NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 9
Veteran Free Agency

Section 2
Restricted Free Agents

(a)

Definition. Any Veteran player with three Accrued Seasons, but fewer than four Accrued Seasons shall, at the expiration of his last Player Contract during such period, become a Restricted Free Agent. Any such player shall be 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 any such player, subject to the restrictions set forth in this Article.

(b)

Qualifying Offers.

(b)(i)

In order to receive the following specified Rights of First Refusal and/or Draft Choice Compensation with respect to a Restricted Free Agent, the Prior Club of a Restricted Free Agent must tender the player a Qualifying Offer on or before the first date of the Restricted Free Agent Signing Period, as follows (all amounts applicable for the 2020 League Year only):

(b)(i)(1)

Right of First Refusal Only: one year Player Contract with Paragraph 5 Salary of at least $2,025,000, increased by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap in the 2020 League Year over the 2019 League Year;

(b)(i)(2)

Right of First Refusal and Draft Selection at Player’s Original Draft Round: one year Player Contract with a Paragraph 5 Salary of at least (a) $2,025,000, increased by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap in the 2020 League Year over the 2019 League Year, or (b) 110% of the player’s prior year’s Paragraph 5 Salary, whichever is greater; in addition, if option (b) applies, all other terms of the player’s prior year contract are carried forward unchanged (this Subsection is subject to the rules of Subsection (c) below);

(b)(i)(3)

Right of First Refusal and One Second Round Draft Selection: one year Player Contract with a Paragraph 5 Salary of at least (a) $3,095,000, increased by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap in the 2020 League Year over the 2019 League Year, or (b) 110% of the player’s prior year’s Paragraph 5 Salary, whichever is greater; in addition, if option (b) applies, all other terms of the player’s prior year contract are carried forward unchanged; and

(b)(i)(4)

Right of First Refusal and One First Round Draft Selection: one year Player Contract with a Paragraph 5 Salary of at least (a) $4,407,000, increased by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap in the 2020 League Year over the 2019 League Year, or (b) 110% of the player’s prior year’s Paragraph 5 Salary, whichever is greater; in addition, if option (b) applies, all other terms of the player’s prior year contract are carried forward unchanged.

(b)(ii)

In the 2021 League Year, the dollar amounts specified in Subsection 2(b)(i) above shall increase by the following:

(b)(ii)(1)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(i)(1) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year.

(b)(ii)(2)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(i)(2) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $50,000.

(b)(ii)(3)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(i)(3) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $125,000.

(b)(ii)(4)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(i)(4) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $125,000.

(b)(iii)

In the 2022 League Year, the resulting dollar amounts from the calculations specified in Subsections 2(b)(ii)(1)-(4) above shall increase by the following:

(b)(iii)(1)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(ii)(1) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year.

(b)(iii)(2)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(ii)(2) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $50,000.

(b)(iii)(3)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(ii)(3) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $125,000.

(b)(iii)(4)

The dollar amount specified in Subsection 2(b)(ii)(4) above shall increase by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year, plus $125,000.

(b)(iv)

Beginning in the 2023 League Year, the resulting dollar amounts from the calculations specified in Subsections 2(b)(iii)(1)-(4) above shall increase annually by the percentage increase (if any) in the Salary Cap over the prior League Year.

(c)(i)

Notwithstanding Subsection 2(b)(i) above, in the event that a Prior Club tenders any of its Restricted Free Agents originally selected in a draft round lower than the first round a Qualifying Offer that requires Draft Choice Compensation of one first round selection (the “(c)(i) Upgraded Tender”), the Prior Club shall only be eligible to receive Draft Choice Compensation of one second round selection for any of its Restricted Free Agents originally selected in the first round of the Draft, unless such Restricted Free Agents have each received a Qualifying Offer of at least the amount of the (c)(i) Upgraded Tender.

(c)(ii)

Notwithstanding Subsection 2(b)(i) above, in the event that a Prior Club tenders any of its Restricted Free Agents originally selected in a draft round lower than the second round a Qualifying Offer that requires Draft Choice Compensation of one second round selection (the “(c)(ii) Upgraded Tender”), the Prior Club shall only be eligible to receive Draft Choice Compensation of one third round selection for any of its Restricted Free Agents originally selected in the second round of the Draft, unless such Restricted Free Agents have each received a Qualifying Offer of at least the amount of the (c)(ii) Upgraded Tender.

