Packers: Free agency negotiation period begins Monday
The free agency negotiation period begins on Monday.
While the new league year doesn’t begin until Wednesday — which is when contracts will expire and unrestricted free agents will be able to sign with other teams — negotiations can begin on Monday.
In the 48 hours before free agency officially begins, a number of signings will be reported around the league. They won’t be official until March 13, and things can change before then, but by Wednesday we’ll likely already have an idea of where many of the top free agents will be signing.
Here’s the rules of the negotiation period, according to the NFL Football Operations website:
"“Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2018 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.”"
So what does this mean for the Green Bay Packers?
As of Monday, they’ll have the opportunity to begin their work in free agency. General manager Brian Gutekunst will already have players in mind that he’d like to bring in, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the Packers are able to make a deal in the first week of free agency.
The other side of this is that the Packers’ unrestricted free agents can of course do the same. On Wednesday, these players will be able to sign with other teams:
Packers 2019 unrestricted free agents
- Byron Bell, T
- Bashaud Breeland, CB
- Randall Cobb, WR
- Davon House, CB
- Lance Kendricks, TE
- Marcedes Lewis, TE
- Clay Matthews, OLB
- Eddie Pleasant, S
- Jake Ryan, LB
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DE
I wrote earlier this offseason that re-signing Bashaud Breeland should be one of the team’s top priorities, but he remains unsigned just days before free agency officially gets underway.
Which players do you hope the Packers re-sign? And which free agents do you think they should bring in?