans as they prepare to embark on a rebuild that will start with free agency and continue next month in the 2024 NFL draft.
March 5: Franchise tag window closes (4 p.m. ET)
The Titans won’t be tagging anyone this year, but it’s still worth paying attention to who gets tagged around the league, as those players would come off the board in free agency, giving Tennessee less options.
March 11: Start of legal tampering period (noon ET)
This is the unofficial start of free agency when players set to hit the open market can begin talking with teams. However, players cannot sign on the dotted line officially until a few days later.
All that said, you’ll see reports of expected signings rolling in almost immediately once the noon ET start time hits. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence and nobody tampered beforehand (sarcasm).
The legal tampering period begins at noon ET on March 11 and ends at 4 p.m. ET on March 13.
March 13: Start of new league year, free agency (4 p.m. ET)
The start of the new league year is also the official start of free agency, when players with expiring contracts hit the open market and can begin signing with teams.
As we said previously, reports of signings will start rolling in on March 11, but those cannot be made official until March 13.
Teams have the option of re-signing their own pending free agents prior to this date to avoid having them hit the open market.
March 24-27: Annual League Meeting
NFL owners, head coaches and general managers will descend upon Orlando, Florida, to discuss the past season and propose any rule changes they want to see. Those proposals are voted on at a later date.
