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NEW YORK (Feb. 12, 1999) — The National Football League announced that 471
players are free agents who now can negotiate with all 31 clubs.

The free agents include six players who this
year have been designated by their clubs as
"franchise" players and three who have been
named as "transition" players. Franchise and
transition players are special categories for
restricted and unrestricted free agents. The
deadline for making these designations for 1999
was February 11.

In 1998, 11 players were designated as
franchise players and five as transition players.

1999 FRANCHISE/TRANSITION PLAYER DESIGNATIONS
Franchise Player
Team
DT Chidi Ahanotu
Tampa Bay
WR Antonio Freeman
Green Bay
WR Rob Moore
Arizona
WR Terrell Owens
San Francisco
WR Carl Pickens
Cincinnati
T Richmond Webb
Miami
Transition Player
Team
TE Kyle Brady
N.Y. Jets
TE Pete Mitchell
Jacksonville
T Zach Wiegert
St. Louis

There are two types of franchise players. Clubs retain exclusive negotiating rights
to an "exclusive" franchise player by committing to a minimum offer of the
average of the top five salaries at the player's position as of the end of the
restricted free agent signing period on April 12 or a 20 percent salary increase,
whichever is greater. No player has been designated an exclusive franchise player
this year. The second type of franchise player is offered a minimum of the average
of the top five salaries at his position in the 1998 season, or a 20 percent salary
increase, whichever is greater. This latter type of franchise player may negotiate
with other clubs. The original club may match the offer and retain the player, or
receive two first-round draft choices as compensation if the original club elects
not to match.

Each club is permitted one franchise designation in any year of the Collective
Bargaining Agreement. If the player signs a multiyear contract while under this
designation, the club exhausts its franchise player rights for each year of that
contract unless it matched another club's offer for that player, in which case the
designation is used only for that year. Any club which elected not to use its
franchise player designation in 1999 retains franchise designation rights for 2000
and subsequent years of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, provided the club
did not exhaust those rights from a previously signed franchise player.

Also, a club may designate a transition player in lieu of a franchise player in any
year when the franchise designation is available. A transition player designation
gives the club a first-refusal right to match an offer sheet given to the player by
another club. To designate a transition player, the club must offer a minimum of
the average of the top 10 salaries of 1998 at the player's position or a 20 percent
salary increase, whichever is greater.

In the event a player retires, suffers a career-ending injury or is otherwise
unavailable due to non-football circumstances, a club has the right to designate
another franchise or transition player for the remaining years covered by the club's
prior designation.

A club may withdraw a franchise or transition designation at any time. The player
becomes an unrestricted free agent when that withdrawal occurs.

Unrestricted veteran free agents are players who have completed four or more
accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They are free to
sign with any club through July 15. On July 16, their exclusive rights will revert to
their original club if that club makes a June 1 tender to these players. Teams will
have until the 10th week of the season (November 16) to sign their unrestricted
veteran free agents to whom a tender was made on June 1. If the player does not
sign by November 16, he must sit out the remainder of the season.

Restricted free agents are players who have completed three accrued seasons of
service and whose contracts have expired. They have received qualifying offers
from their old clubs and will be free to negotiate with any club until April 12 at
which time their rights will revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer
from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the
player. If the old club elects not to match the offer, it may receive draft-choice
compensation depending on the level of the qualifying offer made to the player.

The signing period for unrestricted free agents, franchise players and transition
players this year begins February 12 and concludes on July 15. The signing
period for restricted free agents begins February 12 and concludes on April 12.

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Page Updated Tue Dec 21, 1999 2:58pm EST