How should LA Rams handle their RFA and ERFA players this offseason?

Free Agency

The NFL and NFLPA have negotiated various categories of free agents. Those categories depend heavily upon the amount of ‘accrued seasons’ that a player has earned in his NFL career. To understand what makes up an accrued season, or credited season, you can check out this very informative article on NFL.com.

And of course, a free agent category only applies to players whose contracts have expired. While many think of NFL contract terms that last for four or five years, many rookies are signed to minimal contracts for short-duration. These players spend multiple years with limited ability to negotiate with other teams. Why is that? Well, it begins with the way that the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to define free agency, and the rights imbued to each specific category.

Almost everyone is familiar with the category of Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA). They are players who are commonly just referred to as free agents. Which players are UFAs? Any player with four or more accrued seasons becomes an unrestricted free agent.  These players are free to negotiate and sign with any team.

The next easiest category to define is the other extreme. That is the category of Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA). A player falls into this category if they have fewer than three accrued seasons. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams. The minimum salary was established at $610,000 for the 2020 season in the latest CBA.  That amount increases to $660,000 for 2021.