Getty ImagesIn recent years, the NFL created a three-day window for negotiations with looming free agents. But actual negotiations weren’t allowed. Instead, proposals and terms and concepts could be exchanged, without those discussions leading to or resulting in a deal.
It was a nonsensical look-but-don’t-touch approach. And the best news in the aftermath of the league’s decision to cut the legal tampering window from three days to two is that, during those two days, actual negotiations may occur.
That’s right. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the league will permit real negotiations, and not simply an exchange of concepts or whatever.
It’s unclear whether teams will be permitted to reach tentative deals and/or to disclose anything about them, but the league finally has realized that the prior procedure simply didn’t work.
Moving forward, it will. Even though it will last only two days.
Meanwhile, plenty of illegal tampering will happen in the weeks preceding that.
Legal tampering, once again the NFL gets it wrong.
Integrity!
This is the correct call. Deals are negotiated. For once I commend Roger Goodell for showing pragmatism.
Why call it tampering if it is legal?
What about the monkey in the room known as pathetic officiating?
“Meanwhile, plenty of illegal tampering will happen in the weeks preceding that.”
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Right. That’s the issue. Anyone who thinks teams and agents will wait until the start of the two-day period is completely naïve.
whodeybengals1623 says:
Dec 6, 2015 1:12 PM
“Meanwhile, plenty of illegal tampering will happen in the weeks preceding that.”
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Right. That’s the issue. Anyone who thinks teams and agents will wait until the start of the two-day period is completely naïve.
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Despite all this the league will continue to enable teams like the Jets to tamper well before the 2 day window by giving them an itty bitty slap in the wrist. That clown show office on park Ave is all about inconsistency, not integrity.
Allowing ‘real’ negotiations is simply accepting what we all know to be the reality of what happens in that window as a fait accompli. Meanwhile, barring the occasional obvious gaff, the illegal tampering will continue unabated with the usual blind eye turned toward it.
Woody Johnson just pissed himself with joy.