The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been massive spenders, but they’ve added a few players in free agency. They’re still waiting on Aaron Rodgers, so they could end up with one more big addition. Many NFL teams are moving on to the next phase of the offseason, though. That includes proposing rule changes to the competition committee. The Steelers have one proposal this year, wanting to slightly alter the legal tampering period before free agency. Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider thinks it’s a good idea.
The Steelers have proposed to modernize the "legal tampering window" by allowing teams one video call with an unrestricted free agent and the arrangement of travel for a player who agrees to terms before the official start of free agency pic.twitter.com/gxdXbEDgaC
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 19, 2025
“Pittsburgh presented a rule change that says, during that negotiating period, you can get on an hour long Zoom call with a prospect and the agent, which I think is a really cool idea,” Schneider said on the Seattle Sports’ YouTube channel. “When you’re spending that kind of money, you really want to look somebody in the eye and have them talk through their injury history, or if they’ve had some issues off the field. You want to be able to really talk through it with a person.”
It seems like the Steelers have Schneider’s support for their proposal. His explanation makes a lot of sense, too. During the legal tampering period, teams can agree with players to terms on a deal, but nothing is official. Teams can’t meet with players during the legal tampering period. It does seem kind of silly, considering insiders will report that deals are getting done.
The Steelers also want teams to be allowed to book travel for free agents they agree to terms with before the new league year officially starts. These aren’t massive changes, but they would probably make the whole process smoother. It just seems like an update for legal tampering.
The Steelers have become a much bigger player in free agency in recent years, so it isn’t surprising to see them try to make improvements. They’ve been much more open to handing out big contracts. Last year, they gave Patrick Queen a hefty payday. This year, they gave DK Metcalf a massive deal, although they acquired him via trade, not free agency.
Still, that shows the Steelers’ willingness to spend a lot of money on players from outside their organization. That wasn’t always the case. This rule change should benefit every team, not just the Steelers. Had it already been in place, maybe they could’ve landed Rodgers by now. Hopefully, the NFL’s competition committee feels the same as Schneider and approves this rule.
Recommended for you