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Afternoon Edition

March 10, 2025

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The NFL’s legal tampering period is underway, and dozens of players agreed to deals once it opened. We walk through the influx of new spending, the biggest deals, and how free agency has changed over time.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

NFL Free Agency Hits Record Pace After Billion-Dollar Weekend [[link removed]]

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The NFL’s free agency frenzy is off to a fast start, with multiple NFL franchises already handing out new deals worth more than $100 million each.

Following a billion-dollar weekend [[link removed]] of extensions, trades, and new signings, that eye-popping 10-figure total was quickly surpassed Monday afternoon after the league’s “legal tampering” period opened at noon ET. Free agent contracts and trades can’t be officially completed until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, but parties can now come to terms on any deals they want.

Here are the most expensive—and most surprising—NFL free-agent deals so far:

The Seahawks won the Sam Darnold sweepstakes [[link removed]] with a $100.5 million deal. Former Bears and Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is signing with the Jets for $40 million over two years. The Panthers made Jaycee Horn the league’s highest-paid defensive back with a $100 million extension averaging $25 million per season.

Two of the most active teams Monday were the Buccaneers and Patriots.

New England landed defensive tackle Milton Williams with a four-year, $104 million deal, cornerback Carlton Davis (three years, $60 million), and several other players. Tampa Bay spent more than $100 million bringing back receiver Chris Godwin and guard Ben Bredeson, and adding pass rusher Hasaan Reddick.

Twitter Goes Down at Brutal Time for NFL Free Agency News [[link removed]]

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The flow of sports news faced major disruptions Monday as X/Twitter experienced outages on the first day of NFL free agency’s “legal tampering” period.

Down Detector, a website that tracks platform outages, has shown several spikes [[link removed]] in users reporting that X was inaccessible Monday.

“Twitter picked a hell of a day to shit the bed.” ProFootballTalk founder Mike Florio told Front Office Sports in a text message. The legal tampering period—which lasts from March 10 to 12—is when teams can talk to agents and agree to terms for trading free agency players, without it being official yet.

NFL insiders, who are perpetually in a race to beat their competitors to scoops where every second matters, have been thrown for a loop.

“Is this thing on? Fun day for an outage,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X [[link removed]] during a reprieve when the platform was actually working before relaying a free agency [[link removed]] nugget: “Anyway: Free agent TE Evan Engram, formerly of the #Jaguars, is visiting the #Broncos, source says.”

In a “Be careful what you wish for” type of moment, Albert Breer tweeted [[link removed]], “It would’ve been WAY funnier if that happened at noon.”

In fact, the platform went down again right before noon Eastern, when legal tampering officially began.

The Athletic’s senior NFL insider Dianna Russini migrated over to upstart X competitor Bluesky [[link removed]], writing [[link removed]], “Well guess we will break news here today.”

Rapoport and the ProFootballTalk site are also posting free agency tidbits on Bluesky. ESPN’s Adam Schefter used the Twitter outage as an opportunity to direct his followers to check for breaking news on the ESPN app, though it was unclear how many of his followers could see his posts. Schefter does not have an official Bluesky account and a bot that automatically reposted his tweets to Bluesky shut down last month. Laura Rutledge also directed ESPN2 viewers to the app for NFL news.

“Agents and teams are hitting us up like, ‘What are you guys doing?’ Because they follow this stuff just as much as we do. So when X goes down, they’re operating without a net here. They have no idea where to find all this stuff,” NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo said on NFL Network [[link removed]].

A spokesperson for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to what caused the outages or what the expected timetable would be for the platform to be back on track. But around midday Monday X owner Elon Musk [[link removed]] attributed the outage to a “massive cyberattack against X” that the company is working to trace.

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Amid Rays Stadium Turmoil, Sternberg Faces Wide Pressure to Sell [[link removed]]

Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The hits just keep coming for the embattled Rays, with club owner Stu Sternberg now reportedly under league pressure to sell the franchise.

The Athletic reported [[link removed]] that Sternberg is being pressed by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and a group of other owners to sell the Rays. The news arrives three weeks before the club is due to meet certain obligations that will release $600 million in public bond funds for a planned $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla.

