The ability of a player's current team to retain the player by matching any contract offer the player receives from another team. Applies to restricted free agents and transition-tagged players.
Right of first refusal is a contractual mechanism that gives a player's current team the option to keep the player by matching any offer sheet the player signs with another team. This right is most commonly associated with restricted free agents who receive a qualifying tender and with players designated under the transition tag. When a team has the right of first refusal, it does not need to proactively negotiate a new deal with the player. Instead, it can wait to see what offers the player receives on the open market and then decide whether to match. If the team matches, the player stays under the exact terms of the outside offer. If the team declines to match, the player departs and the team may or may not receive draft pick compensation depending on the specific situation. For restricted free agents with a right-of-first-refusal-only tender (the lowest tender level), the original team can match any offer but receives no draft pick compensation if it declines. This tender is typically used for players the team values but is unwilling to guarantee a higher tender salary. The transition tag similarly provides right of first refusal without the steep draft pick compensation of the franchise tag.
Teams frequently use the right-of-first-refusal tender on restricted free agents they want to keep at a low cost. The team essentially uses the market to set the player's value, then decides whether that price is worth paying to retain the player.
Category: Free Agency & Tags. Part of the StickToTheModel NFL Encyclopedia.