Closer look at 'restricted' market

Some of the best free agents on the market are considered untouchable because of the level of compensation that a new team would have to provide. Draft picks are valuable currency in the non-salary cap NFL, as teams that draft well have a better chance of creating a winning nucleus while adhering to their budgets.

I’ve written a lot about restricted free agents this week. Last year, no restricted free agents switched teams. This year, there are expected to be a trade or two involving disgruntled players. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that they’re called “restricted” free agents for a reason.

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Some have offered the opinion that it’s a good tradeoff to surrender a draft pick to get a proven player. However, teams that take part in that practice are paying twice. Before giving away a draft pick, a team must first award a big enough contract so that the other team does not match.

And is the player they’re receiving truly “proven.” Maybe he proved himself with his former team, in a different system with coaches who knew him and with a certain surrounding cast. Anecdotal evidence suggests the success rate of free agents moving from one club to another is no better than the draft picks a team will give up.

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There were 216 restricted free agents who received qualifying offers from their old clubs and became subject to the first refusal/compensation system of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The old club has a right of first refusal to all players listed below. Compensation is listed in parenthesis. If the old club has only a right of first refusal but is not entitled to any compensation, the designation “(ROFR)” appears.

In order to submit an offer sheet, a new club must have available the required choice or choices, defined as its own or better choices in the applicable rounds, in the 2010 NFL Draft. Offer sheets may be submitted to an old club by no later than 8:59:59 p.m., Pacific time, on Friday, April 15.

Thus far, no restricted free agent has signed an offer sheet from an outside team.

(Here’s the list of restricted free agents and their tenders. If there are some same-team signings that I overlooked, please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.)

2010 NFL RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

49ERS: G David Baas (3rd); LB Ahmad Brooks (2nd).

Arizona: WR Steve Breaston (1st); G Deuce Lutui (2nd); TE Ben Patrick (2nd); C Lyle Sendlein (2nd); NT Gabe Watson (2nd).

Atlanta: T Tyson Clabo (1st); G Harvey Dahl (1st); P Michael Koenen (2nd); RB Jerious Norwood (2nd); G Quinn Ojinnaka (5th); RB Jason Snelling (2nd).

Baltimore: LB Antwan Barnes (4th); QB John Beck (3rd); LB Prescott Burgess (6th); G Chris Chester (3rd); WR Mark Clayton (2nd); K Billy Cundiff (ROFR); Jared Gaither (1st); P Sam Koch (2nd); S Dawan Landry (2nd): RB Le’Ron McClain (1st); T Tony Moll (5th); QB Troy Smith (5th); DB Fabian Washington (2nd); WR Demetrius Williams (4th); G Marshal Yanda (2nd).

Buffalo: LB Keith Ellison (6th); TE Derek Schouman (2nd); DB George Wilson (2nd); DB Ashton Youboty (3rd).

Carolina: LB James Anderson (3rd); LB Thomas Davis, Thomas (1^st & 3rd); TE Jeff King (2nd); DE Louis Leonard (2nd); DB Richard Marshall (2nd); NT Tank Tyler (3rd); DB C.J. Wilson (7th).

Re-signed: QB Matt Moore (1^st & 3^rd).

Chicago: DE Mark Anderson (2nd); DB Danieal Manning (3rd); LB Nick Roach (2nd); LB Jamar Williams (4th).

Re-signed: DB Josh Bullocks (3rd).

Cincinnati: LB Abdul Hodge (3rd); LB Rashad Jeanty (ROFR); LB Brandon Johnson (2nd); DB David Jones (5th); G Evan Mathis (3rd); DE Frostee Rucker (3rd).

Cleveland: DB Abram Elam (2nd); RB Jerome Harrison (2nd); LB D’Qwell Jackson (2nd); LB Matt Roth (2nd); LB Jason Trusnik (2nd); RB Lawrence Vickers (2nd).

Dallas: WR Miles Austin (1^st & 3rd); DE Stephen Bowen (2nd); DE Jason Hatcher (2nd); WR Sam Hurd (2nd); T Pat McQuistan (7th); C Duke Preston (4th); G Cory Procter (2nd); DB Gerald Sensabaugh (2nd); NT Junior Siavii (3rd); DE Marcus Spears (1st); DB Pat Watkins (5th).

Denver: LB Elvis Dumervil (1^st & 3^rd); G Chris Kuper (1st); WR Brandon Marshall (1st); QB Kyle Orton (1st); TE Tony Scheffler (2nd).

Detroit DB Daniel Bullocks (2nd); C Dylan Gandy (4th); DB Kevin Hobbs (ROFR); DE Jason Hunter (2nd); G Daniel Loper (ROFR); G Manuel Ramirez (4th); DB Ko Simpson (4th).

Green Bay: DB Atari Bigby (2nd); DB Will Blackmon (4th); G Daryn Colledge (2nd); ~~DB Nick Collins (1^st & 3rd)~~; DE Johnny Jolly (1st); RB John Kuhn (ROFR); C Jason Spitz (2nd); DB Tramon Williams (1^st & 3rd).

Re-signed: DB Nick Collins (1st & 3rd).

