Redskins Free Agency Preview

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By Steve Thomas

Since the Redskins are not in the playoffs and are in full offseason mode, including the well-publicized search for new coordinators and assistant coaches on both sides of the ball, I thought it was a good time to give everyone a break from their regularly scheduled hand-wringing and do a quick update on the status of the roster and the salary cap heading into free agency. We’ll do a preview of potential free agency candidates in a separate post.

The Basics of Free Agency

The Redskins have a significant number of players entering free agency in one capacity or the other this offseason. First, a little primer – there are several different categories of free agency: (1) Unrestricted Free Agents, (2) Restricted Free Agents, (3) Exclusive Rights Free Agents, and (4) street free agents.

Unrestricted free agency is exactly how it sounds; a player is free to negotiate and sign with any team he chooses. A player obtains this status after he reaches four years of accrued NFL service. The Collective Bargaining Agreement allows each team to apply a Franchise Tag to one of its Unrestricted Free Agents. There are three types of Franchise Tags: (1) Exclusive Tag, (2) Non-Exclusive Tag, and (3) Transition Tag. The Exclusive Tag prevents the player from negotiating with other teams. If he signs the Exclusive or the Non-Exclusive Tag, he receives a fully-guaranteed one year contract in an amount of the greater of (a) the average value of the top 5 player contracts at his position or (b) 120 percent of his prior year salary. The player given a Non-Exclusive Tag may negotiate with other teams, but the prior team has the right to match any offer received. If the prior team declines to match an offer, that team will receive two 1st round draft picks from the new team. The involved teams may negotiate a lower amount of draft pick compensation. The player receiving the Transition Tag may negotiate with other teams, but the prior team has the right to match any offer received. There is no draft pick compensation associated with the Transition Tag. A player who signs a Transition Tag contract will receive a fully guaranteed contract valued at the average of the top 10 player contracts at his position.

Restricted free agents are those with three years of accrued service (usually those who entered the NFL as undrafted free agents, but there are other circumstances that could result in this status, such as players who moved between the active roster and the practice squad). These players can negotiate with other teams; however, their previous team has the right to match any offer made to the player provided that the previous team timely made what is known as a “tender offer” to the player. A “tender offer” is a one year contract offer that meets certain basic financial standards. There are three different levels of “tender offer” resulting in various benefits to the prior team, ranging from a 1st round pick coming from the new team to the prior team, a 2nd round pick coming from the new team to the prior team, and a simple right of first refusal with no compensatory draft picks.

The Exclusive Rights Free Agents do not have the authority to negotiate with new teams provided that the prior team makes a one year tender offer of an NFL minimum salary.

A street free agent is a player who was released from his prior contract. He is free to negotiate with any team.

The Redskins’ Free Agents

By our count, the Redskins have 23 free agents:

UFAs RFAs ERFAs
DE Chris Baker
QB Kirk Cousins
TE Vernon Davis
OLB Junior Galette
WR Pierre Garcon
ILB Terence Garvin
DT Kedric Golston
DL Ziggy Hood
S Duke Ihenacho
WR Desean Jackson1
DL Cullen Jenkins
C John Sullivan
LS Nick Sundberg
CB Greg Toler
S Donte Whitner		 ILB Will Compton
T Ty Nsekhe
RB Chris Thompson
CB Dashaun Phillips
LB Lyden Trail		 WR Maurice Harris
DT Matt Ioannidis
T Vinston Painter

 

 

 

Obviously, some big names are on this list, including quarterback Kirk Cousins, both starting wide receivers, one of the starting inside linebackers in Will Compton, the third down back, Chris Thompson, valuable backup tackle (and friend of the show) Ty Nsekhe, and the long snapper, Nick Sundberg.

Of the restricted and exclusive rights free agents, Will Compton, Ty Nsekhe, Chris Thompson, and Maurice Harris should be locks to receive qualifying tender offers to allow the Redskins to retain their respective rights, as discussed above. It would not surprise me, though, if all of these players were given tender offers, particular draft pick Matt Ioannidis.

Calendar

So what happens next and when does it happen? Here’s an overview of the relevant, important dates2:

 

  • January 2: Teams were allowed to negotiate with their free agents beginning on this date
  • February 15: First day for teams to designate players with a franchise tag
  • March 1: Teams must apply franchise tags and/or transition tags by 4:00 p.m. ET
  • March 7 – 9: Teams can negotiate with agents of players who are to become unrestricted free agents, but cannot actually sign contracts
  • March 9: First day of 2017 league year
  • March 9: Deadline to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents
  • March 9: Free agency begins at 4:00 ET. Contracts can be signed by free agents at that time.
  • April 21: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets from other teams
  • June 1: Deadline for prior teams to send “June 1 tender” to allow Restricted Free Agents who received a “right of first refusal only” tender offer to be subject to the “June 15 tender” provision of the CBA
  • June 15: Deadline for prior team to withdraw qualifying tender offer to Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights
  • July 15: Deadline for players to sign franchise tag offers. If player does not sign his franchise tag offer by this date, he then can only sign a one year contract with his prior team.
  • July 22: Deadline for players to sign transition tag offers. If player does not sign his transition tag offer by this date, his prior team has exclusive negotiating rights until after the 10th weekend of the 2017 regular season.Salary Cap

    The Redskins payroll is in outstanding shape, both this year and into the foreseeable future. By my calculations3, the Redskins 2017 payroll currently sits at approximately $121 million in obligated cap space. The NFL will not release the official 2017 salary cap until the 2017 league year begins in March, but experts estimate it to rise to between $166 million and $170 million for 2017. The Redskins also are entitled to over $15 million in rollover unused cap space from the 2016 season. Therefore, the Redskins’ total adjusted 2017 salary cap should sit between $180 – $185 million. Taking into account the $121 million currently obligated, the Redskins will conservatively have approximately $60 million in unused cap space entering free agency. How will the Redskins spend this cap space? That’s a column for another day.

    Do you have any thoughts about free agency? Let us know!