CHARLOTTE – Free agency isn’t really open quite yet, but for all practical purposes, it is.

The NFL’s two-day negotiating window for unrestricted free agents opened at noon Monday, and players have 52 hours to talk to teams — but they can’t sign new contracts.

Players can’t be officially signed until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, but the agents can “legally” talk to teams now, and many will have a really good idea about their destinations before then. That’s why you’ll see plenty of “reports” about deals, but not see teams officially announce them until the new league year opens.

In the past, there were plenty of casual conversations between agents and teams at the Scouting Combine, which helped set the parameters for potential deals. But with no Combine this year, there’s more of an unknown