NFL teams are continuously building and tweaking their rosters throughout the year, but there are two short bursts during the offseason that can largely determine what those rosters will look like. The first is about a four- or five-day stretch during free agency; the second comes on Days 1, 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft.
Starting Monday, that first burst will be underway. It'll run roughly through Thursday or Friday, when the league's annual deluge of signings tapers off to a trickle for the next few weeks.
What, exactly, will the timing of free agency look like?
Beginning at noon on Monday, March 10 and running through 3:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, agents for impending unrestricted free agents can enter negotiations and agree to contracts with other teams. This is sometimes colloquially known as the "legal tampering" window.
Prior to noon on Monday, impending unrestricted free agents are only permitted to discuss contract terms with the club for which they played in the previous season.
Once the new league year begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday, those contracts that were agreed to during the negotiation period can be signed. There have been instances of free agents agreeing to a contract during the negotiation window and changing their minds at the last second, so it's important to remember that nothing can be finalized until 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The same goes for trades; those can be agreed to prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday but not executed until after.
Players who are re-signing with their clubs can execute those contracts at any point before or after 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Generally, by the Thursday or Friday of the first week of free agency, things slow down quite a bit. That's because teams usually do most of their shopping before 4 p.m. Wednesday; players who are left are often seasoned veterans willing to wait to find the right fit by visiting teams over the next few weeks.
Who are the Colts' impending unrestricted free agents?
NFL.com put four Colts players in its top 101 free agent rankings for 2025: G Will Fries (No. 19), DE Dayo Odeyingbo (No. 38), C Ryan Kelly (No. 70) and S Julian Blackmon (No. 83).
In total, the Colts have 18 players set to become unrestricted free agents in 2025. The full list:
- Years with Colts: 2019-2024
- 2024 stats: 8 targets, 2 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
- 295 special teams snaps in 2024 (third on team)
- 2019 undrafted free agent
- Years with Colts: 2020-2024
- 2 starts at center in 2024 (Weeks 13 & 15)
- 2020 fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) from Ball State
- Re-signed as free agent in 2024
- Signed to Colts practice squad on Sept. 2, 2024; signed to 53-man roster on Oct. 8
- Appeared in 13 games with 106 snaps on special teams and nine snaps on defense
- 2019 third-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, played for the Rams (2019-2022), Las Vegas Raiders (2023), Carolina Panthers (2023) and Green Bay Packers (2023) before joining the Colts
- Years with Colts: 2021-2024
- Played in all 17 games in each of the last 3 seasons; started career-high 14 games in 2024
- 2024 stats: 3 sacks, 17 QB hits, 7 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles
- Career stats: 16.5 sacks, 46 QB hits, 21 TFLs, 5 forced fumbles
- 2021 second-round pick (No. 54 overall) from Vanderbilt
- Years with Colts: 2019-2024
- 2024 stats: 15 starts, 142 tackles, 7 TFLs, 1 interception, 4 pass break-ups
- Career stats: 92 games (32 starts), 354 tackles, 27 TFLs, 1 interception, 11 pass break-ups, 6 forced fumbles
- Re-signed in 2023
- 2019 fifth-round (No. 164 overall) draft pick
- Years with Colts: 2022-2024
- Played in all 17 games in 2023 & 2024; started 5 games in 2024, first starts of NFL career
- Recorded 19 tackles in Week 7 vs. Dolphins, tied with Shaquille Leonard for second-most in Colts single game history
- 692 special teams snaps are second-most on Colts over last two seasons
- 2021 "Mr. Irrelevant" as final pick of NFL Draft; traded by Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Colts before 2022 season
- Signed with Colts as free agent in March of 2024
- 2024 stats: 8 games (6 starts), 162/248 passing (65.3 percent), 1,761 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs, 90.5 passer rating
- 17-year veteran with 45,697 passing yards (18th all-time) and 257 touchdowns (22nd all-time)
- Turned 40 in January
- Previously played for the Baltimore Ravens (2008-2018), Denver Broncos (2019), New York Jets (2020-2022) and Cleveland Browns (2023)
- Years with Colts: 2020-2024
- 2024 stats: 16 starts, 3 INTs, 86 tackles, 1 pass break-up
- Career stats: 66 games (62 starts), 10 INTs, 300 tackles, 11 pass break-ups, 13 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles
- Re-signed as free agent in April 2024
- 2020 third-round pick (No. 85 overall)
- Missed entire 2024 season due to injury
- Signed as free agent in May 2023
- Appeared in eight games (one start) in 2023; played 75 special teams snaps and 21 offensive snaps
- Originally a 2019 sixth-round pick (No. 187 overall) of the Denver Broncos from Colorado
- Played for the Broncos (2019) and Green Bay Packers (2020-2022) prior to joining the Colts
- Years with Colts: 2021-2024
- 2024 stats: 31 targets, 14 receptions, 182 yards
- Career stats: 62 games (17 starts), 136 targets, 86 receptions, 958 yards, 1 TD
- Years with Colts: 2018-2021, 2024
- Signed to Colts practice squad on Nov. 21
- Started final five games of 2024 season at right guard
- Previously played for the Seattle Seahawks (2015-2017) and New York Giants (2022-2023)
- Years with Colts: 2017-2024
- 2024 stats: 22 targets, 12 receptions, 147 yards, 1 TD
- Has played in all 17 games in each of last four seasons
- Career stats: 108 games (47 starts), 180 targets, 114 receptions, 1,433 yards, 15 TDs
- Signed as undrafted free agent in April of 2017
- Years with Colts: 2023-2024
- Played 197 snaps over 10 games on special teams in 2024; saw three snaps on defense
- Initially joined the Colts as a free agent in August of 2023; re-signed with Colts last offseason
- Career stats: 84 games (48 starts), 7 interceptions, 245 tackles, 6.5 sacks
- Also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2018-2019) and Cleveland Browns (2020-2022)
- Years with Colts: 2016-2024 (is longest-tenured member of the Colts)
- Four-time Pro Bowler (2019-2021, 2023) and second-team AP All-Pro in 2020
- Started 10 games at center in 2024
- 71.9 Pro Football Focus pass block grade in 2024 ranked fourth among centers with at least 500 snaps
- Has started 121 games for Colts after being selected in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft
- Years with Colts: 2021-2024
- Was on 53-man roster but did not play a snap in 2024
- Career stats: 8 games (3 starts), 64/101 passing (63.4 percent), 573 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 76.1 passer rating
- 2021 sixth-round draft pick (No. 218 overall) from Texas
- Years with Colts: 2023-2024
- 2024 stats: 17 games (6 starts), 1 sack, 20 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 QB hits
- Career stats: 113 games (46 starts), 11.5 sacks, 154 tackles, 24 TFLs, 34 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles
- Also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2018-2021) and Cleveland Browns (2022)
- Years with Colts: 2023-2024
- 2024 stats: 17 games (3 starts), 56 carries, 159 yards (2.8 yards/attempt), 2 TDs, 16 receptions, 99 yards
- Career stats: 42 games (5 starts), 134 carries, 505 yards (3.8 yards/attempt), 3 TDs, 22 receptions, 138 yards
- Also played for the San Francisco 49ers (2021) and Philadelphia Eagles (2022)
- Years with Colts: 2021-2024
- 2024 stats: 5 starts, 86.9 PFF overall grade (third-highest among guards w/200+ snaps)
- Sustained season-ending leg injury in Week 5 vs. Jacksonville
- Appeared in 41 games (31 starts) from 2021-2024
- 2021 seventh-round pick (No. 248 overall); was Colts' final draft pick in 2021
