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When the Super Bowl ends, players will head off into the offseason to rest for a few weeks, workout on their own, and/or rehabilitate their injuries. Coaches will stay to work with their respective scouting departments on their roster for the '14 season. Along with the painstaking predraft process, teams will look towards free agency to find superstars, starters and (from the Bengals perspective) role players that will enhance the depth on the team's roster.
On Friday, the NFL announced that free agency will start at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, March 11. Pro Football Talk writes that owners were recently "told that the cap will be in the range of $126.3 million per team; we've reported that it’s more likely to exceed $127.5 million."
Teams will be allowed to contact players heading into free agency three days prior, on March 8 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and there will be a two-week "period for application of the franchise tag. This year, the window opens on February 17. It closes on March 3."