Evolution of Free Agency: Best/Worst Contracts, Franchise Tags, & More!

breaking news into nfl network former patriots quarterback tom brady has an agreement to join the tampa bay buccaneers peyton manning is going to be at bronco there's no question about that it looks like dion sanders comeback is for real we made the decision i was going to be a saint ah free agency familiar faces and new places do you know who signed the biggest free agent contract in nfl history did you know 49 of players who suited up in super bowl 55 were acquired in free agency including this guy brady looking close to the enzo hotball touchdown tampa bay buccaneers this offseason ritual is as vital to today's game as the combine the draft and training camp but it's complicated and it's more recent than you think so how did we get here this is nfl explained the evolution of free agency when the nfl was founded in 1920 roster consistency was a major point of emphasis competition between rival clubs college programs and regular everyday jobs limited team building in the early years but things began to change in 1925 with the arrival of american superhero red grange football's first salary to player he's still the fastest heavyweight player to streak down the field with a ball who is he red grange the one and only still big names were the exception until the college to pro pipeline was established by the first nfl draft in 1936 as the nfl evolved it adopted elements of other sports leagues like the mlb's reserve rule now this system for better or worse tied a player to a team indefinitely once a player's contract expired he could only negotiate a new contract with that same team if a deal was not reached the player was put on the reserve list effectively barring him from negotiating with another team in this system players could only change teams via trade or by retiring first this state of affairs would persist for over two decades as dynasties were built around superstars like green bay's don hudson and washington's sammy bar every time he throws a football completes a pass gains a yard scores a touchdown ba sets a world record but then war by 1942 nearly a third of the league had been drafted to fight overseas the army kept drafting football players came to the point where they drafted all our photo back so that the bears were out of pullbacks the team had to persuade bronco nagurski out of retirement effectively making him the first superstar free agent they knew the guy hadn't played in six years they knew his legs were dead he had gained some weight so they put him at tackle the formation of the all-american football conference in 1946 added yet another wrinkle the new league's timely arrival along with wartime uncertainty led to some players backing out on their draft day agreements legendary receiver max speedy was drafted by the nfl's detroit lions in 1942 but owner fred mandel didn't want to sign him until he returned from duty meanwhile speedy was enticed by several aafc offers eventually signing with paul brown in cleveland for seven thousand dollars you snooze you lose fred cleveland is overjoyed the rounds are the champions of the world again college phenom spec sanders great name was drafted by washington in 1942 but jumped leagues to play for the aafc's yankees in 46. two years later future hall of famer y.a tiddle rejected the lions to sign with the aafc's baltimore colts this massive shift in player demand led the nfl to introduce the one-year option rule in 1947. teams could only use the reserve clause once after a player's contract expired in turn players could then negotiate and sign with another team after their option year was fulfilled but it took 14 years for someone to switch teams under this rule that someone was receiver r.c owens [Applause] who left san francisco to sign with the colts in 1962. speaking of the colts they landed one of the first and biggest free agent names of all time i think you may have heard of them united united throws the steelers originally drafted johnny united in 1955 but were unimpressed releasing him before the season began that actually happened then a year later johnny hughes signed in baltimore where he would win three mvps four nfl championships setting multiple passing records as the nfl's first modern quarterback but by 1960 another rival league was quickly gaining traction the most exciting new development on the american sports scene came to life in 1960 with the birth of the american football league the afl's spending power made draft competition fierce raising salaries for top-tier college prospects now with owners growing restless commissioner pete rozelle moved to discourage player movement through the roselle rule in 1963. the rule gave roselle authority to compensate teams who had lost players in free agency the price of the free agent was decided by the commissioner's office and would be paid by the player's new team usually in the form of draft picks or cash considerations it had the intended effect only 34 players signed with new clubs between 1963 and 1974 as most teams avoided the heavy cost of signing veteran talent offense in the air in dave parks the 49ers have the nfl's top pass receiver in 1968 the saints provided a cautionary