(d)

In the event a Prior Club withdraws its Qualifying Offer, the Restricted Free Agent shall immediately become a Free Agent and shall be 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 any such player, without being subject to First Refusal, Draft Choice Compensation, Signing Period, or any other limitation of any kind.

(e)

Signing Period. The dates of the period in which Restricted Free Agents shall be free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any Club (the “Signing Period”) shall be agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA by the previous September 1, but in no event may such Signing Period be less than thirty-five days, nor may it end later than five days before the Draft for that League Year, unless the parties agree otherwise.

(f)(i)

In the event that a Restricted Free Agent has not signed a Player Contract with a Club within the Signing Period in the League Year following the expiration of his last Player Contract, and if the Prior Club has not withdrawn the Qualifying Offer, the Prior Club shall be the only Club with which the player may negotiate or sign a Player Contract for that League Year. If the player’s Qualifying Offer is greater than 110% of the player’s prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior year contract carried forward unchanged), the Club may withdraw the Qualifying Offer on June 15 and retain its rights under the preceding sentence, so long as the Club immediately tenders the player a one year Player Contract of at least 110% of his prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior year contract carried forward unchanged) (the “June 15 Tender”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for any Restricted Free Agent subject to the Right of First Refusal Only Tender under Subsection 2(b)(i)(1) above who has not signed a Player Contract with a Club within the Signing Period, in order to be subject to the June 15 Tender, the Prior Club must by June 1 tender to such Restricted Free Agent a one-year Player Contract of at least 110% of his prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged) or extend the Subsection 2(b)(i)(1) Tender, whichever is greater (the “June 1 Tender”).

(f)(ii)

If a Restricted Free Agent described in Subsection 2(b)(i) above has not signed a Player Contract by the Tuesday following the tenth week of the regular season, at 4:00pm New York time, the player shall not play football in the NFL for the remainder of that League Year, absent a showing to the Impartial Arbitrator of extreme Club or extreme personal hardship. The determination of the Impartial Arbitrator shall be made within five days of the application, and shall consider all information relating to such hardship submitted by such date. The determination of the Impartial Arbitrator shall be final and binding upon all parties.

(f)(iii)

If a Restricted Free Agent does not play in the NFL in a League Year, his Prior Team shall have the right to tender such player any Qualifying Offer consistent with Section 2(b) prior to the next League Year’s Restricted Free Agent Signing Period. In the event such a Qualifying Offer is tendered, the Prior Team shall have the applicable rights regarding such player according to such Tender, and such player shall have the same rights regarding negotiations with other Clubs as he had the previous League Year.

(g)

A Restricted Free Agent receiving the Tender provided for in Sections 2(b)(i)(2)–(4) shall have the option of accepting a one-year NFL Player Contract for 110% of his Prior Year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior year contract carried forward unchanged) in lieu of a Player Contract for the applicable alternative amount specified in the aforementioned Sections, if he so wishes, regardless of which Player Contract is for a greater amount.

(h)

In the event that a Restricted Free Agent has not signed a Player Contract with a Club, and if his Prior Club withdraws the Qualifying Offer or June 1 or June 15 Tender, as applicable, such player shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any Club, and any Club may 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.

(i)

Promptly upon but no later than two business days after the signing of any Restricted Free Agent to a Player Contract, or the extending to any Restricted Free Agent of a Qualifying Offer, the signing or extending Club shall notify the NFL, which shall notify the NFLPA of such signing or offer.

(j)

Draft Choice Compensation under this Article shall be due in that League Year’s Draft unless the Offer Sheet is received by the Prior Club later than two days before that League Year’s Draft, in which case Draft Choice Compensation shall be due in the following League Year’s Draft.

(k)

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Prior Club of a Restricted Free Agent has tendered the player a Qualifying Offer in an amount at least $500,000 greater than that required by Subsection 2(b)(i)(4) above, then the Club shall have a Right of First Refusal and Draft Choice Compensation of One First Round Selection and any provision in an Offer Sheet to such player waiving or limiting the New Club’s ability to designate the player as a Franchise Player or Transition Player in the future shall not be a Principal Term, and therefore need not be included in a contract formed with the Prior Club as a result of matching such Offer Sheet (but shall be included in a contract formed with the New Club as a result of the Prior Club not matching such an Offer Sheet).