As Super Bowl approaches, free agency starts heating up

The Super Bowl is going to be played on Sunday, with the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots clashing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Within the next 100 hours, the confetti will fall on one of the two teams, and so will the curtain on the NFL’s 99th campaign.

It’s easy to look at the Super Bowl’s conclusion and see the ending of a season, but there’s also a rebirth for the other 30 clubs around the league. For those who are dead, there is a chance for redemption.

Free agency won’t officially start until March 13, but the tampering period starts two days prior. Whether or not the league likes it, agents and teams begin coming to terms fast and furious the second they are allowed to begin officially talking, with formalities being taken care of in the days ahead.

In total truth — the NFL will really love this secret getting out — the NFL Scouting Combine is when talks begin in earnest to find out where free agents might end up. During the last week of February, clubs are determining if they are going to use their franchise and transition tags, and who to place them on if so. Once that is all figured out, everyone understands the free-agent field, and the bidding begins.

This year, there’s a perception that there aren’t a ton of stars that are to be had, but certainly legions of useful players. That might not be true.

The offensive side of the ball is more barren, with Le’Veon Bell and Golden Tate being the two major outliers. The quarterback class is headlined by Nick Foles and Teddy Bridgewater, with the potential of Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill being thrown into the mix.

Defensively, there are a multitude of safeties to be stopped up in Landon Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, Tre Boston and Lamarcus Joyner. In the front seven, huge names are hitting the market including Anthony Barr, Sheldon Richardson, Ndamukong Suh, Dante Fowler Jr., Dee Ford, DeMarcus Lawrence and Ezekiel Ansah, to name a few.

Football isn’t a 12-month season like the NBA has turned into. There’s a nice break for players, coaches, executives and yours truly from the beginning of May until the last week of July when training camp starts anew. February, March and April, however are chock full of events ranging from the combine and free agency to the schedule release an the draft. Unlike the playoffs, all 32 teams are involved, culminating in a reshaping of the sport for another season.