THE FUTURE OF FREE AGENCY AND THE PATRIOTS

A listing of when each current Patriots player will become a free agent in the future.

Please note that I got the idea for this page after looking at the Falcons Free Agency Outlook page on the defunct FalcFans.Com site. Nate Berube made an excellent suggestion in that I should include definitions of the terms used in the following table. I got the following from The Football Corner.

An Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA) is defined as a player with an expiring contract who has less than three accrued seasons. He can only sign with his old club, provided that he is offered a one-year contract at the minimum salary for the upcoming year. If the exclusive rights free agent gets no such offer, he is completely free to sign with any team.

A Restricted Free Agent (RFA) is any player that has completed three accrued seasons and their contract has expired. A RFA must be tendered with an offer on or before the Restricted Free Agent Signing Period begins. The RFA can be tendered one of four offers. They are:
(1) Right of First Refusal and Draft Selection at player's Original Draft Round but a second-round pick if the player was a first-round pick: This is a one year player contract at a salary of $927,000 (for 2008) or 110% of the players prior year's salary (whichever is greater). If another club signs said RFA, the team tendering the offer receives one draft pick equal to the round the RFA was selected in during the draft but in the case the player was a first round pick the pick will be a second round pick.
(2) Right of First Refusal and a second-round pick: This is a one year player contract at a salary of $1,417,000 (for 2008) or 110% of the players prior year's salary (whichever is greater). If another club signs said RFA, the team tendering the offer receives one second round draft pick.
(3) Right of First Refusal and One First Round Draft Selection: This is a one year player contract at a salary of $2,017,000 (for 2008) or 110% of the players prior year's salary (whichever is greater). If another club signs said RFA, the team tendering the offer receives one first round draft pick.
(4) Right of First Refusal and One First Round Draft Selection, and One Third Round Draft Selection: This is a one year player contract at a salary of $2,562,000 (for 2008) or 110% of the players prior year's salary (whichever is greater). If another club signs said RFA, the team tendering the offer receives one first round draft pick and one third round draft selection. If no tender offer is made by the start of the Restricted Free Agent Signing Period, then the player becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent.

An Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) is any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. A UFA is free to sign with any team without limitations and restrictions until July 15th. On July 16th, his rights revert back to his old club if it makes a tender offer (110% of the previous season's salary) to him by June 1st. The club then has until the 10th week of the season to sign him. If he does not sign by the 10th week, he must sit out the season. If no tender is offered to the UFA by June 1st, he is free to sign with any club at any time. A club can designate one player a Franchise Player during any given year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). There are two types of Franchise Players. **** NOTE: For the next paragraphs regarding the franchise and transition tags salary is defined as the total of the Paragraph 5 Salary, roster and reporting bonuses, and the prorata portion of signing bonus salary, prorated signing bonus, and roster bonus but not LTBE incentives or offseason workout bonus money. They are:
(1) "Exclusive" Franchise Player is a player that is not free to sign with another club. He is offered the highest of the following - the average of top five salaries for his position as of April 20, 2007, 120% of the player's previous salary (whichever is greater), or the average of the top five salaries of last season for his position.
(2)"Non-Exclusive" Franchise Player is a player that is free to negotiate with other clubs. He is offered a minimum contract of the average of the top five salaries of last season for his position or 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater. His old club can match a new club's offer, or receive two first-round draft choices if it decides not to match the offer.
Duration of Designation: Each Club that designates a Franchise Player to a player contract shall be deemed to have utilized its Franchise Player desination for the duration of the contract unless the club signs said Franchise Player to a long-term contract before the July 16th free agency deadline. If a franchise player does not sign a long-term deal with his team before EOB, July 16th, he can not sign a long-term deal with his team until after the regular season has ended.
The 2008 franchise figures: cornerbacks $9.465 million,defensive ends $8.879 million, defensive tackles $6.363 million, linebacker $8.065 million, offensive line $7.455 million, kickers $2.541 million, quarterbacks $10.73 million, running backs $6.538 million, safeties $4.396 million, tight end $4.522 million and wide receivers $7.848 million.

A club can designate one player a Transition Player during any given year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). A club must offer a minimum of the average of the Top 10 salaries or 120% of the player's previous salary (whichever is greater). A Transition Player designation gives the club first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet made by another club. If the club matches, it retains the player. If it does not match, it receives no compensation. Duration of Designation: Beginning in the 2006 League Year, teams will have a window beginning the day after the last day of the Franchise Player designation period and ending at 4:00 p.m. New York time July 15th during which, if the team signs its Franchise Player to a multi-year contract, the team may nonetheless retain its Franchise Player designation rights the following year.
The 2008 transition numbers: cornerbacks $7.659 million, defensive end $7.679 million, defensive tackle $5.654 million, linebacker $7.335 milllion, offensive line $6.895 million, kicker $2.245 milllion, quarterback $9.5 milllion, running back $5.699 million, safety $3.893 million, tight end $3.733 million and wide receiver $6.872 million.

Accrued Season -A season where a player was on, should have been on, full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games, but, regardless of the player's pay status, shall not include Exempt Commisisioner Permission, Reserve PUP List (non-football injury), or a Club's Practice or Developmental Squad. Plainly stated, any season that a player is on a club's active/inactive roster, or reserve-injured or physically unable to perform list (football related).