tale coughing up two first-round picks to sign receiver dave parks parks failed to produce never catching more than 35 passes in any of his five seasons in the big easy the afl and nfl had agreed not to pursue each other's players once they signed their initial deals in 1966 this pact was broken when the giant signed soccer style kicker pete gogolak away from the afl's bills the upstart league was furious over gogolak enter al davis just win david before davis was a staple of nfl excellence he was arguably the league's fiercest adversary in the mid-1960s already the youngest owner and coach in the afl davis was promoted to commissioner in april of 66 and immediately went after the nfl talent in retaliation within months the league was in talks with nfl veterans mike ditka john brody and roman gabriel his hardball tactics were maybe too successful and the leagues agreed without davis's knowledge to a merger in july of that same year we would come out of it they much stronger organization and a much greater sport than we have been as two separate entities with a rival pool of owners no longer around to drive up salaries tension rose between players and the league in 1976 the nfl players union won a court decision against the roselle rule the settlement created a revision known as right of first refusal and compensation it worked similarly to restricted free agency today the rule gave a player's original team the right to match any contract offered to him by another team if a deal was reached the player's new team was required to compensate his original team based on the player's experience and new salary washington made a huge splash signing bears linebacker wilbur marshall to a free agent deal in 1988 marshall became the first player to change teams via free agency in 11 years washington signed the pro bowler to a five-year 6 million dollar deal and had to give up two first-round picks under the league's compensation rules in 1989 the nfl instituted the plan b system the precursor to modern free agency plan b was relatively straightforward teams could protect 37 of its 47 rostered players but the 10 remaining plan b free agents could not negotiate with any other team until they provided their old team the chance to resign them first i'll tell you did you see that hit there ronnie they almost knocked his uniform off what a run by roger frey you'll never see a better one than that two big-name players ronnie lott roger craig they left the 49ers for the raiders via plan b in 1991 but the new system wasn't well received by the players and lawsuits continued in 1992 the final blow came by the way of the minneapolis federal court which ruled in favor of nfl plaintiffs making them unrestricted free agents reggie white the legend the all-pro the eagles minister of defense became the face of the free agency movement the reggie white settlement in january of 1993 introduced free agency as we know it now and it goes something like this unrestricted free agents are what we can consider true free agents that's any player who has at least four years of nfl experience and an expiring contract i was really impressed when i came up here the first time green bay was the farthest day from my mind and with the direction the team is going i think they have a total commitment to winning white became the first unrestricted free agent in 1993 leaving philadelphia to sign a four-year 17 million dollar contract with the packers he and brett favre would go on to bring green bay its first title in nearly three decades the vince lombardi trophy is coming home players with three years of nfl experience in an expiring contract are considered restricted free agents these players are eligible for one-year qualifying offers or tenders from their original team if the player accepts the offer he can negotiate deals with other teams until a certain date but stays with his original team if the offer sheet is matched everybody keeping up heck yeah good the impact of free agency was immediate as some of the league's biggest stars entered the open market the first year we saw dozens of big names swap jerseys raiders legend marcus allen bolted for the chiefs linebacker kevin green made an immediate impact in pittsburgh ronnie lott went from la to the jets vinnie testaverdi joined bill belichick with the browns and that was just the beginning primetime dion sanders high step to the 49ers and a super bowl title in 1994 then did it again just the following year to dallas where jerry jones served up a whopping five-year 30 million dollar offer to pry prime away from his nfc rival this is dion he got one here all of the success has led us a monster money for high profile free agents let's take a look at how big time free agent contracts have evolved on the defensive side reggie white's 17 million dollar contract made him the highest paid defender in 1993. all-pro javon curse the freak left the titans in 2004 to sign in philly making him the highest-paid d-lineman at the time albert haynesworth signed history's biggest defensive contract from 2009 before endomek and sioux topped that in 2015 with a six-year 114 million dollar deal with the dolphins you can't forget charles woodson who reinvigorated his hall of fame career