Houston: DE Tim Bulman (ROFR); T Rashad Butler (3rd); TE Owen Daniels (1^st & 3rd); RB Ryan Moats (3rd); DB Bernard Pollard (1st); LB DeMeco Ryans (1^st & 3rd); C Chris White (ROFR).

Indianapolis: DB Antoine Bethea (1st); DB Melvin Bullitt (2nd); DT Antonio Johnson (2nd); T Charlie Johnson (2nd); DT Daniel Muir (2nd).

Jacksonville: LB Clint Ingram (3rd).

Kansas City: QB Brodie Croyle (2nd); LB Derrick Johnson (1st); LB Corey Mays (2nd); T Ikechuku Ndukwe (2nd); C Rudy Niswanger (2nd); T Ryan O’Callaghan (2nd); DB Jarrad Page (2nd).

Miami: RB Ronnie Brown (1st); TE Anthony Fasano (2nd); LB Quentin Moses (3rd).

Minnesota: T Ryan Cook (3rd); DE Ray Edwards (1st); NT Fred Evans (2nd); DB Eric Frampton (5th); QB Tarvaris Jackson (3rd); RB Naufahu Tahi (ROFR).

New England: K Stephen Gostkowski (2nd); G Logan Mankins (1^st & 3rd); LB Pierre Woods (ROFR).

New Orleans: NT Remi Ayodele (ROFR); RB Mike Bell (ROFR); T Jammal Brown (1^st & 3rd); T Jermon Bushrod (2nd); DE Jeff Charleston (ROFR); G Jahri Evans (1^st & 3rd); DT Tony Hargrove (3rd); DB Roman Harper (1st); LB Marvin Mitchell (7th); WR Lance Moore (2nd); DB Chris Reis (ROFR); WR Courtney Roby (3rd); T Zach Strief (2nd); TE David Thomas (3rd); RB Pierre Thomas (2nd); DB Usama Young (3rd).

N.Y. Giants: G Kevin Boothe (6th); DB C.C. Brown (ROFR); NT Barry Cofield (2nd); WR Derek Hagan (3rd); WR Domenik Hixon (2nd); WR Sinorice Moss (3rd); DE Dave Tollefson (2nd); T Guy Whimper (4th); LB Gerris Wilkinson (3rd).

N.Y. Jets: QB Kellen Clemens (3rd); DB Drew Coleman (6th); WR Braylon Edwards (1^st & 3rd); T Wayne Hunter (3rd); DB James Ihedigbo (ROFR); WR Brad Smith (2nd); DB Eric Smith (3rd); RB Leon Washington (2nd).

Oakland: LB Ricky Brown (2nd); LS Jon Condo (2nd); DB Hiram Eugene (2nd); QB Charlie Frye (3rd); QB Bruce Gradkowski (2nd); LB Thomas Howard (2nd); RB Luke Lawton (ROFR); C Chris Morris (7th); LB Kirk Morrison (3rd); DB Stanford Routt (1^st & 3rd).

Philadelphia: C Nick Cole (2nd); LB Omar Gaither (5th); LB Chris Gocong (3rd); DB Ellis Hobbs (1st); G Max Jean-Gilles (4th); LB Akeem Jordan (2nd); P Saverio Rocca (ROFR).

Re-signed: WR Jason Avant (2nd); RB Leonard Weaver (2nd).

Pittsburgh: T Willie Colon (1st); DB William Gay (5th); P Daniel Sepulveda (4th); TE Matt Spaeth (3rd).

St. Louis: DE Victor Adeyanju (4th); DB Oshiomogho (O.J.) Atogwe (ROFR); T Alex Barron (2nd); DT Clifton Ryan (2nd).

Re-signed: DB Craig Dahl (ROFR).

San Diego: T Jeromey Clary (2nd); LB Tim Dobbins (5th); WR Malcom Floyd (1^st & 3rd); WR Vincent Jackson, Vincent (1^st & 3rd); DE Travis Johnson (1st); T Marcus McNeill (1^st & 3rd); LB Shawne Merriman (1^st & 3rd); RB Darren Sproles (1^st & 3rd); QB Charlie Whitehurst (3rd).

Seattle: WR Ben Obomanu (7th); G Rob Sims (4th); C Chris Spencer (1st); DE Darryl Tapp (2nd).

Tampa Bay: WR Mark Bradley (2nd); T Donald Penn (1^st & 3rd); LB Barrett Ruud (1^st & 3rd); WR Maurice Stovall (3rd); T Jeremy Trueblood (2nd); RB Carnell Williams (1st).

Tennessee: DE Dave Ball (2nd); DT Tony Brown (1st); TE Bo Scaife (1st); LB Stephen Tulloch (1st); DT Kevin Vickerson (2nd); RB LenDale White (2nd).

Washington: QB Jason Campbell (1st); DB Reed Doughty (2nd); DT Kedric Golston (2nd), T Stephon Heyer (2nd); LB Rocky McIntosh (2nd); DT Anthony Montgomery (5th); C Will Montgomery (7th); DB Carlos Rogers (1st); LB Chris Wilson (2nd).

Re-signed: DE Lorenzo Alexander (ROFR).

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