For 2008, the RFA tender levels will be --

• $927,000 = original draft pick compensation (but a second-rounder if the player was a first-round pick)
• $1.417 million = second-round pick
• $2.017 million = first-round pick
• $2.562 million = first- and third-round picks

For 2009, the RFA tender levels will be --

• $1.01 million = original draft pick compensation (but a second-rounder if the player was a first-round pick)
• $1.545 million = second-round pick
• $2.198 million = first-round pick
• $2.792 million = first- and third-round picks

For 2010, the RFA tender levels will be --

• $1.101 million = original draft pick compensation (but a second-rounder if the player was a 1st-round pick)
• $1.684 million = second-round pick
• $2.396 million = first-round pick
• $3.043 million = first- and third-round picks

For 2011, the RFA tender levels will be --

• $1.2 million = original draft pick compensation (but a second-rounder if the player was a 1st-round pick)
• $1.835 million = second-round pick
• $2.611 million = first-round pick
• $3.317 million = first- and third-round picks

For 2012, the RFA tender levels will be --

• $1.308 million = original draft pick compensation (but a second-rounder if the player was a 1st-round pick)
• $2 million = second-round pick
• $2.846 million = first-round pick
• $3.616 million = first- and third-round picks

A listing of when each current Patriots player will become a free agent in the future.

Year*	Exclusive Rights	Restricted	Unrestricted
Players in BOLD are starters
March 1, 2008	Eric Alexander, LB (Tendered at $520,000) Wesley Britt, T (Tendered at $445,000) Raymond Ventrone, S (Tendered at $370,000) Pierre Woods, LB (Tendered at $445,000)	Rashad Moore, DT - (not tendered) Mike Wright, DT - (tendered at the 2nd round level)	Troy Brown, WR Tedy Bruschi, LB - Re-signed Jabar Gaffney, WR - Re-signed Randall Gay, CB - Signed by the Saints Larry Izzo, LB - Re-signed Mel Mitchell, S Randy Moss, WR - Re-signed Lonie Paxton, LS - Re-signed Asante Samuel, CB - Signed by the Eagles Chad Scott, CB Junior Seau, LB Donte Stallworth, WR - Signed by the Browns Kelley Washington, WR - Re-signed Eugene Wilson, S - Signed by Tampa Bay
March 1, 2009	Dan Connolly, C C.J. Jones, WR Mark LeVoir, OT Raymond Ventrone, S	Eric Alexander, LB Wesley Britt, T Stephen Spach, TE Pierre Woods, LB	Sam Aiken, WR Heath Evans, FB Jabar Gaffney, WR Chris Hanson, P Rodney Harrison, SS Russ Hochstein, G Larry Izzo, LB Lamont Jordan, RB Deltha O'Neal, CB Lonie Paxton, LS James Sanders, S Lewis Sanders, CB Kenny Smith, DE Jason Webster, CB Tank Williams, S Mike Wright, DT
March 1, 2010 (uncapped)	Gary Guyton, LB	Eric Alexander, LB Willie Andrews, CB Wesley Britt, T Stephen Gostkowski, K Ellis Hobbs, CB Nick Kaczur, T Logan Mankins, G Ryan O'Callaghan, T Le Kevin Smith, DE Stephen Spach, TE David Thomas, TE Raymond Ventrone, S Pierre Woods, LB Billy Yates, G	Sam Aiken, WR Tedy Bruschi, LB Kevin Faulk, RB Jarvis Green, DE Matt Light, OT Stephen Neal, G Richard Seymour, DE Mike Vrabel, LB Kelley Washington, WR Ben Watson, TE Vince Wilfork, DT
March 1, 2011	none	Gary Guyton, RB	Tom Brady, QB Laurence Maroney, RB Sammy Morris, RB Randy Moss, WR Raymond Ventrone, S
March 1, 2012	none	none	Shawn Crable, LB Dan Koppen, C Gary Guyton LB Brandon Meriweather, S Kevin O'Connell, QB Bo Ruud, LB Matt Slater, WR Adalius Thomas, LB Wes Welker, WR Terrence Wheatley, CB Jonathan Wilhite, CB
March 1, 2013	none	none	Jerod Mayo, LB
March 1, 2014	none	none	Ty Warren, DE

The following lists the draft picks that the Patriots will have in the 2008 draft.

As of today, here is what the Patriots will enter the 2007 draft with.

• 1 - 49ers - Acquired in a 2007 draft-day trade
• The Patriots do not have their first-round choice as it was stripped by the NFL since the NFL found that the Patriots violated "league policy on the use of equipment to videotape an opposing team’s offensive or defensive signals".
• 2 - Patriots
• 3 - Raiders - Acquired in a 2007 draft-day trade
• 3 - Patriots
• 4 - Patriots
• 5 - Patriots
• 6 - Patriots
• 7 - Patriots

The Patriots traded an undisclosed 2008 draft pick for Dante Wesley. But since he did not make the Week 1 roster it seems rather safe to presume that the Patriots did not have to give their pick to the Bears

The following lists the players who will be included in the 2008 compensatory pick calculation for the Patriots

Will the contracts/production/offseason honors of Adalius Thomas, Kyle Brady, Sammy Morris, Donte' Stallworth, Kelley Washington and Tory James outweigh the contracts/production/offseason honors of Daniel Graham and Tully Banta-Cain? I think so. Therefore, it is very likely that the Patriots will NOT receive a compensatory pick in the 2008 draft.

The Falcons.Com has the best free agency calendar available on the web

If you have any corrections, suggestion, questions, and/or comments, please feel free to ask me a question on the PatsFans.Com message board

Please take me to Miguel's UnOfficial Patriots Salary Cap Page or please take me to the front Page of PatsFans.com.