signing with the packers in 2006. he went on to win defensive player of the year in 09 and won a super bowl in 2010. and it's picked off by charles woodson speaking of a career renaissance how about rich gannon gannon won league mvp after signing with oakland in 1999. two-time mvp and 2005 free agent kurt warner resurrected his career in the desert leading the cardinals to super bowl 43 and then there's brady 20-year run in new england wasn't quite good enough surprising everyone he left the patriots and signed a two-year 50 million dollar free asian deal with tampa bay and all he did next was throw for 40 touchdowns in 2020 taking down drew brees aaron rodgers and finally patrick mahomes and rock to a seventh lombardi trophy tom brady you are the man you are the goat you might ask was brady's 25 million a year deal the most ever for a free agent quarterback no not quite we'll get to that one second but first let's check out free agent deals that have evolved for the game's best offensive players the cardinals broke the bank for pro bowl receiver gary clark 6 million for a free agent receiver was uncharted territory in 1993 then restricted free agent curtis martin signed a massive deal with the jets in 1998 led them to the afc championship game after a shoulder injury pushed drew brees out of san diego the future all-time passing leaders saw a really nice payday from the saints in 06 and was worth every penny open and smith what a way to do it there is of course peyton manning who landed in denver after a neck injury ended his legendary colts career he went on to produce two more all-pro seasons in a win in super bowl 50. manning out of the gun manny lets it fly it's caught by thomas there's the record for peyton manning we mentioned brady's 25 million annual guaranteed salary but did you know vikings quarterback kirk cousins actually earned the highest guaranteed free agent deal in nfl history that's right in 2018 minnesota signed cousins the pro bowler to a three-year contract worth 28 million dollars a year but writing huge checks doesn't always mean success larry brown with a big interception remember larry brown not the nba coach cornerback larry brown parlayed his super bowl mvp into a nice contract with the raiders but started in just one game for the silver and black they tried another reigning super bowl mvp the year after but packers hero desmond howard didn't fare much better akane for just two touchdowns in two seasons but maybe no team knows how a huge free agent deal can backfire better than you know who washington oh man the franchise doled out massive contracts to adam archuleta and dion sanders neither of which played more than a single season in washington maybe the most disruptive inside force in the league right now is albert haynesworth and then of course haynesworth two-time all-pro with the titans great player but his 100 million dollar deal resulted in just 12 starts in dc the loan will throw from inside his five and going for steve smith and it is picked off by nandi ossomwa in 2011 the eagles offered a five-year 60 million dollar deal to raiders pro bowler nandi asimoi before releasing him two years later in 2015 philly signed cornerback byron maxwell and reigning offensive player of the year demarco murray to massive multi-year deals both players were gone the following season the free agency game is as much about value as it is about player success sometimes it's all about finding the diamonds in the rough on third down palmer standing in the pocket and picked off it's james farrier to the touchdown in 2002 the steelers found a gem signing former first round pick james ferrier for pennies on the dollar farrier would blossom in pittsburgh recording six seasons with 100 plus tackles an all-pro nod and two super bowls on one of the league's friendliest contracts london fletcher incredible player landed in washington on a five-year 25 million dollar deal and would become a perennial pro bowler earning four straight nods and consistently ranking among the league's leading tacklers how about rodney all pro safety rodney harrison won back-to-back lombardi's after inking a six-year deal with just under 15 million with the patriots in 2003. intercepted rodney harrison at the 20. he falls down and that is it the patriots are going to be super world champions again super talented cardinals pass rusher simeon rice was lured to tampa in 0-1 on a five-year deal worth just over 30 million he rewarded them with multiple 10 plus sack seasons and an all-pro selection in the buck's 2002 super bowl season the same year rice signed in tampa the mother of all bargains landed in kansas city roll the highlight reel and he now holds the record for most touchdowns in a season how do you not love priest arriving on a very modest five-year 8.5 million dollar deal priest holmes went full supernova for the chiefs and won you all the fantasy titles he rattled off three all pro seasons netting a ridiculous 6 500 yards from scrimmage and 61 total touchdowns over that span so with all this talent flying around owners need to find some sort of compromise and that came in the form of franchise and transition tax during negotiations in 1993 broncos owner pat bolan was terrified