From noon eastern time on Monday, teams are permitted to contact and begin negotiating with the agents of players who are unrestricted free agents in what is known as the legal tampering period.
That will end at 4pm ET on March 12 – which is when the NFL free agency signing period officially begins – and all of the reported contracts agreed from Monday become official.
Fans will no doubt be glued to social feeds as the drama unfolds, with many journalists using their platforms on X to break news of any deals.
But on Sunday night, just hours prior to the legal tampering period, a report from The Athletic’s NFL Insider Dianna Russini sparked speculation that one team may have already made premature contact with a player.
Taking to X, she wrote that New York Jets offensive tackle Morgan Moses is expected to hit free agency after failing to come to an agreement on a new contract, and shared a picture of the 34-year-old veteran.
In the initial post, which was quickly deleted, Russini included a New England Patriots logo next to Moses’ name, which her followers quickly picked up on.
The template she initially shared was similar to one that she used to report on the Pittsburgh Steelers trade with the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf.
That news, unlike the Moses leak, has been widely reported and has been shared by ESPN, the Associated Press and the NFL, as well as The Athletic.
Russini’s deleted post caused quite a stir, with some fans speculating that Moses and the Patriots have already agreed a deal ahead of the legal tampering period.
However, the reporter has since provided an explanation for the graphic.
