The Phinsider
The NFL’s free agency period opens in just over six weeks. Who is slotted to hit free agency for the Miami Dolphins?
The NFL playoffs crowned the champions of the NFC and AFC yesterday, setting up a Super Bowl LIX meeting in two weeks between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. While the primary focus is on the build-up to the Super Bowl, the league is also getting ready for the 2025 offseason, starting with free agency in March. When does the new league year begin and who will be available on the market?
For the Miami Dolphins, the list of players slated to hit the market is pretty long. Over the next six weeks, the team has to decide if they are going to re-sign a player, use either the franchise or transition tag on him, or let him test the free agency waters. We take a look at the Dolphins’ list of players who may be available when the new league year starts.
The new league year, bringing with it the start of free agency, begins at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, March 12.
Officially known at the “negotiating period,” the league allows for a soft open to free agency, when teams are allowed to contact agents and being negotiations for soon-to-be free agents. Contracts are not allowed to be executed during the two-day period, but we annually see reports of players agreeing to deals, with the contract officially signed sometime after the official start to the new league year.
This year, the negotiating period is 12 p.m. Eastern on March 10 through 3:59 p.m. Eastern on March 12.
Teams have the option to place one tag each offseason on a player scheduled to hit free agency. These tags, depending on which one is used, guarantees the player a one-year contract worth different amounts of money - using a formula based on the tag type and the player’s position.
Teams have a two-week window to decide if they are going to place a tag on a player. That window will run from 4 p.m. Eastern on February 18 to 3:59 p.m. Eastern on March 4.
The Dolphins could re-sign a player or use the franchise tag between now and the March 12 start of free agency, which would alter this list. But, as of publication, these are the players who are scheduled to have their contracts run out when the new league year begins, making them free agents.
There are three types of free agents - unrestricted, restricted, and exclusive rights - based on time in the league. Any player with four or more years of service would become an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team. A player with three years of service time and an expiring contract will be a restricted free agent, with his...
