When is NFL Free Agency 2023? Start Date and Schedule

With Super Bowl 57 behind us, everyone except Kansas City Chiefs fans wants to immediately look forward to next season. For some fans, that means excitement about the NFL Draft is building, but the first marquee event on the offseason calendar will be the opening of free agency.

Here's a look at the NFL free agency start date and schedule for the 2023 offseason.

2023 NFL Free Agency Start Date & Schedule

And here's a quick rundown of what each of those events entail:

Franchise/Transition Tag Window (Feb. 17 - Mar. 7)

This is the time when teams can decide on up to one player to designate with either the franchise tag or transition tag.

Legal Tampering Period (Mar. 13 - Mar. 15)

Starting at 12 p.m. ET two days before free agency opens, teams are allowed to begin contacting players and agents to negotiate contracts ahead of the official start to the league year. Deals may be agreed to in principle during this time, but none will be made official.

Free Agency Opens (March 15, 4 p.m. ET)

The official start to the 2023-24 NFL league year is at 4 p.m. ET on March 15. This is also the first moment that players are allowed to sign contracts with new teams. Many deals that were agreed upon during the legal tampering period will be signed right at 4 o'clock.

Restricted Free Agent Deadline (April 21)

This is the deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets with new teams, which their current teams may choose to match to retain the player.

Franchise Tag Negotiation Deadline (July 15)

This is the final date for teams to agree to contract extensions with players who have received a franchise tag designation. If no deal is reached by this date, that player will only be eligible for a one-year contract, which is not allowed to be extended until after the team's final regular season game in the upcoming year.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.