Should the NFL adopt a free agency style like the NBA?

Since it’s dead time for the NFL, Niner Noise looks at how the league handles free agency and whether or not it should adopt a style like the NBA.

There isn’t much going on in the world of the NFL right now, not at least until training camp kicks off for most teams later this month.

Instead, the majority of sports-related news has focused on the World Cup and NBA free agency. The biggest, of course, was LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for what he hopes will be loftier pastures with the Los Angeles Lakers.

And to make things even more interesting, the Golden State Warriors continued to build their super team by adding former New Orleans Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins this week.

Free agency is always an exciting period for both football and basketball. And it dominates the chatter when otherwise little is going on in each respective league.

But there’s a big difference on how free agency is handled between the NFL and NBA.

Football fans know all too well, free agency kicks off at the start of the league’s new year — typically around the middle of March. Roughly a month later, the NFL Draft kicks off. The NBA, on the other hand, handles things the exact opposite way. The NBA Draft is held in late June, with free agency beginning in early July.

Needless to say, there are pros and cons for each way of doing things.

Without getting too overboard (I admit I’m no expert on how NBA free agency and its contracts work), what if the NFL elected to swap its own free agency period and draft? For the San Francisco 49ers, it would have made some sense a year ago. Remember, the Niners inked wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to a three-year extension. But after grabbing fellow slot receiver Trent Taylor in the 2017 draft, Kerley became expendable and the 49ers released him, costing the team $2.85 million in dead money.

Case for the NFL Adopting the NBA’s Handling of Free Agency

Again, not getting too technical here. But let’s say the NFL Draft was held before free agency began. Teams have a list of their top needs going into the offseason. And if they have a good deal of cap space, addressing those needs via free agency is a strong option.

Building a team through the draft is usually a better way to go, though. It means cheaper contracts and younger players. And teams would generally avoid “doubling up” on team needs, like the 49ers dealt with between the aforementioned Kerley and Taylor.

Plus, if a team doesn’t get what it wants/needs in the draft, it can subsequently turn to free agency as an option. In many ways, this would make the NFL’s offseason more exciting, as those post-draft needs would be far more apparent, and the wild courting process between teams and free agents would get even wilder.

Case Against the NFL Swapping Free Agency and Draft Periods

It sounds enticing, but there is so much crammed into the league’s calendar after the conclusion of the Super Bowl. Teams spend countless hours scouting college talent and hosting players for visits, while there’s the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days and the draft itself. In all reality, there’s no way for the league to move the draft up any earlier, meaning free agency would have to be pushed back until afterwards.

Even this isn’t ideal, as minicamps and OTAs start mere weeks after the draft concludes.

As for veteran free-agent players, they’d not likely be happy with the switch. Suddenly teams’ offseason focus would be on rookie talent, not signing or re-signing veterans to lucrative contracts.

But the biggest issue would be the calendar. It would be unlikely the league and player’s union agree to any sort of swap in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Next: 3 remaining free agents who could help the 49ers in 2018

So unless there’s some whirlwind shift, don’t expect a change anytime soon.