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Restricted Area?
Free Offered Highest Restricted Tender
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys aren't sure exactly how many restricted free agents they'll have this offseason, but on Tuesday they obtained a tepid level of insurance in this uncertain offseason by offering one-year, non-guaranteed tenders to four players who might qualify as RFA's: offensive tackle Doug Free, safety Alan Ball and defensive ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher.
Free, a solid 16-game starter at left tackle, received the highest-level tender (roughly $3.5 million) that would require a team to submit a first- and third-round pick as compensation if the Cowboys chose not to match an offer sheet.
Hatcher and Bowen, key rotation defensive linemen, each received the second-round tender (roughly $1.9 million) requiring second-round compensation. Ball, a first-year starter at free safety, received the original draft choice tender (roughly $1.2 million) worth seventh-round compensation due to his 2007 draft status.
Wide receiver and special teams captain Sam Hurd did not get an offer, but the five-year veteran still could return depending on his market value once the free-agent signing period begins. Last year Hurd got the second-round tender, then worth $1.759 million. Linebacker Leon Williams and quarterback Chris Greisen also were not tendered this year.
The qualifications for unrestricted and restricted free agency are unknown while the owners and players continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Under the previous system, Free (four-year veteran), Bowen (five-year veteran) and Hatcher (four-year veteran) would meet the minimum requirement (four accrued seasons) for unrestricted status. Under the 2010 uncapped rules (six accrued seasons), all four players would be restricted.
If the old system returns, those three restricted designations would be meaningless and Free, Bowen and Hatcher could sign with any team without draft pick compensation. Ball would remain restricted because although he's a four-year veteran, he only has three accrued seasons, having spent the first 14 weeks of his 2007 rookie year on the practice squad.
The Cowboys chose not to give Free the one-year, guaranteed franchise tag worth roughly just over $10 million for an offensive lineman. Marion Barber (2008) and Miles Austin (2010) previously got the first- and third-round tender, and both eventually signed lucrative extensions. Presumably, the Cowboys would like to work out a long-term agreement with Free, who capably replaced Flozell Adams on the left side.
Three other starters with expiring contracts (guard Kyle Kosier, defensive end Marcus Spears, safety Gerald Sensabaugh) and backup offensive tackle Alex Barron have six accrued seasons and should become unrestricted free agents regardless, unless they can work out deals with the Cowboys before then. That would seem unlikely with a lockout potentially looming as soon as this week, and Spears tweeted Monday that he already expects to test the market first.
Wide receiver Jesse Holley and cornerback Bryan McCann are exclusive rights free agents. Both made an impact on special teams and are likely to be retained.
Free Offered Highest Restricted Tender
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys aren't sure exactly how many restricted free agents they'll have this offseason, but on Tuesday they obtained a tepid level of insurance in this uncertain offseason by offering one-year, non-guaranteed tenders to four players who might qualify as RFA's: offensive tackle Doug Free, safety Alan Ball and defensive ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher.
Free, a solid 16-game starter at left tackle, received the highest-level tender (roughly $3.5 million) that would require a team to submit a first- and third-round pick as compensation if the Cowboys chose not to match an offer sheet.
Hatcher and Bowen, key rotation defensive linemen, each received the second-round tender (roughly $1.9 million) requiring second-round compensation. Ball, a first-year starter at free safety, received the original draft choice tender (roughly $1.2 million) worth seventh-round compensation due to his 2007 draft status.
Wide receiver and special teams captain Sam Hurd did not get an offer, but the five-year veteran still could return depending on his market value once the free-agent signing period begins. Last year Hurd got the second-round tender, then worth $1.759 million. Linebacker Leon Williams and quarterback Chris Greisen also were not tendered this year.
The qualifications for unrestricted and restricted free agency are unknown while the owners and players continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Under the previous system, Free (four-year veteran), Bowen (five-year veteran) and Hatcher (four-year veteran) would meet the minimum requirement (four accrued seasons) for unrestricted status. Under the 2010 uncapped rules (six accrued seasons), all four players would be restricted.
If the old system returns, those three restricted designations would be meaningless and Free, Bowen and Hatcher could sign with any team without draft pick compensation. Ball would remain restricted because although he's a four-year veteran, he only has three accrued seasons, having spent the first 14 weeks of his 2007 rookie year on the practice squad.
The Cowboys chose not to give Free the one-year, guaranteed franchise tag worth roughly just over $10 million for an offensive lineman. Marion Barber (2008) and Miles Austin (2010) previously got the first- and third-round tender, and both eventually signed lucrative extensions. Presumably, the Cowboys would like to work out a long-term agreement with Free, who capably replaced Flozell Adams on the left side.
Three other starters with expiring contracts (guard Kyle Kosier, defensive end Marcus Spears, safety Gerald Sensabaugh) and backup offensive tackle Alex Barron have six accrued seasons and should become unrestricted free agents regardless, unless they can work out deals with the Cowboys before then. That would seem unlikely with a lockout potentially looming as soon as this week, and Spears tweeted Monday that he already expects to test the market first.
Wide receiver Jesse Holley and cornerback Bryan McCann are exclusive rights free agents. Both made an impact on special teams and are likely to be retained.
