On Wednesday, the 2016 NFL league year officially begins. As has been the case every season since 2013, the start of the new year and free agency is preceded by the "legal tampering window", which has opened today: since midnight, pending unrestricted free agents are allowed to enter negotiations with all 32 teams.
What does this mean for the league's franchises?
Basically, "legal tampering period" refers to the time frame during which a team's unrestricted free agents can start negotiating with other clubs before free agency begins on Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. ET. Per a league office memo sent to the clubs in March 2013, teams can enter talks with upcoming free agents within the not-quite-three day window but are only allowed to outline the parameters of a potential contract and not make any official offers or host any player visits.