| It’s moving day here at Pro
Football Weekly. We’re relocating from our luxurious offices in Bannockburn,
Ill., to even more luxurious offices in Riverwoods, Ill. (At least I’m told
they’re more luxurious. I haven’t been able to find the new place yet.)
There’s something exciting about moving day. Maybe it’s the screech of tape
guns, or perhaps it’s the smell of permanent markers as they scribble on cardboard
boxes. But it’s symbolic. It’s the end of an old era and the chance to start
anew.
Not that Corey Dillon would know about any of this.
Dillon, the fine Bengals running back, is a restricted free agent, and he saw that
status as a ticket out of Cincinnati. Dillon repeatedly expressed his displeasure with the
state of things in Cincinnati. His wanderlust could be seen from miles away.
But he’s stuck in Cincinnati. The Monday deadline for RFAs to sign tender offers
with new teams came and went, and Dillon’s signature was not on the bottom of any
legally binding document.
It begs the question: Why not? Dillon is young and talented, and it’s no stretch
to think he could have even more success with a winning team than he would in Cincinnati.
The answer is simple: It’s the system, stupid. Players with four years of NFL
accrued service become unrestricted free agents when their contracts come up, which means
they are entitled to sign with any team, and their previous club can do nothing about it
(save using a franchise or transition designation, which is another column for another
day).
But RFAs — players who have three years of service — are hamstrung. True,
they are allowed to negotiate with new teams, but their previous clubs are allowed to
match any offer sheet that player signs. If the old team chooses not to match the offer
sheet, it is entitled to compensation, which is based on a couple of factors. The team can
tender the player at a higher level, entitling it to either a first-round pick or first-
and third-round picks as compensation. If the club gives the minimum tender, then it is
entitled to a draft pick in the same round as the one in which the player was originally
drafted.
The Bengals tendered Dillon at the highest level, which means any team signing him to
an offer sheet would have to be prepared to give up first- and third-round picks in
Saturday’s draft. No club has been willing to make that kind of investment on top of
a big-dollar offer to Dillon.
One reason for the reluctance is that the Bengals said they would match any offer that
came Dillon’s way. Short of a team putting a "poison pill" in an offer
sheet — most likely a provision that Dillon could become an unrestricted free agent
after next season and that he would not be franchised or transitioned at that point
— the Bengals were determined to hold on to Dillon.
It’s no coincidence that the three RFAs who switched teams this offseason —
FB Robert Chancey, now with San Diego, and LB Charlie Clemons and P Toby Gowin, now with
New Orleans — were not drafted. The teams that signed them lost no draft picks in the
process.
But bigger-name RFAs are pretty much stuck. So it looks as though Corey isn’t
moving.
But if he asks real nice, I’ll send a tape gun once we’re through. At least
then he could pretend. |
