Keeping track of all the important offseason free agency dates for the Steelers.
March 5 marked the deadline for NFL teams to designate franchise and transition tags, resulting in a busy day around the league. The Steelers didn’t have any tag candidates, but they will have plenty of busy roster days in the upcoming months. Below is a roundup of the most important free agency dates for the Steelers in the 2024 offseason.
March 11: Legal tampering period begins
The NFL’s legal tampering period is the start of free agency, with teams being allowed to enter contract negotiations with unrestricted free agents (UFAs) starting at 4:00 p.m. ET. Contracts can be agreed to during this period, but they can’t be signed until the start of the new league year.
March 13: Start of the 2024 NFL league year
The NFL’s new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET. After the new league year begins, contracts from the previous season expire, free-agent contracts can become official, and the 2024 trading period begins.
April 19: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offers
This date is the deadline for RFAs to sign their offer sheets from teams. Per NFL.com, “RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers (‘tenders’) that come with the right of first refusal and/or draft-pick compensation.”
According to Over The Cap, the Steelers have four RFAs this offseason: long snapper Christian Kuntz, defensive lineman Renell Wren, linebacker Chapelle Russell, and running back Godwin Igwebuike. As referenced above, the Steelers don’t have to tender their RFAs and can instead negotiate with them as UFAs.
April 24: Right of first refusal deadline
This date is the deadline for teams to match an offer sheet an RFA signed with another team, therefore retaining the player.
April 25-27: 2024 NFL Draft
On these dates, the 2024 NFL Draft will take place in Detroit, Michigan, further informing the Steelers’ roster outlook for 2024. The Steelers pick in every round except the fifth, having two fourth-round selections instead.
May 2: Fifth-year option deadline for 2021 first-rounders
The Steelers will have until this date to make a decision on running back Najee Harris’ fifth-year option, which would pay him $9.765 million in 2025. Otherwise, Harris will be playing on the last year of his contract in 2024.