Restricted free agent A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL , NFL , NHL , or NBA . Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams . NFL . In the National Football League , a restricted free agent ( RFA ) is one with three accrued seasons of service , who has received a " qualifying " offer ( a salary level predetermined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players ) from his current club . He can negotiate with any club through a certain date . If the restricted free agent accepts an offer sheet from a new club , his old club has " right of first refusal , " a seven - day period in which it may match the offer and retain him , or choose not to match the offer , in which case it may receive one or more draft picks for the upcoming draft from the player ' s new club . If an offer sheet is not executed , the player ' s rights revert to his old club the day after negotiations must end . Tender amounts . In 2007 , a second - round tender offer was added , and after the 2011 lockout , the top tender was removed . The three tender amounts for 2012 are as follows : Each player that signs a tender receives the one - year salary that corresponds to the tender level . Teams which choose not to match an offer on a player with a low tender receive a draft pick corresponding to the round in which the player was originally drafted ( except that the highest pick that can be surrendered for such a tender is a second - round pick ) . For example , a player who was originally drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft would force the team signing him to give his former team a sixth - round pick in the upcoming draft as compensation for his service . No compensation is required for an undrafted player on the lowest tender amount , so teams with valued undrafted RFAs are taking a notable risk by offering such tenders . ( The top tender prior to 2011 required first - and third - round picks as compensation . ) Examples of possible outcomes . In addition to the following outcomes , if a player does not receive an offer sheet from his original team , he becomes an unrestricted free agent . If a player signs the offer sheet from his original team , he remains with that team . NHL . A player who is no longer considered to be entry - level , but does not qualify as an unrestricted free agent , becomes a restricted free agent when their contract expires . A player may only declare themselves to be an unrestricted free agent if they are over the age of 27 or have played in the league for a minimum of 7 years . Qualifying offers . The current team must extend a " qualifying offer " to a restricted free agent to retain negotiating rights to that player . Players who earned less than $ 660 , 000 in the previous season must be offered 110 percent of last season ' s salary . Players making up to $ 1 million must be offered 105 percent . Players making over $ 1 million must be offered 100 percent . Possible outcomes . If a player accepts a qualifying offer he remains with his current team for a one - or two - year term . The length of the contract is determined by the player . At the end of this contract the player becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent . While the player is in negotiation with his current team , other teams are allowed to extend Offer Sheets to him . Should the player sign a proposed Offer Sheet , his current team is notified as such , can no longer negotiate a new contract or trade the rights to negotiate and is left with 2 options , Accept or Decline . The current team has 7 days to make its decision . For example : At any point during the negotiation process , if the player has been in the NHL for longer than 4 years ( less if the player signed his first contract after the age of 20 ) , either the player or his current team may file for Salary Arbitration as a means of settling a contract dispute . At this point the player may no longer sign an Offer Sheet . The deadline to file for Salary Arbitration is July 5th with cases being heard between late July and early August . A team can take a player to arbitration once in his career . Players may request salary arbitration as often as they please . NBA . Players in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) with four or less years of experience may become restricted free agents under certain conditions . KHL . Kontinental Hockey League players under 28 years of age as of July 1 of a given calendar year whose contracts are expired are considered restricted free agents . Just like the NHL and the NBA , the original team of a player who signed an offer sheet tendered by another team has seven days to match the offer sheet . However , unlike its North American counterpart , teams that decide not to match offer sheets collect transfer fee s instead .