The last 8 playoff teams with regards to FA's

[Whiskey Pimp]

I heard something yesterday on NFLN from Michael Lombardi about a silver lining for the Pats loss. He was saying something about the la standing 8 playoff teams will not be able to sign FA's from other teams, only re-sign ones on their roster. Did I hear that correctly or did I miss something entirely? I know it has to do with no current CBA but what's the deal?

[wolfer]

PFT explained some of this yesterday:

 

Under Article XXI, Section 3 of the CBA, the Cowboys, Cardinals, Vikings, Saints, Jets, Ravens, Chargers, and Colts will be limited in their ability to sign unrestricted free agents in 2010.

 

First, the Final Eight teams may sign any unrestricted free agent who obtained that status by being released and clearing waivers.

 

Second, the Final Eight teams may sign any unrestricted free agent who was under contract with that team at the conclusion of the 2009 league year.

 

Third, one unrestricted free agent may be signed for each unrestricted free agent that a Final Eight team loses, but only at the same first-year salary the departed player receives elsewhere, with limitations on future growth of the deal.

 

Fourth, the Final Eight teams may sign one unrestricted free agent at a first-year salary of $4.925 million (plus the annual percentage increases in total football revenue since 2006), and an unlimited number unrestricted free agents at a first-year salary of $3.275 million (plus the percentage increases of total football revenue since 2006), with limitations on future growth of the deal.

 

The teams that win this weekend will be further limited, with the fourth option explained above disappearing.

[Rovers]

The bottom line is that there won't be ANY good FA's in the NFL next year. That is the bottom line. There will be RFA's out there, but teams have matching rights, and if they let a player go, they get big compensation. Teams also get two trasition franchise tags. For all intents and purposes, there will be no FA period in the NFL going into the 2010 season.

 

Player movement of any significance will come in the form of trades and in the draft. That's it. Only teams with BIG wallets and draft picks to squander will get any RFA's. Brandon Marshall is a Bronco unless he gets traded. Same for just about every other player who would have been an FA... they will all be RFA now. Leon Washington is chit out of luck too. He's a Jet whether he likes it or not. Braylon Edwards too.

 

Then, of the teams still in the playoffs, they have to lose an RFA before they can even attempt to sign another, and give up draft picks to boot. NFL rosters, are for all intents and purposes, locked. There are some UFA's, but all are marginal players at best... guys like C Batch.

[CaptainHook]

Colts never sign UFA's anyways.

[j2v]

PFT explained some of this yesterday:

 

Under Article XXI, Section 3 of the CBA, the Cowboys, Cardinals, Vikings, Saints, Jets, Ravens, Chargers, and Colts will be limited in their ability to sign unrestricted free agents in 2010.

 

First, the Final Eight teams may sign any unrestricted free agent who obtained that status by being released and clearing waivers.

 

Second, the Final Eight teams may sign any unrestricted free agent who was under contract with that team at the conclusion of the 2009 league year.

 

Third, one unrestricted free agent may be signed for each unrestricted free agent that a Final Eight team loses, but only at the same first-year salary the departed player receives elsewhere, with limitations on future growth of the deal.

 

Fourth, the Final Eight teams may sign one unrestricted free agent at a first-year salary of $4.925 million (plus the annual percentage increases in total football revenue since 2006), and an unlimited number unrestricted free agents at a first-year salary of $3.275 million (plus the percentage increases of total football revenue since 2006), with limitations on future growth of the deal.

 

The teams that win this weekend will be further limited, with the fourth option explained above disappearing.

 

There was also a PFT update to the above post noting that those rules don't apply to RFAs, which as Rovers noted is what most of the would-be UFAs will be this year with no CBA in place. Then it will come down to whether or not a team has the draft picks to part with if they sign away an RFA.

 

2V