NFL "Brian Dawkins" Rule?

NFL Looking At "Dawkins" Rule? Written by Garry Cobb Tuesday, 31 March 2009 Call it the "Brian Dawkins" rule, NFL owners are considering the creating a 5 to 7 day window before the start of free agency during which possibly slow the movement of players from team to team via free agency.

There would be a period of time where the team would be allowed to negotiate with their players who were on the verge of becoming free agents.

This would make it more unlikely that a popular player like Dawkins would leave town with his home team being able to cry about being surprised by an offer made by another team.

The rule would not permit the team to have personal contact with the player during this period of time. They would only be able to deal the player's agent.

"It would allow the home team to know who is talking to their player, who is interested in their player," Rich McKay said. "We think it would create a more level playing field for the home team knowing who's out there [that's interested in the player] and give them a chance to re-sign that player before free agency actually opens."