Let's pretend its the end of the season...

[brad7686]

That 6 years thing is gonna screw a lot of things up. If that didn't exist, they could dump bad salaries, make strong runs at Mankins/Snee and Marshall/Jackson, and then draft a tackle.

[DEHog]

Not sure what we could get for Campbell, but an uncapped year would be a great opportunity to dump some salaries.

Keep in mind, a team can't just sign FA's. They have to lose a FA in order to sign a FA. That kind of complicates things under current management, who knows what they'll do?

That's not my understanding...Under the final 8 rule I thought the final 4 teams (in the playoffs) were the only teams that couldn't sign an UFA until they lost one??

But in reality, there were so many new parameters built into the CBA's rules for an uncapped season that owners will have anything but free rein to make a killing for their teams in free agency. And I don't think the players really grasp those realities yet anywhere near as well as NFL owners and club executives do.

For starters, once the salary cap disappears, players can't be free agents until they've completed six NFL seasons, rather than four. That means there will be fewer quality young players in the 2010 free-agent pool, and less talent for any spend-happy teams to accumulate.

"That's huge, the six seasons before free agency,'' one of the general managers told me. "But it's also a bit of a funky spot to be in because, let's face it, there are going to be some unhappy players who thought they were about to get to free agency. You've got a guy who just finished his fourth season, but now he's not coming up [for free agency]. That's why I keep saying to some of my agent friends, 'Man, this is real. Don't think this will never happen or that it's going to go away and be fine. You've got to be right about this.' ''

In addition, teams in 2010 would own an extra transition tag, meaning a franchise could use both a franchise tag and a transition tag on two of its own free agents (or two transition tags) in the same season, as opposed to the one or another they get to designate now. Again, that stipulation should serve to limit the quality of the free agents who actually reach the open free agent market.

"The pool of players in free agency shrinks dramatically in the uncapped year,'' another general manager said. "That means the quality of available players is going to be affected, and the ones who actually reach free agency, how good are they really?" Most teams have gotten very good at re-signing their own best players any way. So that uncapped year, with all the contingencies, all the parameters that are in it, those things are real and they're going to keep the rich from getting richer.

And there's more. In the uncapped season of 2010, the league would have a rule called the top eight plan, in which the eight teams that reached the divisional round playoffs in 2009 would have their activity in free agency limited. The NFL's final four teams wouldn't be able to sign an unrestricted free agent until they had lost one of their own. The other four teams among the final eight to be eliminated in 2009 would have some salary restrictions on the free agents they signed, which would serve to keep them from being able to afford any elite free agents.

[brad7686]

Not sure what we could get for Campbell, but an uncapped year would be a great opportunity to dump some salaries.

Keep in mind, a team can't just sign FA's. They have to lose a FA in order to sign a FA. That kind of complicates things under current management, who knows what they'll do?

That's not my understanding...Under the final 8 rule I thought the final 4 teams (in the playoffs) were the only teams that couldn't sign an UFA until they lost one??

But in reality, there were so many new parameters built into the CBA's rules for an uncapped season that owners will have anything but free rein to make a killing for their teams in free agency. And I don't think the players really grasp those realities yet anywhere near as well as NFL owners and club executives do.

For starters, once the salary cap disappears, players can't be free agents until they've completed six NFL seasons, rather than four. That means there will be fewer quality young players in the 2010 free-agent pool, and less talent for any spend-happy teams to accumulate.

"That's huge, the six seasons before free agency,'' one of the general managers told me. "But it's also a bit of a funky spot to be in because, let's face it, there are going to be some unhappy players who thought they were about to get to free agency. You've got a guy who just finished his fourth season, but now he's not coming up [for free agency]. That's why I keep saying to some of my agent friends, 'Man, this is real. Don't think this will never happen or that it's going to go away and be fine. You've got to be right about this.' ''

In addition, teams in 2010 would own an extra transition tag, meaning a franchise could use both a franchise tag and a transition tag on two of its own free agents (or two transition tags) in the same season, as opposed to the one or another they get to designate now. Again, that stipulation should serve to limit the quality of the free agents who actually reach the open free agent market.

"The pool of players in free agency shrinks dramatically in the uncapped year,'' another general manager said. "That means the quality of available players is going to be affected, and the ones who actually reach free agency, how good are they really?" Most teams have gotten very good at re-signing their own best players any way. So that uncapped year, with all the contingencies, all the parameters that are in it, those things are real and they're going to keep the rich from getting richer.

And there's more. In the uncapped season of 2010, the league would have a rule called the top eight plan, in which the eight teams that reached the divisional round playoffs in 2009 would have their activity in free agency limited. The NFL's final four teams wouldn't be able to sign an unrestricted free agent until they had lost one of their own. The other four teams among the final eight to be eliminated in 2009 would have some salary restrictions on the free agents they signed, which would serve to keep them from being able to afford any elite free agents.

I guess they don't want their FA to turn into the sham that baseball FA is. Stinks for skins fans though. We could be the yankees of the NFL.

[DEHog]

Yep the owners didn't want Jones, Snyder and Kraft buying up all the FA...I for one am glad...can you imagine Danny with no cap and open FA!!

[Deadskins]

Look to get a pick for Campbell

So...who out there would trade a draft pick for a free agent?

He won't be a FA. The owners do not want a new CBA. 2010 will be uncapped.

He won't?? As I understand it he'll be a RFA because under a uncapped year a player will have to have 6 years in the league to be a UFA

Ok, but a RFA is different than a FA, in that we would get compensation in the form of a draft pick if another team wants him.

Isn't that what I said???

Not the way I read it. I thought you were saying we wouldn't get a draft pick for him because he's going to be a FA anyway. But as a RFA, not a true FA, we would get a draft pick for him if any deal were made.

[TincoSkin]

as far as the O line goes, we shouldnt be thinking about supplementing it, we should be trashing it and starting over.

it is easier to build continuity between players if they grow up together rather than stickina couple new guys in the existing group.

[PulpExposure]

Look to get a pick for Campbell

So...who out there would trade a draft pick for a free agent?

He won't be a FA. The owners do not want a new CBA. 2010 will be uncapped.

He won't?? As I understand it he'll be a RFA because under a uncapped year a player will have to have 6 years in the league to be a UFA

Ok, but a RFA is different than a FA, in that we would get compensation in the form of a draft pick if another team wants him.

Isn't that what I said???

Not the way I read it. I thought you were saying we wouldn't get a draft pick for him because he's going to be a FA anyway. But as a RFA, not a true FA, we would get a draft pick for him if any deal were made.

Unless we didn't tender him a contract offer that comes with a draft pick compensation. Which you know that we won't.

[BearSkins]

Here are some OL FA's...Richie Incognito, Rich Seubert, Chris Snee, Logan Mankins, Chad Clifton, John Tait, and Taitusi Lutui. I think these are guys who could help our O-lines woes.

John Tait is retired.