that he lose all pro john elway and demanded a method for teams to protect their top talent the resulting elway rule was born creating the tag structure and adding an extra level of complexity how does it work glad you asked if a team wishes to retain an upcoming unrestricted free agent they can use their franchise tag on a single player which extends that player's contract an extra year a player can be tagged up to three times by their team there are two types of franchise tags an exclusive tag is exactly what the name implies the player is locked into his team and cannot negotiate with any other team during the free agency period the one-year deal must pay him the average of the top five highest paid players at his position or 120 percent of his previous year's salary whichever is higher needing seven yards freeze throws touchdown and there's the record the all-time single season nfl passing record this is what the saints did with drew brees in breeze was able to negotiate a five-year deal before the start of the season the more common version is the non-exclusive tag for a slightly lower price it can lock up a player for another year but does not prevent that player from negotiating longer term deals with other teams if a player signs elsewhere his original team is granted two first-round picks and then there's the transition tag which allows a team to match any offer but does not guarantee compensation if the player leaves these three tags give leverage to teams and are generally used to negotiate longer term deals with their franchise players while elway and steve young were the first to receive the franchise tag teams soon started using the rule as a negotiation tactic for players of all positions tony gonzalez refused to sign his franchise tender in 2001 arguing his worth was far beyond the salary of typical tight ends by o2 he signed the most lucrative tight end deal in history at that time seven years 31 million no tight end in the nfl has ever caught as many touchdown passes as tony gonzalez the seahawks tagged sean alexander in 2005 who bent on himself in a big way delivering a record-setting mvp season on a one-year deal alexander wide open the record is yours then he signed a massive eight-year 62 million dollar contract with seattle that off season michael vick's 2010 resurgence in philly earned him a franchise designation in 2011 before the two sides worked out a long-term deal with nearly 40 million guaranteed [Music] rushing four ball comes out of the hand vaughn miller did it again he knocked it out of the hands of newton in 2016 denver tagged super bowl mvp von miller before settling on a payday to the tune of 70 million dollars in guaranteed money and kirk cousins the free agency legend signed two consecutive franchise tags in washington and that was before his record-setting deal with the vikings bell breaks a tackle in 2017 le'veon bell had an all-pro year under the franchise tag but sat out the entire 2018 season after the team tagged him yet again he would garner 35 million in guaranteed money from the jets the following season alright my friends before we wrap this up let's dive into free agents of the undrafted variety we love these undrafted free agents are treated as unrestricted free agents and can negotiate and sign with any team these players date back to the 1940s when the aafc's browns discovered gems like marion motley and lou grozza [Applause] warren moon was passed over in the 1978 draft but was signed by the oilers in 84 after a stint in the canadian football league moon had a 17-year hall of fame career in the nfl passing for nearly 50 000 yards and 300 touchdowns green bay struck gold in 1960 by scooping up undrafted future hall of famer willie wood but didn't have quite the same luck in 1994 when they waved unknown rookie kurt warner rainbow's the far sideline and it is caught by isaac bruce makes the move to the 30 25 20 and they won't catch him today possibly the league's best cinderella story no i'm gonna say it definitely the league's best cinderella story warner went on to sign with the rams in 1999 leading saint louis to a win in super bowl 34. in 2001 warner's second title was snatched away by adam vinatieri another undrafted super bowl hero legendary slot receiver wes welker was skipped over in 0-4 as was steelers linebacker james harrison two years earlier the f4 mentioned priest holmes is also on that list as is broncos legend rod smith the cowboys tony romo and canton bound tight end antonio gates 112 career touchdown catches that's the most by an nfl tight end but maybe the greatest undrafted free agent ever is hall of fame defensive back dick night train lane signed by the rams in 1952 knight train picked off 14 passes as a rookie still an nfl record he retired with seven all-pro seasons and the second most career interceptions in nfl history so there you have it you are now schooled on all things free agency and i hope you had a little fun the veil of mystery is finally lifted see you next time

Channel: NFL Throwback

Views: 324,922

Keywords: nfl, american football, nfl history, nfl highlights, nfl vault, nfl throwback

Id: Q7NAtBBJVhs

Length: 23min 26sec (1406 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 16 2021