NFL fans get ready for Round 2 of free agency

It has never been a better time to be a fan of the NFL. 

Back in the day, the wait from the Super Bowl, which used to wrap up well before February, to the start of the regular season in September felt like forever.

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Major League Baseball is different. The season wraps in late October/early November, and pitchers and catchers report just 12 weeks later. 

The National Basketball Association is more like MLB. The season wraps up in the summer and starts again in the fall. 

The seven-month wait for pro football to return is by far the longest of any major North American sport, and back in the day, this wait was agonizing. 

Related: NFL Free Agency: Cornerbacks, Quarterbacks cash in on day 1

But as the NFL has increased in popularity, so too has the quality of the offseason programming, which is meant to keep fans hooked during the downtime. 

The NFL Draft is an annual event in which all 32 teams get a chance to draft the top amateur talent from the college ranks. What was once a point of curiosity for only the most diehard football fans has become one of the most popular annual television programs. 

The first round of this year’s draft averaged 13.6 million viewers, ESPN recently reported, an 11% increase over last year. This year, the Grammys averaged 15.4 million viewers.  

The NFL is a year-round league these days. 

Image source: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

NFL free agency will heat up now that the Draft is over

The next phase of the offseason doesn’t have as much pageantry as the NFL Draft, but it is still critical for the on-field product that’ll be on display this fall. 

NFL free agency is arguably the most exciting part of the offseason, as big-money deals for the league’s best players captivate everyone. 

But there is usually a pause in the spending spree as NFL teams prepare to bolster their rosters through the draft. Now that the draft is over, the attention goes back to players who already have some sweat equity in the league. 

The New England Patriots, by far, have the most money to spend, with $58 million in effective salary cap space left. The Detroit Lions are second with $39 million in effective cap space, and the Raiders, Titans, and 49ers round out the top five with $34 million, $31 million, and $32 million in cap space, respectively. 

The New York Giants and Buffalo Bills effectively have negative cap space with negative $9.3 million and negative $403,853 in effective cap space, respectively. 

Just because the biggest, most sought-after names at their positions are gone doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of talent left in the pool.

Related: Struggling NFL team could get $600 million (if they can win)

Future Hall of Famers Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers still haven’t found teams. The same goes for perennial Pro Bowlers like Amari Cooper and Nick Chubb.

Pass rushers for hire like Matt Judon, ZaDarius Smith, and Vonn Miller are all searching for teams, as are decorated safeties like Justin Simmons and Julian Blackmon.

NFL season is still four months away 

With the Draft now officially in the rearview, organized team activities (OTAs) are the next big thing on the NFL calendar. 

OTA offseason workouts start in late May; they are voluntary and only last a couple of days. Mandatory minicamp starts in early June and also only lasts a couple of days. 

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Late July is when training camp and the unofficial preseason starts, leading up to preseason games in August and finally the kickoff of the new season in early September. 

Fans are still a ways away from that time, but in the meantime, they have plenty to talk about as the second round of free agency is about to heat up. 

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