How NFL Restricted Free Agent Tenders Work
Information cutoff: October 29, 2026 at 4:06 AM CDT. This guide applies Article 9, Sections 2 and 3 of the 2020 NFL and NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement and the official 2026 free agency guidance published by the NFL.
A restricted free agent is not fully under contract with his old team, but he is not completely unrestricted either. The prior club can make a one year qualifying offer called a tender. That tender gives the club a right to match another team’s offer sheet and, at some levels, a draft pick if it lets the player leave.
The short version
A player becomes a restricted free agent when his contract expires after exactly three accrued seasons. The prior club chooses how much protection to buy by choosing a tender level. A higher tender costs more against the salary cap but can require better draft compensation from a new team.
Who qualifies as a restricted free agent
Article 9, Section 2(a) defines an RFA as a veteran with three accrued seasons but fewer than four when his contract expires. The NFL’s 2026 free agency guidance describes an accrued season as six or more regular season games on qualifying active, inactive, injured reserve or physically unable to perform lists.
Four or more accrued seasons normally lead to unrestricted free agency. Fewer than three normally leads to exclusive rights free agency. Credited seasons are a different calculation used mainly for benefits and minimum salary, so they should not be substituted for accrued seasons.
The four tender levels
• Right of first refusal only: the old club can match an offer sheet, but receives no draft pick if it declines.
• Original round tender: the old club can match, or receive a pick in the round where the player was drafted.
• Second round tender: the old club can match, or receive one second round pick.
• First round tender: the old club can match, or receive one first round pick.
The original round, second round and first round tenders use the greater of the published amount or 110 percent of the player’s prior year Paragraph 5 salary. If the 110 percent calculation controls, the CBA also carries forward the other terms of the prior contract.
Official 2026 values and a source discrepancy
The NFL’s league year specific 2026 free agency Q&A lists $3.520 million for right of first refusal only, $3.674 million for the original round tender, $5.767 million for the second round tender and $8.046 million for the first round tender. It lists $8.546 million for the special first round tender that changes how a future franchise or transition tag limitation is treated.
A current NFL Football Operations explainer agrees on the $3.674 million original round figure but displays $3.547 million, $5.811 million and $8.107 million for the other three levels. Because those two official NFL pages conflict, Football Nation is treating the league year specific NFL.com Q&A as the working 2026 snapshot while preserving the competing Football Operations figures in this source note. Clubs, agents and readers making a live contract decision should confirm the controlling league notice.
How the offer sheet process works
An RFA may negotiate with another club during the signing period. For 2026, the NFL listed that period as March 11 through April 17. If the player and a new club sign an offer sheet, Article 9, Section 3 gives the prior club five days to exercise its right of first refusal, subject to the draft timing limit.
If the prior club matches, the player stays under a contract containing the principal terms of the offer sheet. If it does not match, the player joins the new club and the prior club receives the draft compensation attached to its tender. Only one signed offer sheet may be outstanding at a time.
Teaching diagram
Contract expires after three accrued seasons → old club chooses a tender → player may negotiate with other teams → player signs an offer sheet → old club has five days to match → match means the player stays → decline means the player leaves and any tender compensation is paid.
Example one: an undrafted player
Assume an undrafted receiver reaches three accrued seasons and receives the right of first refusal only tender. Another club signs him to an offer sheet. His prior club can match the principal terms and keep him. If it declines, the receiver joins the new club and the old club receives no draft compensation.
Using an original round tender would not create draft compensation for this player because he was not drafted. A team that wants compensation protection would need to use a second round or first round tender.
Example two: a fifth round pick
Assume a fifth round defender reaches restricted free agency. With an original round tender, a new club that signs him could owe a fifth round pick if the prior club declines to match. With a second round tender, the potential compensation becomes a second round pick, but the prior club also carries the higher tender salary while the offer remains available.
The football decision is therefore a price and leverage calculation. A club may use the lower tender when it believes the market will not produce an offer sheet. It may pay for the higher tender when losing the player would be more damaging than the added cap charge.
The upgraded tender rule
Article 9, Section 2(c) prevents a club from selectively upgrading one low drafted player while preserving maximum compensation on certain other RFAs without paying them comparably. If a club gives a first round tender to a player drafted below the first round, compensation for another first round RFA can be reduced unless that player also receives at least the upgraded amount. A similar rule applies when a second round tender is used on a player drafted below the second round.
What happens after the offer sheet deadline
If no offer sheet is signed before the signing period closes and the tender remains in place, the prior club becomes the only club with which the player may negotiate. Article 9 also contains June 1 and June 15 tender procedures. A player who remains unsigned by 4 p.m. New York time on the Tuesday after Week 10 generally cannot play for the rest of that league year unless the impartial arbitrator finds extreme hardship.
Football consequence
Tender choice can reveal how a front office values a player. A second round tender can deter competitors because the acquiring team must surrender both a contract and a valuable pick. A right of first refusal tender leaves more movement possible but lets the original club see the market and decide whether to match.
Fantasy consequence
A tender does not guarantee a starting job or fantasy workload. It can still signal roster investment and reduce the chance that a player changes teams. Fantasy managers should treat it as supporting evidence, then check depth chart competition, coaching plans, routes, targets and touches.
Strongest counterargument
The strongest objection is that tender level does not equal market value. That is correct. Teams use tenders strategically, and many RFAs sign the one year tender without receiving another offer sheet. The tender tells us the club’s protection choice, not what an open unrestricted market would have paid.
Common misconceptions
• Restricted does not mean the player is forbidden from negotiating with other teams during the signing period.
• Every tender includes matching rights, but the lowest level includes no draft compensation.
• An original round tender does not guarantee compensation for an undrafted player.
• The new club does not simply trade a pick for the player. It signs an offer sheet, waits for the matching period and owes compensation only if the old club declines.
• Accrued seasons determine free agency status. Credited seasons serve different purposes.
FAQ
Can the old team withdraw a tender?
Yes. Article 9, Section 2(d) says withdrawal makes the player a free agent without first refusal, draft compensation or a signing period restriction.
Can a player choose 110 percent of his old base salary?
For the original round, second round and first round tenders, Section 2(g) gives the player the option to accept the 110 percent version even if the alternative published amount is greater.
When is draft compensation due?
It normally belongs to the draft in that league year. If the prior club receives the offer sheet later than two days before that draft, the compensation moves to the following league year’s draft.
Next checkpoint
Recheck the annual league notice before the next free agency signing period, because tender amounts change with the salary cap. Also verify the player’s official accrued season total and original draft round before describing possible compensation.
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