The start of the new league year and NFL free agency is just over a week away, so teams will soon begin placing tenders on restricted free agents. What exactly does that mean?
In the NFL, a restricted free agent (RFA) is a player with three accrued seasons (playing in at least six games a year) who has an expiring contract. Teams have several options with RFAs.
The first option is to not tender them, allowing them to become an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos are not expected to tender cornerback De’Vante Bausby this offseason (he is one of the team’s six RFAs).
The other option is to use a one-year tender with either a first-, second- or original-round designation. The original-round tender is worth exactly what it sounds like — the round that the players was originally drafted in.
A player with a tender tag can negotiate with other teams but his original team has the right to match any offer he receives from another team.
If the original team chooses not to match a contract offer from another team, the team signing the player must trade their corresponding draft pick (either a first-, second- or original-round pick) to the original team.
For example, if Denver places a second-round tender on nose tackle Mike Purcell and he signs an offer sheet with the Cowboys, the Broncos would have the option to either (a) match that offer or (b) acquire Dallas’ second-round draft pick in exchange for losing Purcell.
This year, first-round tenders are expected to be worth $4,667,000, according to OverTheCap.com. Second-round tenders are expected to be worth $3,278,000 and original-round tenders are expected to be worth $2,144,000.
If Denver uses a second-round tender on Purcell and he receives no other offers from other teams, the Broncos will owe him $4.667 million in 2020. To view Denver’s complete list of RFAs, click here.
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