2010 RULES: Final Eight Plan

[Goodell]

We currently do track UFA signings and losses for compensatory pick reasons, so it's possible we could extend that to incorporate a "final eight" rule as they have in the uncapped NFL this off-season, but this issue will be the start down the path of how much we shift our league to go along with probably temporary rule changes in an odd NFL season due to labor issues. Here is some information and link to NFL.com site about the Final Eight Plan that restricts UFA signings for playoff teams from last year:

In an uncapped year, the Final Eight Plan prevents teams that made it to the divisional round of the playoffs from being aggressive in free agency. Those eight teams cannot sign unrestricted free agents unless one of theirs goes to another team.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d ... nfirm=true

What is the Final Eight Plan?
During the Final League Year, the eight clubs that make the divisional playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign unrestricted free agents from other clubs. In general, the four clubs participating in the championship games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. They cannot sign any UFAs unless one of theirs is signed by another team.

For the four clubs that lost in the divisional playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters. Those four only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases.

In the case of all final eight teams, the first year salary of UFAs they sign to replace those lost cannot exceed the first year salary of the player lost with limitations on the per year increases.

[TylerW]

That may be 1 of the stupidest NFL rules ive ever seen.

[Goodell]

Almost no support for keeping with NFL's odd new final 8 plan limiting playoff teams in free agency, so we won't institute that. Playoff teams will be treated the same as any team. This would have involved some system changes to implement but probably not part of the NFL's future I wouldn't think and not our present now. If the NFL sticks with that in a future agreement we can look at it further then, but not instituting now.