Tag: ERFA

Chiefs tender exclusive rights free agent LB Cole Christiansen

The Kansas City #Chiefs tendered exclusive rights free agent LB Cole Christiansen on Monday.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made an offseason move to retain a promising member of their defense for the 2024 NFL season.

The deadline for extending a qualifying offer or risk losing a player to free agency quickly approached, and the Chiefs front office decided to keep several players. According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, Cole Christiansen has received his qualifying tender from the team.

The 26-year-old linebacker has spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs after starting his career in 2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Christiansen spent most of his time on special teams under coordinator Dave Toub. He played in five regular-season games and had some time on the field during the postseason. He took advantage of the extra playing time in the Week 18 season finale against the Chargers, earning him a spot on the postseason roster and his second consecutive Super Bowl title with the Chiefs.

The former Army standout was on both the practice squad and team roster throughout his two years in Kansas City. With training camps approaching soon, he will have a chance to improve his stock ahead of the 2024 season.

NFL rumors: Chiefs to tender exclusive rights free agent OL Mike Caliendo

The Kansas City #Chiefs are expected to tender exclusive rights free agent Mike Caliendo.

The offseason is underway, and the Kansas City Chiefs have secured more offensive roster depth ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

The free agency frenzy has hit the NFL this week, with teams attempting to retain talent or sign away new stars. The Chiefs are keeping several players via qualifying tenders ahead of the deadline or risk losing them in free agency.

According to a report from Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, one of those players is reserve offensive lineman Mike Caliendo.

Since going undrafted in 2022, Caliendo has spent his NFL career primarily on the Chiefs practice squad. He stood out at Western Michigan, where the team finished second in the MAC conference in total offensive yards in his senior year. Caliendo was named first-team all-conference and was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

The Chiefs have encountered injuries on the offensive line during the last two Super Bowl runs. The depth of the position is essential, and having a player who understands the system already in place and has the potential to grow is part of building team stability.

NFL rumors: Chiefs to tender exclusive rights free agent DL Malik Herring

The #Chiefs are expected to tender exclusive rights free agent Malik Herring.

The defensive line keeps familiar depth for the upcoming 2024 season as the Kansas City Chiefs lock up one of their own ahead of free agency.

Defensive lineman Malik Herring is staying in Kansas City for another season following a report from Chiefs Digest he’s received a qualifying tender from the team. The 26-year-old was set to become an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) for the Chiefs, avoiding the deadline. He was a steady contributor in limited action last season, tallying ten tackles and 1.5 sacks in seven games.

The massive re-signing of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones became official Monday as the front office attempts to continue building around the star. Herring has floated between being active and inactive on gameday but has played well when given time on the field, significantly raising his value on Joe Cullen’s defensive line.

Herring secured four tackles in the postseason on the way to Super Bowl LVIII, showing Steve Spagnuolo’s trust in him during pressure situations.

Herring will head into 2024 with an opportunity to compete for more playing time in the defense’s rotation. The former Georgia Bulldog was an undrafted free agent in 2021, signing with the Chiefs shortly after that year’s NFL Draft.

NFL rumors: Chiefs to tender exclusive rights free agent DB Nazeeh Johnson

NFL rumors: The Chiefs will tender exclusive rights free agent defensive back Nazeeh Johnson.

The Kansas City Chiefs are keeping a former seventh-round pick in their secondary for a chance at more development in 2024.

According to a report from Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick, Nazeeh Johnson has received his qualifying tender from the team. He was set to become an exclusive rights-free agent (ERFA) for Kansas City. Brett Veach and his staff avoided losing Johnson to free agency.

A former 2022 seventh-round NFL Draft selection, Johnson was a part of the Chiefs draft class that focused on revamping the team’s defense. He played in 11 games as a rookie but was sidelined in 2023 with a torn ACL in camp. He made a positive impression on special teams, receiving praise from coordinator Dave Toub.

