bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Can we sign a player that got cut even though a collective bargaining agreement is not in place? I understand free agency but cut players arent really free agents in the same manner. Just wanted to know since we have had some waived players in and wasnt sure if we could do a deal right now with the Limbo around players/owner dispute. It also seems like the post draft contracts would be under old rules or would contracts be on hold till labor issue is worked out? What about undrafted FAs that usually get signed days after the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Can we sign a player that got cut even though a collective bargaining agreement is not in place? I understand free agency but cut players arent really free agents in the same manner. Just wanted to know since we have had some waived players in and wasnt sure if we could do a deal right now with the Limbo around players/owner dispute. It also seems like the post draft contracts would be under old rules or would contracts be on hold till labor issue is worked out? What about undrafted FAs that usually get signed days after the draft. Any current FA can be signed by anyone until March 4th. After that point, with no CBA and an expected lockout, there'd be no player movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) A player who has been released by their team a la Shaun Rogers, OJ Atogwe, Bob Sanders, or Jeremy Shockey can be signed by any team BEFORE March 4th. Players whose contracts with their previous teams have expired (i.e.- Donte Whitner) CANNOT be signed by any NFL team except the team which most recently held their rights until a new CBA is in place. Also, after March 3rd, assuming no CBA is in place, no other players can sign contracts until a new CBA is in effect. This includes players with expired contracts, and also drafted or undrafted rookie free agents. Edited February 25, 2011 by San Jose Bills Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) A player who has been released by their team a la Shaun Rogers, OJ Atogwe, Bob Sanders, or Jeremy Shockey can be signed by any team BEFORE March 4th. Players whose contracts with their previous teams have expired (i.e.- Donte Whitner) CANNOT be signed by any NFL team except the team which most recently held their rights until a new CBA is in place. Also, after March 3rd, assuming no CBA is in place, no other players can sign contracts until a new CBA is in effect. This includes players with expired contracts, and also drafted or undrafted rookie free agents. i think the easiest way to break it down -- if you played for a team last year, you are under contract with that team until march, unless you were cut. the only UFAs available in february are cuts and people that werent on a team. ie poz, whitner etc.. are not expired contracts. they are still on our team, still have access to our facilities, have nfl health insurance, etc... through the end of the year. this end is march, not the superbowl. right now we still have the cba in place through the end of the year and can sign players not under contract currently... just no trades, as this years trade deadline was week 6, and we dont open the new year til march. once this year closes, theres no cba, no player movement, no minicamps, nothing but the draft. we wont even be able to sign UDFA players. we wont be able to sign free agents, or draft picks, make trades for players or future picks etc.... until march you can extend your own players, cut players, sign cut players, or sign street free agents. thats it. once march hits literally the only two transactions until a new cba will be "draft the rights to a player" in the 2011 draft. trade the right to draft a player in the 2011 draft, for the right to draft another player in the 2011 draft. Edited February 25, 2011 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 i think the easiest way to break it down -- if you played for a team last year, you are under contract with that team until march, unless you were cut. the only UFAs available in february are cuts and people that werent on a team. ie poz, whitner etc.. are not expired contracts. they are still on our team, still have access to our facilities, have nfl health insurance, etc... through the end of the year. this end is march, not the superbowl. right now we still have the cba in place through the end of the year and can sign players not under contract currently... just no trades, as this years trade deadline was week 6, and we dont open the new year til march. once this year closes, theres no cba, no player movement, no minicamps, nothing but the draft. we wont even be able to sign UDFA players. we wont be able to sign free agents, or draft picks, make trades for players or future picks etc.... until march you can extend your own players, cut players, sign cut players, or sign street free agents. thats it. once march hits literally the only two transactions until a new cba will be "draft the rights to a player" in the 2011 draft. trade the right to draft a player in the 2011 draft, for the right to draft another player in the 2011 draft. There is some "talk" that the union and owners might be trying to work out an agreement where free agents and their agents will be allowed to have discussions after the current CBA expires. There is the added stipulation that the teams and agents must document their contacts so there is a record of the contacts. Both sides recognize that if there is too much of a delay between the ending of the current CBA and the signing of a new CBA there might be a last minute stampede of player signings. Both sides want a more orderly process of player signings and movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsMagic1 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Can we trade draft slots, ie move up or down without the CBA? I think we can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Can we trade draft slots, ie move up or down without the CBA? I think we can't. Draft picks can be traded, as long as no current players are also involved in the trade. In other words trading draft picks for draft picks is permissible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Draft picks can be traded, as long as no current players are also involved in the trade. In other words trading draft picks for draft picks is permissible. and those picks can be this year only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 and those picks can be this year only. NoSaint, I don’t think that’s accurate. Every article I have read says that 2012 and other future picks will be tradable (including that long one by the Miami beat writers talking about trading up for Newton). It makes sense because draft picks are not regulated by the CBA at all. Every team gets one every year, and regardless of what happens with the CBA there will be a 2012 draft structured the same as it always has been, with 1 team getting one in every round. The main difference is that teams won’t be able to sign UDFA rookies. That could be a huge underlying factor to the draft, with teams courting UDFAs until they can be signed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 NoSaint, I don’t think that’s accurate. Every article I have read says that 2012 and other future picks will be tradable (including that long one by the Miami beat writers talking about trading up for Newton). It makes sense because draft picks are not regulated by the CBA at all. Every team gets one every year, and regardless of what happens with the CBA there will be a 2012 draft structured the same as it always has been, with 1 team getting one in every round. The main difference is that teams won’t be able to sign UDFA rookies. That could be a huge underlying factor to the draft, with teams courting UDFAs until they can be signed. everything ive read is a no to that --you can correct me if im wrong, but my impression is that the draft is governed by the cba -- though every team will have a pick in every round, the format could change into anything they wanted -- there could be rookie caps, a snake system, a lottery, whatever the owners and players want to set up -- if the entire season is blown, what is the plan for the draft? im not saying i expect it to last all year, but because of that what if - i dont think its a commodity you can trade. hell - say next april we still dont have an agreement signed, what is the plan for the 2012 draft? even if you do have a first rounder next year, how do you begin to assign value to it as a bargaining chip. i dont know if that makes sense but its the reasoning ive been aware of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 everything ive read is a no to that --you can correct me if im wrong, but my impression is that the draft is governed by the cba -- though every team will have a pick in every round, the format could change into anything they wanted -- there could be rookie caps, a snake system, a lottery, whatever the owners and players want to set up -- if the entire season is blown, what is the plan for the draft? im not saying i expect it to last all year, but because of that what if - i dont think its a commodity you can trade. hell - say next april we still dont have an agreement signed, what is the plan for the 2012 draft? even if you do have a first rounder next year, how do you begin to assign value to it as a bargaining chip. i dont know if that makes sense but its the reasoning ive been aware of Maybe, you make some good points. Im not sure what the deal is, the stuff I read are not reliable sources I guess. The only reason I would want to trade for picks next year is to line up and go Ditka on a trade up for Luck. Since the Bills would never do that anyways, its moot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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