NEW YORK -- The National Football League today announced that 429 players are free agents who now can negotiate with all 32 clubs (Click here for a list of all free agents).
There are 67 restricted free agents who received qualifying offers from their old clubs and are subject to the first refusal/compensation system of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. In order to submit an offer sheet, a new club must have available the required choice or choices, defined as its own or better choices in the applicable rounds, in the 2008 NFL Draft. Offer sheets may be submitted to an old club by no later than 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on Friday, April 18.
The Falcons placed a first-round tender on linebacker Michael Boley. Chauncey Davis received a fourth-round tender. Punter Michael Koenen was placed with a second-round tender while fullback Corey McIntyre was taged with right of first refusal. Eight Falcons head into Friday as unrestricted free agents, including quarterback Chris Redman and linebacker Demorrio Williams.
Unrestricted veteran free agents are players who have completed four or more accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They are free to sign with any club through July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). On July 23, their exclusive rights will revert to their original club if that club made a June 1 tender to these players. Teams will have until the Tuesday after the 10th week of the season (Nov. 11) to sign their unrestricted veteran free agents to whom a tender was made on June 1. If the player does not sign by November 11, he must continue to sit out the remainder of the season. If a June 1 tender is not made to an unrestricted free agent, he continues to be free to sign with any club.
The signing period for unrestricted free agents began today (Feb. 29) and concludes on July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). The signing period for restricted free agents also began today but concludes on April 18. There are 310 unrestricted free agents with four or more accrued seasons.
NFL Free Agency Movement
(Veteran Free Agents Who Signed With New Teams)
| Category | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | 108 | 121 | 171 | 99 | 85 | 110 | 115 | 107 |
| Restricted | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Transition | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Franchise | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 121 | 132 | 179 | 105 | 89 | 117 | 118 | 111 |
| Category | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | 93 | 130 | 111 | 124 | 104 | 149 | 126 |
| Restricted | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Transition | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Franchise | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 97 | 131 | 117 | 126 | 107 | 154 | 130 |
Other free agents include 10 players who this year were designated by their clubs as non-exclusive “franchise" players. A franchise player is a special category for restricted and unrestricted free agents. The deadline for making these designations for 2008 was Feb. 21.
2008 Franchise Player Designations
| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Jared Allen | DE | Kansas City |
| Stacy Andrews | G | Cincinnati |
| Nnamdi Asomugha* | CB | Oakland |
| Karlos Dansby | LB | Arizona |
| Jordan Gross | T | Carolina |
| Ken Hamlin | S | Dallas |
| Albert Haynesworth | DT | Tennessee |
| L.J. Smith | TE | Philadelphia |
| Terrell Suggs | LB | Baltimore |
| Marcus Truffant | CB | Seattle |
| Corey Williams | DT | Green Bay |
*Exclusive franchise player
There are two types of franchise players. Clubs retain exclusive negotiating rights to an “exclusive” franchise player by committing to a minimum offer of the average of the top five salaries at the player's position for the current year as of the end of the restricted free agent signing period on April 18, or a 20 percent increase over his 2007 salary, or the average of the top five salaries at his position as of the end of last season -- whichever of the three is greater. Other clubs cannot negotiate with exclusive franchise players. The Oakland Raiders named cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha as an exclusive franchise player this year.
The old club has a right of first refusal to the players listed and compensation of two No. 1 draft choices. In order to submit an offer sheet, a new club must have available the required choices, defined as its own or better choices in the first round in the 2008 and 2009 NFL Drafts (or 2009 and 2010 NFL Drafts, if applicable). Offer sheets may be submitted to an old club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th regular-season weekend.
The second type of franchise player is offered a minimum of the average of the top five salaries at his position in the 2007 season, or a 20 percent salary increase, whichever is greater. This type of franchise player may negotiate with other clubs. His original club may match the offer and retain the player, or receive two first-round draft choices as compensation if the original club elects not to match.
Each club is permitted one franchise designation in any year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. If a franchise player signs a multiyear contract with his current club between Feb. 29 and July 15, the club retains its franchise player designation for the following league year. After July 15, any contract signed by a franchise player can only be for one year.
Also, a club may designate a transition player in lieu of a franchise player in any year when the franchise designation is available. A transition player designation gives the club a first-refusal right to match an offer sheet given to the player by another club. To designate a transition player, the club must offer a minimum of the average of the top 10 salaries of 2007 at the player's position, or a 20 percent salary increase, whichever is greater. The Pittsburgh Steelers named tackle Max Starks as a transition player this year.
The old club has a right of first refusal but no right of compensation to Starks below. If a new club reaches an agreement with the player in this category, it must follow the offer sheet procedure described in a) above, except that offer sheets may be submitted to an old club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on July 22.
In the event a player retires, suffers a career-ending injury or is otherwise unavailable due to non-football circumstances, a club has the right to designate another franchise or transition player.
A club may withdraw a franchise or transition designation at any time. The player becomes an unrestricted free agent when that withdrawal occurs, and the team can use one of the designations on another player at the appropriate time.
RELATED LINKS:
- FREE AGENCY HOME: More information on the Falcons 2008 free agents
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: More on free agency in this FAQ
- NFL.COM: Free agency news from NFL.com
