By now, we know the general story about free agency: At 12 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, the negotiating period begins between agents and teams, but no deals can be signed until 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.
That said, one of the major storylines everyone will be watching is if word of deals between players and teams leaks before Tuesday afternoon. Earlier Friday, PFT’s Mike Florio suggested that such news is “inevitable.”
However, according to multiple reports, the NFL has instructed teams that any such pacts whatsoever -- written or otherwise -- are forbidden until 4 p.m. Tuesday.
UPDATE 10:30 p.m. ET: The NFL memo, published by multiple entities, includes this passage: “Any announcement of an agreement or an agreement in principle by a club or another party, including, but not limited to, a certified agent, player, or media organization may subject the club to a tampering investigation.”