Johnson’s recovery from the injury will likely factor him immediately into special teams formations upon his return to the field. He could see an opportunity to make an impact in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which features many substitutions. The former Marshall standout has the potential to be a hidden gem in the system since he didn’t have an opportunity to play last season.

Saints aren’t tendering wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr.

The Saints aren’t tendering Lynn Bowden Jr., which means only 3 of the 11 wide receivers who played for them last year are set to return for 2024:

Get ready for a new-look New Orleans Saints wide receiver corps in 2024. The Saints will not be tendering veteran wideout Lynn Bowden Jr., per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which will make him a free agent when the new league year begins on March 13.

This isn’t too surprising in itself. Bowden primarily worked as a blocker and decoy for the Saints, only drawing 16 targets in 15 games last year while catching 11 passes for 83 yards, picking up a pair of first downs. He also recorded 5 rushing attempts for 32 yards on the ground, moving the chains three times. He was a serviceable emergency returns specialist, averaging 7.6 yards per punt return and 21.3 yards per kick return. That isn’t production teams pay top-dollar for.

But things are interesting under the surface. Fowler initially said that Bowden was an exclusive rights free agent, not a restricted free agent, which he later said was a mistake. Not tendering Bowden as a restricted free agent made sense because it costs at least $2,985,000. Re-signing Bowden at the league-minimum salary is an option.

Maybe he returns later as a minimum signing, but it’s possible that the Saints will be moving on as offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak revamps the receiving corps. Bowden is the latest wideout from New Orleans’ 2023 team to depart thus far. Let’s break it down:

  • Michael Thomas will enter free agency on Wednesday after being released from his contract
  • Marquez Callaway signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after his practice squad deal expired
  • Shaquan Davis chose to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in similar circumstances
  • Kirk Merritt is playing for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks
  • Jontre Kirklin is with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas as well
  • Keith Kirkwood will be an unrestricted free agent, too
  • If you’re curious, the Detroit Lions signed Tre’Quan Smith

Which leaves Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry as the only receivers returning for the 2024 season (so far). It’s possible Kirkwood and Bowden return at some point but Kubiak has a big opportunity to retool this depth chart. Stay tuned to learn what his plan for accomplishing that is.

Update: Fowler corrected his report, clarifying that Bowden was a restricted free agent (RFA), not an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA). So that confusion can be chalked up to a typo. Maybe the NFL can workshop some abbreviations which aren’t so easy to mistake for one another?

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Lions will not tender a free agent offer to cornerback Chase Lucas

The Detroit Lions will not tender an offer to exclusive rights free agent cornerback Chase Lucas

The Chase Lucas era is over for the Detroit Lions. The Lions will not extend the exclusive rights free agent the required tender offer to retain his rights, per Lucas’ agent.

Lucas is an exclusive rights free agent, or ERFA. The cornerback was a seventh-round pick out of Arizona State in 2022, the second draft class under GM Brad Holmes. He played exclusively on special teams in 2023 and saw just six defensive reps as a rookie. The Lions had previously waived Lucas in December but brought him back to the practice squad in the postseason.

He was re-signed to the active roster for the NFC Championship game, where he made a costly gaffe. Lucas failed to down a perfect punt by Jack Fox and instead gifted the 49ers a touchback.

It’s a pretty straightforward negotiation for ERFA players. If the team offers an ERFA the league minimum contract for their experience level, that’s their contract for the upcoming season. If the team doesn’t choose to offer a league minimum, one-year contract, the player instead becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Thusly, Lucas will be free to sign with any team. The Lions will get no return compensation.

Broncos make first free agent signing of 2024 offseason

The Broncos have signed LB Jonas Griffith to a one-year, ERFA tender. He is the team’s first in-house free agent signing of 2024.

The Denver Broncos have made their first free agent signing of the 2024 NFL offseason (sort of).

The Broncos can’t begin negotiating with pending free agents from other teams until March 11, but they can give extensions to their looming in-house free agents before then.