That public funding arrived after a sizable lobbying push late last year by Manfred [[link removed]], who traveled to Florida and met personally with numerous local officials. Sternberg and other Rays leaders, however, are objecting to additional costs that are entering the ballpark plan. Those expenses are the responsibility of the team, but the Rays’ claims are primarily the result of delays by the city and, particularly, by Pinellas County in approving the bonds.

It remains quite possible that Sternberg and the Rays will walk away from the stadium deal—to the point that St. Petersburg leaders have already said they are prepared to move on without the club [[link removed]]. Both county and city officials have shown no willingness to supply more money to the Rays, and have repeatedly insisted they have met their obligations in the ballpark deal.

“It is no accident this got leaked how and when it did,” said Pinellas County commissioner Chris Latvala about Sternberg in a social media post [[link removed]]. “And there should be no question what side MLB is on. Stu is on an island and has been for a few months.”

Sternberg and the Rays have not substantively responded to the report, telling The Athletic, “I’m interested to read about what industry partners have told you about our franchise and its future.”

Other Suitors

Amid the issues for Sternberg and the Rays, several potential bidders have circled the situation and are signaling their interest in the club. Former Yankees managing general partner Joe Molloy has mounted an effort to buy the Rays, and said he intends to maintain the St. Petersburg ballpark deal.

“The team has plans to stay in St. Petersburg, and we are fully committed to building on the great work that the city and county have already accomplished,” Molloy told the Tampa Bay Times [[link removed]].

Other groups are also said to be interested in the Rays, including one led by Tampa businessman and former Rays suitor Dan Doyle Jr.

In the meantime, the Rays are also wrestling with their temporary stay at George M. Steinbrenner Field [[link removed]] in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees, and repairs to the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Four Up

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Davidson ⬆ Warriors star Stephen Curry has accepted a role as the assistant general manager for the Wildcats men’s basketball program and will start an eight-figure NIL (name, image, and likeness) fund for both the men’s and women’s teams. Curry, who played three seasons with Davidson before being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, will be the first active player in a U.S. major pro sports league to take an administrative role at the NCAA level.

Oregon ⬆ The New York Liberty announced Monday that they will hold a preseason exhibition matchup at the university’s Matthew Knight Arena on May 12, marking the return of two former Ducks: Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally. The game will be against the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League.

Sun Day Red ⬆ The golf apparel brand launched last year by Tiger Woods [[link removed]] got a big boost Sunday when PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips, the first and so far only player SDR has signed to wear its clothing, won the Puerto Rico Open in just his third start as a full tour member. Vilips earned $720,000 for the victory, and a spot this week in The Players Championship, which offers a record $25 million purse.

Beaver Stadium ⬆ Penn State’s 65-year-old football venue will keep its iconic name as the university has sold naming rights to its playing surface, which will now be known as West Shore Home Field as part of a 15-year, $50 million deal with the house remodeling company owned by Nittany Lions graduate and donor B.J. Werzyn.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS HONORS

Innovating and Elevating

Building on last year’s partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, the Most Innovative awards spotlight the trailblazing organizations redefining the sports industry through creativity and progress.

The Most Innovative awards [[link removed]] consist of eight categories: venues, college athletic departments, leagues, teams, events, tech companies, brands, and media companies.

Sports Innovation Lab’s methodology utilizes in-depth research methods and data analysis—including proprietary transactional datasets and social listening tools, among others—to establish criteria for each award. Evaluation areas include partnerships, data and technology, and environmental and social impact.

The nomination window is now open through June 22. Submit now [[link removed]] for the best price.

Conversation Starters The A’s have unveiled a new Las Vegas jersey patch that the team will wear for the 2025 season. Check it out [[link removed]]. Manchester City announced its expanded North Stand [[link removed]] will open in January 2026. The improvements will raise Etihad Stadium’s capacity to more than 60,000. In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), take a look [[link removed]] at the list of the highest-paid women’s athletes of 2024, led by Coco Gauff. Editors’ Picks MLB Riding Ohtani Wave in Japan as Tokyo Series Tickets Reach $2,000 [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The upcoming Tokyo games are unlike any prior MLB international event. TGL’s Season 1 Ratings Average 513K, Outpace Previous ESPN Lineup [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]TGL’s first regular season is in the books. ‘Never Seen This’: The Mavs Are Running Out of Players [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Dallas finished Sunday’s game against the Suns with just seven players. Advertise [[link removed]] Honors [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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