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WHAT REALLY
IS NFL
"FREE AGENCY"?
This is unnecessarily confusing. The Court addresses the technical "Free Agency" issue in the historic Antitrust, Labor Relations Contract disputes - the content of my NFL Free Agency books.
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But, people also refer to every player that isn't locked in by a restrictive covenant, draft or otherwise, as a "Free Agent". We see that in the press a lot. It is also common with undrafted or released players.
FREE AGENCY: MY BOOK CONTENT - THE LEGAL TECHNICAL DEFINITION USED IN TRIAL: Absent a players contract, the player has the unfettered right to market himself to the highest team bidder in the NFL. As opposed to "Restricted Free Agency" which means the team where the player was under contract, draft or otherwise, owns the team even absent a specific bilateral Player's Agreement Contract.
UNDRAFTED PLAYER "FREE AGENCY": A player who was not drafted or who was released by their current team. Players who are trying to get into the NFL for the first time fall under this definition. Also Players who have been cut, released, or who are not subject to "Restricted Free Agency" are also lumped under this general category.