Denver has made its first in-house signing of the offseason by giving a one-year deal to Jonas Griffith, the linebacker’s agency announced Wednesday. Griffith was an exclusive rights free agent so the signing is somewhat of a formality, but it’s news nonetheless.

As an EFRA, Griffith had no leverage in negotiations. The Broncos gave him a one-year, $985,000 deal for the 2024 season. Griffith, 27, is entering his fifth year in the NFL, but he is considered a “third-year” player because he only has two accrued seasons in the league.

After spending his rookie season on the practice squads of the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, Griffith landed in Denver via trade in 2021. He played in 13 games that season and started nine games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Griffith then missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL.

Now healthy again, Griffith might have an opportunity to compete for a starting job this summer given that Josey Jewell is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Before giving a one-year extension to Griffith, the Broncos previously signed 14 players to reserve/future contracts. Those players have not officially joined the 90-man offseason roster because their contracts do not activate until the NFL’s new league year begins in March.

Chiefs TE Jody Fortson, QB Shane Buechele sign ERFA tenders

The #Chiefs got a little business done before the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp.

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In mid-March, the Kansas City Chiefs extended a qualifying contract offers to Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFAs) Jody Fortson and Shane Buechele. According to the NFL’s personnel notice for Thursday, those players have now signed their ERFA tenders, which is merely a formality ensuring that both players would be back in 2023.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, ERFAs are veteran free agents who have yet to accrue three full seasons in the NFL. To accrue a season, a player must be on a team’s roster for a minimum of six games.

If an ERFA is tendered a qualifying contract offer by their team prior to the beginning of free agency, they can’t refuse said offer to become an unrestricted free agent. They can only reach unrestricted free agency if a team declines to extend a qualifying offer, otherwise, that team holds exclusive negotiating rights.

Based on both players’ years accrued, the tender amounts should come in at a non-guaranteed $940K in 2023. Both contracts fall below the top-51 cutoff for the salary cap during the offseason.

Fortson and Buechele have both proven to be valuable depth pieces for Kansas City over the years. Buechele has been the No. 3 QB for the Chiefs since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of SMU in 2021. Fortson emerged as one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the NFL just a season ago. It’s quite the heel turn from joining the team as an undrafted free-agent wide receiver out of Valdosta State University back in 2019.

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Lions bring back DT Benito Jones

The Detroit Lions bring back DT Benito Jones as an exclusive rights free agent

In a bit of a procedural move on the day before the 2023 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions officially brought back reserve defensive tackle Benito Jones.

The Lions re-signed Jones as an exclusive rights free agent, or ERFA. Jones joined Detroit after the final roster cutdowns upon being waived by the Miami Dolphins. The 25-year-old nose tackle played in 311 defensive snaps with the Lions, logging 1.5 sacks and 16 total tackles.

As an ERFA, Jones will earn the NFL minimum contract for his experience level. He will become a restricted free agent after the 2023 season.

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Broncos have signed both of their ERFA players

LB Jonas Griffith and OL Quinn Bailey signed their ERFA tenders. The Broncos have room for 18 more players with about $7M in cap space.

The Denver Broncos have signed both of their exclusive rights free agents to one-year contracts.

It was just a formality because tendered ERFA players have no negotiating power under the collective bargaining agreement, but inside linebacker Jonas Griffith signed his deal in March and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey signed his contract when he reported for the offseason program on Tuesday.

Because he has two years of experience, Griffith will earn $940,000 this season. Bailey, who has just one accrued season, will earn $870,000. The two players now count against the team’s salary cap and 90-man offseason roster.

Denver also placed a one-year ERFA tender on punter Corliss Waitman last month, but he did not sign it immediately like Griffith. The Broncos later signed punter Riley Dixon and rescinded Waitman’s tender, making him a free agent.

NFL Players Association totals indicate that Denver has $7,792,451 in remaining salary cap space. The Broncos currently hold five draft picks and they have 18 open spots on the roster. After the draft, Denver will fill the 90-man offseason roster with college free agent signings.

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