You’ve probably seen the headline a hundred times during the first week of March. A team "tenders" a young wide receiver or a backup pass rusher, and suddenly, that player is locked into a weird, one-year contract limbo. But what does tendered mean in the NFL, exactly?
It’s basically a formal job offer that keeps a player from walking away for nothing.
Think of it like a "right of first refusal" in a real estate deal. The NFL is a cold, hard business disguised as a game, and the tender is one of the primary tools teams use to control young talent without paying the massive, long-term prices you see on the front page of ESPN. If a player has exactly three "accrued seasons"—which usually means being on the 53-man roster for at least six games in a season—they become a Restricted Free Agent (RFA). This is where the tender comes in. It’s a one-year contract offer that carries a specific "tag" or "round" attached to it.
Why Teams Use the Tender
Teams aren't doing this to be nice. They do it because they have to protect their investment. Imagine you spent a fourth-round pick on a kid from an FCS school, spent three years coaching him up, and just as he hits his stride, he’s allowed to leave for the Dallas Cowboys without you getting a dime in return. That would suck.
To prevent that, the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) allows teams to place a tender on these players. Once that piece of paper is filed with the league office, the player can still go out and talk to other teams. They can even sign an "offer sheet" with a new team. But here’s the kicker: the original team has the right to match that offer. If they match it, the player stays. If they don't match it, the new team has to cough up a draft pick as compensation.
The Levels of Being Tendered in the NFL
It’s not just one blanket offer. There’s a hierarchy here, and the money changes every year based on the salary cap.
First, you have the First-Round Tender. This is the big daddy. If a team places this on a player, any team that wants to sign him has to give up a first-round draft pick to get him. Because first-round picks are worth their weight in gold, you almost never see a player on a first-round tender actually leave. It’s a "keep away" sign.
Then there’s the Second-Round Tender. Same logic, just a bit cheaper for the original team and a bit less "expensive" for a poaching team.
The Right of First Refusal is the lowest rung. There is no draft pick compensation attached to this one. The team just gets the chance to match any contract the player signs elsewhere. If they choose not to match, the player leaves, and the original team gets nothing but a handshake and maybe a compensatory pick a year later if the math works out.
Wait. There’s a nuance people miss.
What if the player was an undrafted free agent (UDFA)? If a team uses an "Original Round Tender" on an undrafted player, it functions exactly like the Right of First Refusal. Since the player wasn't drafted, there is no "round" to compensate the team with. This is why you’ll often see teams "over-tender" a guy. They might put a second-round tender on an undrafted gem just to make sure nobody tries to steal him for free.
The Austin Ekeler Example
Back in 2020, Austin Ekeler was a Restricted Free Agent for the Los Angeles Chargers. He was an undrafted guy who turned into a total stud. The Chargers knew that if they just gave him a low tender, someone would snatch him up instantly. Instead of playing the tender game for too long, they used the leverage of the RFA status to negotiate a four-year, $24.5 million deal.
That’s often how this ends. The tender is a placeholder. It’s a "we like you, we want to keep you, but let’s see if we can find a middle ground" move.
What Happens if a Player Refuses to Sign?
They don't have many options. Honestly.
If a player is tendered in the NFL and doesn't sign the offer by a certain deadline (usually in late April), the team can actually lower the offer. They can reduce it to 110% of the player's previous year's salary. It’s a brutal leverage play. Most players eventually sign because sitting out means they don't get paid and they don't get an "accrued season," meaning they’d just be an RFA all over again the following year.
It’s a cycle. You play, you get tendered, you sign, you hope for the big payday next year.
Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFAs)
This is even more restrictive. If a player has two or fewer accrued seasons, they are an Exclusive Rights Free Agent. If the team offers them a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with anyone else. Period.
It's essentially a "take it or leave it" situation. You see this a lot with practice squad players who got called up or late-round picks who spent time on Injured Reserve. They haven't been in the league long enough to earn the right to even talk to other teams. When you hear a player was "tendered" at the ERFA level, it’s basically just the team saying, "You’re coming back for the minimum."
The Money Involved
The numbers jump every year. For example, in 2024, a first-round tender was worth roughly $6.8 million. A second-round tender was about $4.8 million. For a guy who might have been making $800,000 the year before, that’s a massive raise. But compared to the $20 million-a-year stars? It’s a bargain for the team.
This is why agents hate the RFA system. It suppresses wages for players who outperform their rookie contracts early.
Why You Should Care
If your favorite team has a "star" who was an undrafted free agent or a late-round pick, the tender year is the danger zone. This is when the front office has to decide if the player is a long-term piece or just a temporary filler.
Watch the "tender" level closely. If a team puts a second-round tender on a guy who was a sixth-round pick, they are telling you they value him highly. If they only give him the Right of First Refusal, they’re basically saying, "We like him, but we won't be heartbroken if he leaves."
Key Takeaways for the Offseason
When the news breaks that your team's starting middle linebacker has been tendered in the NFL, here is how to read between the lines:
- Check the Round: A high tender (1st or 2nd) means the team is terrified of losing him.
- Watch the Deadline: If the player hasn't signed the tender by the draft, things might be getting spicy behind the scenes.
- Look for the "Offer Sheet": It’s rare, but if a team like the Bears signs a tendered player from the Packers to an offer sheet, the Packers have five days to match it. This is peak NFL drama.
- The "Tag" Difference: Don't confuse a tender with the Franchise Tag. The Franchise Tag is for players with expiring contracts who are about to become Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs). Tenders are specifically for those 3-year "restricted" players.
Next time you're scrolling through Twitter and see a "tender" mentioned, you'll know it's not about chicken strips. It's about a high-stakes game of contract chicken where the team almost always holds the best cards. If you want to track this in real-time, keep an eye on sites like OverTheCap or Spotrac. They track the exact dollar amounts of these tenders as the salary cap fluctuates, giving you a clear picture of exactly how much cap space your team is "locking up" just by making these offers.
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The best move now is to look at your team's roster and identify the players with three accrued seasons. Those are your RFA candidates. Predicting whether they get a 2nd-round tender or a Right of First Refusal will tell you everything you need to know about the front office's plans for the upcoming draft.