One interesting aspect of the transition tag that was given on Monday to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds is the signing period that comes along with it.
According to the latest press release by the NFL, that signing period for transition tagged players begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 22. Players that were issued the franchise tag, however, have a signing period that begins on March 11, the start of the new league year and the beginning of the free agent signing period.
In other words, other teams can’t sign Worilds to an offer sheet until 11 days into the start of free agency.
Other teams, however, do have until July 22 as a deadline to sign Worilds to an offer sheet. After that date, the Steelers will be the only team that can negotiate with the linebacker. From that date forward, they will have until 4:00p.m. ET on the Tuesday following the 10th week of the season (November 11), to get Worilds signed to a long-term deal.
Being as the Steelers normally don’t negotiate contracts once the regular season begins, they figure to have all of training camp and the preseason to work out an extension with Worilds, assuming of course he hasn’t signed an offer sheet with another team by then.
