Franchised Players

[Jared A]

Ok... I can't remember, but I thought this was the case.

N.O. has placed a bid on Wilfork. Which is fine.

What are my options? Since he doesn't have two firsts this year... (one this and one next)

I thought I had these four options...

Match the offer
Accept the first next and first this
Negotiate additional compensation
Reject offer and he goes back to free agency


Is that right? Or... is it either take it or leave it?

[Ben C.]

Your option is to take the two firsts that he has available for compensation or match the offer.

You might be able to negotiate alternative compensation but you would be bargaining from the position of getting at most the 1st this year and the 1st next year. If that isn't enough compensation, you would have to match the offer.

So to recap, a franchise player who signs an offer sheet with another team provides the original team with two options and two options only:

1. Match the offer
2. Receive two first round picks from the other team.

[Jared A]

That is always the case if both firsts are in this year's draft. However, when it comes to having a pick in 2011... I believe there's the option of rejecting the offer.

(which would give me a little more leverage in negotiations)

I'll try to do some research to find this issue.

[Goodell]

Ok... I can't remember, but I thought this was the case.

N.O. has placed a bid on Wilfork. Which is fine.

What are my options? Since he doesn't have two firsts this year... (one this and one next)

I thought I had these four options...

Match the offer
Accept the first next and first this
Negotiate additional compensation
Reject offer and he goes back to free agency


Is that right? Or... is it either take it or leave it?

It's rare, especially in reality that teams have multiple first rounders. The only requirement to place a franchise tag bid is at least one this year and one next year.

If a player has signed an offer-sheet (a winning bid) he doesn't go back to free agency. The only way he'd go back to free agency is if I voided a bid, or he was signed by a team and then cut.

Once the player is officially signed (24 hours without a counter-bid) you can:
- match the offer and get the player at the winning offer-sheet bid contract.
- not match and get those two first rounders (one this year and one next) and the bidding team keeps the player.
- or possibly work out some other compensation but in accordance with our efforts to avoid secrecy or price fixing this year, the compensation would have to be consistent with what was advertised to the rest of the league (2 first rounders listed as the compensation in this case).

You can't reject an offer. Your team isn't involved in those negotiations at all. The agreement is between that player and his bidding team. You can only match (since you tagged the player), or if you decide you don't want to match can let him leave and take the designated consolation prize of the first rounders.

To me, speaking generally on the whole there is too much wanting to control free agents here or use them as if they were still under contract and owned by a team. They are under contract with no team. The most home teams have are matching rights and for top 10 players the ability to put some compensation insurance on them if the price gets too high to match so they don't walk away with nothing after losing a franchise tagged player. But free agency is all about the player having the power to find the best deal on the market, not what's best for his old team that no longer has him under contract.

[Jared A]

K... thanks Troy.

[sportznut]

Your option is to take the two firsts that he has available for compensation or match the offer.

You might be able to negotiate alternative compensation but you would be bargaining from the position of getting at most the 1st this year and the 1st next year. If that isn't enough compensation, you would have to match the offer.

So to recap, a franchise player who signs an offer sheet with another team provides the original team with two options and two options only:

1. Match the offer
2. Receive two first round picks from the other team.

Correct.

Now, on the flip side, I recently tried to work out a deal where I could give up one first this year, and one next year, despite actually owning two firsts this year.

That can be done as well, if the team agrees to it.