A whole lot of deals have been agreed to and a lot of trades have been made—in principle. None of them become officially for another 10 hours or so. It’s thanks to the introduction of the salary cap—and the cap floor—however, and the incorporation of true free agency, that we see so many significant players now on the move and receiving enormous paydays.
True unrestricted free agency was originally put in place 26 years ago in 1993. Among the most significant names of the original wave were Reggie White, joining the Green Bay Packers, and of course Kevin Greene, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a very successful three-year run.