Restricted Free Agency Coming To An End
Thursday is Tax Day in the United States, where the three biggest initials are not NFL but IRS.
But April 15 is an important day on the NFL calendar as well. That’s the deadline for restricted free agents to receive offer sheets from other teams around the league.
The elimination of the salary cap in the NFL and changes that brought to the league labor structure created more than 200 RFAs, the highest number in league history. To date only one RFA received an offer sheet, and that was New Orleans RB Mike Bell (right) from Philadelphia. The Saints decided not to match the offer. They received no compensation from the Eagles for Bell because they only presented him with a right of first refusal tender offer.
Someone can join Bell if a team makes an offer before the close to league business on Thursday. As of Wednesday, 98 RFA’s have signed contracts or their tender offers. That obviously left well over 100 RFAs available out there, including four members of the Chiefs: QB Brodie Croyle, C Rudy Niswanger, OT Ryan O’Callaghan and LB Corey Mays.
Once passed the deadline, the RFAs can only negotiate with their old team and must either sign the tender offer, or negotiate a new contract. Here are the players who have signed so far:
| Team/Position/Player |
Reporting Date For Signed Tender |
| Arizona WR Steve Breaston |
3/29/10 |
| Arizona TE Ben Patrick |
3/23/10 |
| Arizona C Lyle Sendlein |
3/29/10 |
| Arizona NT Gabe Watson |
3/29/10 |
| Baltimore LB Antwan Barnes |
4/14/10 |
| Baltimore QB John Beck |
4/12/10 |
| Baltimore LB Prescott Burgess |
4/13/10 |
| Baltimore G Chris Chester |
4/13/10 |
| Baltimore K Billy Cundiff |
4/12/10 |
| Buffalo LB Keith Ellison |
3/29/10 |
| Buffalo TE Derek Schouman |
4/9/10 |
| Buffalo S George Wilson |
3/29/10 |
| Buffalo DB Ashton Youboty |
3/31/10 |
| Carolina QB Matt Moore |
3/12/10 |
| Chicago S Josh Bullocks |
3/12/10 |
| Cincinnati LB Abdul Hodge |
3/29/10 |
| Cincinnati LB Rashad Jeanty |
3/25/10 |
| Cincinnati DE Frostee Rucker |
3/31/10 |
| Cleveland LB Jason Trusnik |
3/12/10 |
| Dallas TE Stephen Bowen |
4/9/10 |
| Dallas DE Jason Hatcher |
4/9/10 |
| Dallas T Pat McQuistan |
4/7/10 |
| Dallas G Cory Procter |
3/26/10 |
| Dallas NT Junior Siavii |
4/9/10 |
| Dallas DE Marcus Spears |
4/6/10 |
| Denver G Chris Kuper |
3/23/10 |
| Denver WR Brandon Marshall |
4/13/10 |
| Denver TE Tony Scheffler |
4/14/10 |
| Detroit CB Kevin Hobbs |
3/17/10 |
| Detroit DE Jason Hunter |
3/23/10 |
| Detroit G Daniel Loper |
3/29/10 |
| Detroit G Manuel Ramirez |
3/26/10 |
| Detroit DB Ko Simpson |
4/6/10 |
| Green Bay CB Will Blackmon |
3/16/10 |
| Green Bay S Nick Collins |
3/10/10 |
| Green Bay C Jason Spitz |
4/5/10 |
| Houston DE Tim Bulman |
3/26/10 |
| Houston RB Ryan Moats |
4/6/10 |
| Houston S Bernard Pollard |
4/2/10 |
| Houston LB DeMeco Ryans |
3/31/10 |
| Indianapolis DB Melivin Bullitt |
4/12/10 |
| Indianapolis DT Antonio Johnson |
4/13/10 |
| Indianapolis DT Daniel Muir |
4/12/10 |
| Kansas City LB Derrick Johnson |
3/25/10 |
| Kansas City T Ikechuku Ndukwe |
3/23/10 |
| Minnesota T Ryan Cook |
4/12/10 |
| Minnesota NT Fred Evans |
4/12/10 |
| Minnesota DB Eric Frampton |
4/12/10 |
| Minnesota RB Naufahu Tahi |
4/13/10 |
| New Orleans T Jermon Bushrod |
4/13/10 |
| New Orleans DE Jeff Charleston |
3/26/10 |
| New Orleans DT Tony Hargrove |
4/5/10 |
| New Orleans T Zach Strief |
4/12/10 |
| New Orleans TE David Thomas |
4/13/10 |
| N.Y. Giants G Kevin Boothe |
3/31/10 |
| N.Y. Giants WR Sinorice Moss |
4/14/10 |
| N.Y. Giants DE Dave Tollefson |
3/24/10 |
| N.Y. Giants T Guy Whimper |
4/9/10 |
| N.Y. Jets QB Kellen Clemens |
4/12/10 |
| N.Y. Jets WR Braylon Edwards |
3/22/10 |
| N.Y. Jets T Wayne Hunter |
3/23/10 |
| N.Y. Jets S James Ihedigbo |
3/22/10 |
| N.Y. Jets WR Brad Smith |
3/22/10 |
| N.Y. Jets S Eric Smith |
3/18/10 |
| Oakland LB Ricky Brown |
3/23/10 |
| Oakland LS Jon Condo |
3/16/10 |
| Oakland S Hiram Eugene |
3/29/10 |
| Oakland QB Charlie Frye |
3/16/10 |
| Oakland QB Bruce Gradkowski |
3/16/10 |
| Oakland RB Luke Lawton |
3/23/10 |
|
Oakland C Chris Morris
Oakland LB Kirk Morrison |
3/16/10 4/14/10 |
| Philadelphia WR Jason Avant |
3/8/10 |
| Philadelphia RB Mike Bell * |
3/16/10 |
| Philadelphia C Nick Cole |
4/7/10 |
| Philadelphia LB Omar Gaither |
3/31/10 |
| Philadelphia LB Chris Gocong |
3/30/10 |
| Philadelphia CB Ellis Hobbs |
3/30/10 |
| Philadelphia LB Akeem Jordan |
3/22/10 |
| Philadelphia RB Leonard Weaver |
3/6/10 |
| St. Louis DE Victor Adeyanju |
3/30/10 |
| St. Louis S Craig Dahl |
3/6/10 |
| San Diego RB Darren Sproles |
4/5/10 |
| San Diego QB Charlie Whitehurst |
3/17/10 |
| San Francisco G David Baas |
4/13/10 |
| San Francisco LB Ahmad Brooks |
4/5/10 |
| Seattle G Rob Sims |
4/2/10 |
| Seattle DE Darryl Tapp |
3/16/10 |
| Tampa Bay WR Mark Bradley |
3/29/10 |
| Tennessee DE Dave Ball |
3/16/10 |
| Tennessee TE Bo Scaife |
3/17/10 |
| Tennessee DT David Vickerson |
4/13/10 |
| Washington DE Lorenzo Alexander |
3/5/10 |
| Washington QB Jason Campbell |
4/12/10 |
| Washington OT Stephon Heyer |
4/14/10 |
| Washington DT Anthony Montgomery |
4/14/10 |
| Washington C Will Montgomery |
3/15/10 |
| Washington LB Chris Wilson |
3/24/10 |
*Mike Bell signed an offer sheet with Philadelphia that New Orleans did not match.
Q: What happens when you sit on a cigarette?
A: You get Buffalo DB Ashton Youboty.
I’ll be here all week.
That is a smoking pun, if ever there was one.
“I’ll be here all week.”
That was just brutal!
cupp is quoting unremarkable movies but with nothing to do til the draft, why not?