NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 10
Franchise and Transition Players

Section 4
Required Tender for Transition Players

(a)

Any Club that designates a Transition Player shall be deemed on the first day of the League Year following the expiration of the player’s last contract to have automatically tendered the player a one year NFL Player Contract for (A) the Cap Percentage Average of the ten largest Prior Year Salaries for players at the position (within the categories set forth in Section 7(a) below) at which the Transition Player participated in the most plays during the prior League Year, which Average shall be calculated using the methodology as in Section 2(a)(i)(A) above; or (B) 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater. The Tender may be withdrawn at any time, but if such Tender is withdrawn, the player immediately becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent and thereafter is completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any Club, and any Club shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with such player, without any penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, Draft Choice Compensation between Clubs or First Refusal Rights of any kind, or any signing period. For purposes of this Subsection, the “Transition Tag” for any League Year is the average of the ten largest Prior Year Salaries for players at that position (e.g., the Transition Tag for the 2020 League Year equals the average of the ten largest Salaries for the 2019 League Year for players at that position).

(b)

The calculation of any ten largest Prior Year Salaries pursuant to Section 4(a) above shall include any Player Contract amount resulting from acceptance of a Tender for the Prior Year pursuant to Section 2(a)(i), 2(a)(ii) or 4(a) above, provided that the player played the Prior League Year pursuant to such Tender, but shall not include the amount of any term of a Player Contract renegotiated after the Monday of the tenth week of the regular season of the Prior League Year that provides for an unearned incentive to be treated as signing bonus.

(c)

If a player subject to a Transition Player designation accepts the Required Tender, the resulting Player Contract shall be fully guaranteed if the player’s contract is terminated because of lack of comparative skill; as a result of an injury sustained in the performance of his services under his Player Contract; and/or due to a Club’s determination to create Room for Salary Cap purposes. For purposes of this Subsection only, any contract termination due to the failure of the player to establish or maintain his excellent physical condition will be subject to review of a neutral physician appointed by the parties, whose physical findings will be conclusive in any arbitration proceeding relating to the physical condition of the player at the time of the exam, provided that such exam takes place within twenty (20) days of the contract termination.