We know who the big unrestricted free agents are for the Indianapolis Colts, but who are their restricted free agents and what’s the difference?
The Colts restricted free agents this offseason, according to Over the Cap, are safety Trevor Denbow and guard Wesley French.
As we all know, an unrestricted free agent is free to negotiate and sign wherever they please. That isn’t exactly the case, however, for a restricted free agent.
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a player with three accrued years of NFL experience. The RFA’s current team has the option of placing one of three tenders on that player: a first round tender, a second round tender, or a right of first refusal tender.
If no tender is placed on an RFA, they then become an unrestricted free agent. However, if one of those tenders is placed on the RFA, they can then negotiate with other teams, but there is a caveat.
If the tendered RFA receives an offer from another organization, the current team has the opportunity to match the contract. If they do, then the RFA returns to the original team. But if they don’t whatever tender was placed on the RFA, the original team will get as compensation from the new team.
For example, if another team is willing to sign away a player with a first round tender, the new team would have to give the original team a first round draft pick in return.
If the RFA receives a tender but does not get an offer from another team, they will then re-sign with the original team and receive a one-year contract at a predetermined amount set by the NFLPA based on which tender was utilized.
Now, when it comes to Denbow and French, I wouldn’t expect either to receive a tender from the Colts. The contract values associated with each tender for 2025 is more than what either player would earn on the open market.
Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if both players do return and are signed to the Colts 90-man roster this offseason. Depth at both safety and guard are big needs with Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas, and Marcel Dabo the only safeties under contract in 2025, while Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Mark Glowinski, and Danny Pinter are all free agents along the interior offensive line.