Broncos expected to tender restricted free agent Lindsay
Mar 4, 2021, 11:10 AM | Updated: 11:35 am
According to 9News Insider Mike Klis, the Denver Broncos are expected to tender restricted free agent Phillip Lindsay.
Broncos expected to tender restricted free agent Lindsay – but at what level? https://t.co/raCHTTQtgZ via @9NEWS #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) March 4, 2021
“A bigger question remains as the team has not yet determined whether to place an original — in Lindsay’s case a no-round tender — or a second-round tender that would carry an estimated 2021 salary of $3.38 million (not guaranteed),” Klis wrote.
According to Klis, the second-round tender would bring less hassle for the Broncos because it would all but prevent other teams from trying to sign Lindsay.
The details for a second-round tender are as follows: The greater of $3.384 million or 110 percent of the player’s 2020 salary. If the offer sheet is not matched, the original team receives the new team’s second-round selection in the upcoming draft.
There have been cases of teams submitting a competitive offer sheet to a second-round tendered restricted free agent (RFA) player, but it’s a rare occurrence.
In Lindsay’s case, another team would have to give him a contract offer that would be lucrative enough to sign him away, then that competing team would also have to compensate Denver with a second-round draft pick or something comparable.
Klis also mentions the option of an original round tender.
Original-round tender: The greater of $2.33 million or 110 percent of the player’s 2020 salary. If the offer sheet is not matched, the original team receives a draft pick equivalent to where the player was originally selected.
Klis writes that a $3.38 million salary is good value for a running back who had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, but it may be too much money in the Broncos’ eyes for a rusher whose production dropped due to injuries and added competition in Melvin Gordon.
The Broncos must submit its RFA tender to Lindsay by March 17.