Going into an uncapped 2010 League Year, if a club is uncertain as to the long-term future of a player such that they are unwilling to commit to a long-term extension, they can then retain the player’s exclusive rights by offering him a restricted free agent tender. The upside for the club is that if another club signs this player to an offer sheet and the current club chooses not to match, then they receive draft pick compensation for a player who they were uncertain of from a long-term perspective. If the player isn’t signed to an offer sheet, then the club keeps this player at a relative bargain. The downside to this approach is that a club runs the risk of having a disgruntled player walking around their facility, as surely the player will be frustrated by the club’s utilization of this change in the free agency system which ultimately postponed the player’s next big payday. It is this leveraging of the change in the free agency rules that some clubs are considering when determining whether or not they are going to extend players in 2009.
Marlin Jackson and Antoine Bethea fall into this category of player. Both could be tagged (franchise or transition) or merely tendered. If they are tendered, the Colts would get the right to match any offer they get OR compensation for losing the player. It’s a great thing for the Colts who never sign free agents anyway (hence wouldn’t be hurt by the ban on signings by the best clubs).
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