LA Rams 2020 Free Agency Primer – shopping for 2020 NFL players

The LA Rams face a critical off-season in 2020, spawned by the likely exodus of multiple starters in 2020 NFL free agency market

The LA Rams are heading into the 2020 off-season, and there simply is not much official football to discuss right now. Football in terms of training camp, signed players, projections of new draft selections, and the like. But this is perhaps one of the most ambiguous free agent markets the Rams have entered in a very long time.  Still, a lot will happen rapidly in a matter of weeks, so as a brief refresher for those already in the know, or as a basic introduction for those who do not, here are some key facts and dates to help you prepare for another NFL Free Agency market.

Of course, it all begins with having the money to spend.  We dove into that topic a month ago, and you can review that salary cap discussion here.

The Rams had 18 players with foggy futures heading into 2020.  One of those players, safety Eric Weddle, has opted to retire this year.  The other 17 players fall into several categories:

UFA or unrestricted free agents – players who will be free to negotiate and sign with any of the 32 NFL teams

RFA or restricted free agents – players who are emerging from their rookie contract with three or fewer years of NFL experience. Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with any of the other 31 NFL teams, but the Rams will have the opportunity to match that offer.
Restricted free agents receive qualifying, or “Tender”, offer from their original team which come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. The higher the tender offer, the greater the compensation if the player is signed away.

Based on various salary ranges, these take the shape of a First-round tender, Second-round tender, Original-round tender, or Right-of-first-refusal tender.  With the Right-of-first-refusal tender, the offering team gets the right to match any offer sheet, but receives no compensation if the team declines to do so.

ERFA or exclusive restricted free agents – players with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract and the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.