This NFL Offseason has been hyped up to be one of the craziest we have ever seen, and there’s good reason for that. The NFL Salary Cap has jumped up, giving teams more money. The G.O.A.T Tom Brady has finally retired. There are also plenty of quarterbacks that could be on the move during NFL Free Agency 2022.
But when does 2022 NFL Free Agency start? Below, we will answer that question and share other key NFL Offseason dates on the calendar. We will also go over the current NFL Salary Cap situation for all 32 teams, showing which teams still need to work to get under the cap and which teams will have the most money to spend during NFL Free Agency.
When Does NFL Free Agency Start 2022
Many are asking when does NFL Free Agency start in 2022? It makes sense, as this is when the most action will begin to take place. The 2022 NFL Free Agents will be able to talk with teams around the league. With the salary cap up this NFL Offseason after a crazy year, we will likely see a lot of NFL Free Agency movement.
2022 NFL Free Agency officially begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 16th, which is the start of the new league year. However, the legal tampering period begins on March 14th, which means free agents will be able to begin speaking with teams. Due to this, March 14th is when we will begin hearing NFL Free Agency leaks from insiders.
NFL Franchise Tag Deadline
The NFL Franchise Tag deadline will be coming up soon. In fact, it’s tomorrow, March 8th. At the time of writing, 10 a.m. EST on March 7th, only one player has been tagged with the NFL Franchise Tag. That player is Orlando Brown, left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s estimated to be worth about $16.5M.
NFL Offseason Dates: NFL Calendar 2022
Here is the full NFL Offseason calendar of key dates.
NFL Offseason: March
1st-7th: NFL SCOUTING COMBINE.
8th, 4:00 P.M. ET: NFL FRANCHISE AND TRANSITION TAG DEADLINE.
March 14th, 12:00 P.M. ET – March 16th, 3:59:59 P.M. ET: TEAMS ARE ALLOWED TO CONTACT/NEGOTIATE WITH THEIR UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS.
16th, 4:00 P.M. ET: LEAGUE YEAR AND 2022 NFL FREE AGENCY BEGIN.
16th, 4:00 P.M. ET: THE TRADE PERIOD FOR 2022 BEGINS AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF 2021 CONTACTS AT 4:00 P.M.
27th-30th: ANNUAL LEAGUE MEETING.
NFL Offseason: April
4th: TEAMS WITH NEW HEAD COACHES MAY BEGIN OFFSEASON WORKOUTS.
18th: TEAMS WITH RETURNING HEAD COACHES MAY START OFFSEASON WORKOUTS.
20th: DEADLINE TO BRING DRAFT-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS TO THEIR FACILITIES FOR A PHYSICAL.
22nd: DEADLINE FOR RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS TO SIGN OFFER SHEETS.
27th: DEADLINE FOR PRIOR TEAMS TO EXERCISE RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL TO RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS.
27th: DEADLINE TO TIME, TEST AND INTERVIEW DRAFT-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS.
28-30th: 2022 NFL DRAFT.
NFL Salary Cap Space for All 32 Teams
NFL Salary Cap space for 2022 is $208.2M. This is up from $182.5M last season, and it is projected to rise to $225M for 2023.
NFL Salary Cap data and info taken from OverTheCap.com.
| TEAM | CAP SPACE | EFFECTIVE CAP | # | ACTIVE SPENDING | DEAD MONEY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | $63,333,989 | $58,623,624 | 49 | $147,556,137 | $1,660,066 |
| Chargers | $56,316,690 | $48,922,626 | 46 | $159,196,700 | $314,722 |
| Jaguars | $54,944,130 | $45,306,722 | 51 | $161,317,722 | $17,809,664 |
| Jets | $48,816,765 | $35,733,924 | 60 | $160,696,345 | $1,475,062 |
| Bengals | $48,376,967 | $42,872,322 | 47 | $160,386,518 | $3,484,245 |
| Broncos | $39,407,718 | $33,143,175 | 51 | $173,872,152 | $6,345,051 |
| Colts | $37,732,327 | $36,186,904 | 54 | $170,046,682 | $5,118,717 |
| Seahawks | $33,956,030 | $30,653,261 | 49 | $172,403,608 | $10,884,057 |
| Commanders | $33,383,814 | $28,503,388 | 54 | $179,902,904 | $702,996 |
| Steelers | $28,811,582 | $25,473,681 | 60 | $163,962,980 | $22,414,424 |
| Browns | $27,777,644 | $22,871,031 | 52 | $186,595,509 | $3,262,520 |
| Lions | $26,503,894 | $16,144,953 | 51 | $183,010,892 | $8,165,786 |
| Bears | $26,308,726 | $20,465,428 | 45 | $167,571,758 | $16,032,095 |
| Panthers | $23,939,172 | $18,387,502 | 57 | $169,072,672 | $19,371,451 |
| Eagles | $18,932,650 | $10,282,537 | 64 | $177,410,182 | $28,065,361 |
| Raiders | $17,713,225 | $14,297,139 | 52 | $178,993,150 | $10,309,447 |
| Texans | $16,719,576 | $5,170,052 | 47 | $161,798,023 | $35,462,243 |
| Patriots | $9,307,795 | $6,009,875 | 59 | $197,747,765 | $3,114,662 |
| Ravens | $5,885,316 | $802,233 | 54 | $198,338,521 | $760,660 |
| Buccaneers | $2,706,221 | -$984,142 | 50 | $191,154,370 | $11,964,352 |
| Cardinals | $2,186 | -$3,047,141 | 53 | $207,061,128 | $399,577 |
| 49ers | -$1,057,797 | -$8,047,641 | 43 | $208,414,632 | $5,167,726 |
| Chiefs | -$5,416,465 | -$8,370,032 | 55 | $207,514,721 | $6,532,236 |
| Bills | -$6,509,179 | -$9,728,602 | 53 | $210,739,364 | $4,408,120 |
| Falcons | -$7,035,983 | -$12,954,144 | 52 | $194,815,940 | $20,359,104 |
| Giants | -$7,647,520 | -$20,198,340 | 53 | $206,513,503 | $7,698,403 |
| Titans | -$7,867,168 | -$10,633,964 | 56 | $216,646,019 | $2,105,070 |
| Cowboys | -$13,423,684 | -$16,649,270 | 57 | $224,736,409 | $9,026,136 |
| Vikings | -$15,004,897 | -$19,324,331 | 57 | $216,634,036 | $8,204,562 |
| Rams | -$20,273,914 | -$20,919,169 | 60 | $220,672,596 | $689,443 |
| Packers | -$26,404,202 | -$29,559,367 | 52 | $234,423,424 | $7,390,501 |
| Saints | -$44,417,979 | -$48,158,214 | 59 | $237,924,280 | $12,448,727 |
