Tag: RFA Tender

Broncos decline to place RFA tenders on 4 players

Broncos declined RFA tenders for QB Brett Rypien, DB P.J. Locke, CB Essang Bassey and LS Jacob Bobenmoyer, making them free agents.

Brett Rypein wasn’t the only restricted free agent to have his tender declined by the Denver Broncos on Monday.

The Broncos also declined to pick up the one-year, RFA tenders for safety P.J. Locke, cornerback Essang Bassey and long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Those four players are now set to become unrestricted free agents. It’s still possible that Denver could bring them back for less than the one-year RFA tender salary ($2.63 million).

Locke, in particular, has dressed for 47 games over the last three seasons, logging more than 1,000 snaps on special teams. Locke should be a candidate to return to the team.

The Broncos also declined a one-year, exclusive rights free agent tender for outside linebacker Jonathan Kongbo. Denver did pick up the ERFA tenders for inside linebacker Jonas Griffith, punter Corliss Waitman and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey.

We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos will not place RFA tender on Brett Rypien, making him a free agent

The Broncos will not place an RFA tender on QB Brett Rypien, allowing him to become a free agent.

The Denver Broncos will not place a one-year restricted free agent tender on quarterback Brett Rypien, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. That means Rypien is now set to become an unrestricted free agent.

As an RFA, Rypien was eligible for a one-year tender worth $2.63 million. The Broncos apparently aren’t willing to pay that much for the 26-year-old quarterback. It’s still possible that Denver might re-sign Rypien at a lower salary than what the RFA tender would have been worth.

The Broncos will undoubtedly be in the market for a quarterback this spring as Russell Wilson is currently Denver’s only QB under contract for 2023.

The Broncos have three other RFAs this offseason: safety P.J. Locke, long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer and cornerback Essang Bassey. Klis reported last week that Rypien was the team’s only candidate to have his tender picked up. If that’s accurate, Locke, Bobenmoyer and Bassey are also set to become unrestricted free agents.

Similar to Rypien, it’s still possible that Denver could bring Locke, Bobenmoyer and Bassey back for less than $2.63 million.

We are tracking all of the Broncos’ free agency moves on this page.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

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What is a restricted free agent in the NFL?

NFL teams can place a first- or second-round tender (or a right of first refusal tender) on restricted free agents.

We know that an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the NFL is a player with four accrued seasons and an expiring contract, but what are the qualifications for a restricted free agent in the NFL?

A restricted free agent (RFA) is a player with three accrued seasons and an expiring contract. Different from UFAs, RFAs are eligible to receive a first-round ($6,005,000), second-round ($4,304,000) or a right of first refusal ($2,627,000) tender that lasts for one season.

If the Denver Broncos, for example, place a first-round tender on an RFA and that player signs a bigger contract with another team, that club would have to send a first-round pick to Denver for the player. The same concept applies to a second-round tender, and the right of first refusal tender would give the team a chance to match an offer a player might receive from another club.

If the Broncos decline to place a tender on a restricted free agent, that player would become an unrestricted free agent. Denver has four players scheduled to become RFAs this spring, most notably including backup quarterback Brett Rypien.

The Broncos also have 17 players set to become UFAs on March 15.

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