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RFA Tenders: market price for your expiring players

Restricted free agency brings real GM-style decisions to dynasty fantasy football. Tender an expiring player, set a salary and a compensation package, then watch the league bid. Match the winning offer to keep them, or decline and collect rookie draft picks. Available now in contract dynasty leagues on League Tycoon.

The Concept

What restricted free agency adds to your league

In contract dynasty, when a player's contract expires, the team has two options: franchise tag them, or let them walk into the free agent pool. (Extensions have to be signed earlier, during the player's final contract year, not after the contract has ended.) RFA adds a third path for players who finished the last year of an initial contract: put a tender on them, set the price, and let the league test whether anyone is willing to pay more.

The original team holds the leverage. They control the tender level, which sets both the salary and the compensation. They get the right to match any incoming offer, so a player is never lost without their consent. But pricing the tender correctly is an art. Tender too low, and the compensation you collect is weak if a rival pries the player away. Tender too high, and you may overpay for a player no one would have bid on.

For the rest of the league, RFA tenders create a real shopping window. The trade-off: you bid the salary and you ship draft pick compensation if the original team declines to match. That cost has to be priced into every bid.

Walkthrough

How RFA Tenders work, step by step

A five-phase flow that combines a tender offer, a public auction, and a right-to-match decision.

Pick a tender level

When a player on your roster has finished the last year of an initial contract (rookie, FA draft, or free agent pickup), they are automatically RFA-eligible. You open the Tender Offer screen and choose a level. Each level pairs a 1-year salary with a compensation package. Higher levels cost more salary but lock in better rookie pick compensation if another team beats your offer.

In the example, Level 2 is selected. The salary is $30 for one year, and if another team makes a winning bid that you decline to match, you collect a 2027 2nd round rookie pick from the bidding team. Level 1 raises the salary to $40 but locks in a 1st round pick instead, which is a stronger deterrent to outside bids.

Once you sign the tender, the platform adds a 1-year contract at the tender salary and queues the player for the RFA auction.

RFA tender offer screen showing Trey McBride with two tender levels: Level 1 at $40 with first round pick compensation, Level 2 at $30 with second round pick compensation

Tender Offer screen. Each level pairs a salary with a draft pick compensation package.

The RFA auction opens after rollover

The auction does not start the moment a tender is signed. After the league rolls over to the new season on April 1st, the tender window closes and every tendered player is queued for the RFA auction. The auction runs in the new season before the rookie draft. It is a contract bidding draft, configurable as live or slow. Contract bidding is required so that multi-year offers can be matched during the auction.

Other teams must factor in compensation when bidding. They are not just spending cap dollars and contract slots, they are also putting up the rookie picks tied to the tender level. A Level 1 tender with a 1st round comp can scare off most teams. A Level 4 tender with no comp is an open market.

A rival bids, you decide

When another team places a bid that beats your tender, the platform notifies you and opens the Right to Match decision. The high offer is shown clearly: salary, contract length, and the bidding team. You can either match the exact terms and keep the player, or decline and trigger the compensation transfer.

In the example, Team 2 bid $26 per year for 3 years. The original team must decide: match the 3-year, $26 deal and keep the player, or decline and collect the 2nd round pick that Team 2 owes per the Level 2 tender.

The decision is real. Matching means committing real cap dollars over multiple years. Declining means losing the player but adding a 2nd round rookie pick to your draft capital.

RFA auction match or decline screen showing Trey McBride with a $26 per year, 3-year offer from Team 2 and Match and Decline buttons

Right to Match. Accept the offer to keep the player, or decline and collect compensation picks.

Compensation transfers automatically

If you decline to match, the platform handles the rest. The player moves to the winning bidder under their offered contract. The compensation rookie picks transfer from the bidding team to your team for the upcoming rookie draft. Cap space, contract slots, and pick ownership all update in one transaction. There is no commissioner email chain, no manual ledger, no ambiguity about which pick goes where.

If you match, the player stays on your roster at the matched contract terms. Multi-year matches consume your team's contract slot allocations for the relevant length and lock the player's salary across all years.

Auction closes, rookie draft begins

Once every RFA decision is resolved, the auction closes and the rookie draft can start. Compensation picks are now in the correct hands, RFA contracts are signed at their final terms, and every team knows exactly what their roster and picks look like heading into the rest of the offseason.

Eligibility & Timing

Who can be tendered, and when it happens

Automatic eligibility

A player is RFA-eligible the offseason after they complete the last year of an initial contract. Initial contracts are:

•Rookie contracts
•FA Draft contracts
•Free Agent contracts (in-season pickups)

Each player's contract type is shown on their contract card. Players whose initial contract has been extended or franchise tagged do not get a second RFA window.

RFA window

The RFA tender window runs from the end of the regular season through the league's April 1st rollover, the same window as the franchise tag. Tenders sign during this window. After the league rolls over to the new season, the RFA auction runs before the rookie draft.

The rookie draft cannot start while RFA decisions are still pending. This guarantees that compensation picks are still available to transfer when a team declines to match.

Weigh The Risk

Compensation is fixed by the level you choose

This is the core risk-reward of RFA: your compensation is determined by the tender level you select, not by the size of the winning bid. Even if the offer comes in much higher than your tender, you only receive the compensation tied to the level you signed.

Higher levels have higher salaries but give better compensation if you don't match the offer. Lower levels could save salary, but you risk losing a player for less compensation. Tender too low on a player who turns out to be a steal, and a 4th-round comp pick will feel small. Tender too high on a player no one wants, and you are stuck paying a premium 1-year salary.

The skill in RFA is not just identifying which players are worth keeping. It is identifying which level prices the player accurately. The market will tell you whether you guessed right.

Tender Levels

A salary for every appetite, a comp pick for every level

Commissioners configure as many tender levels as the league wants. A typical setup has three or four levels with declining salaries and weakening compensation.

Tender level	Salary	Compensation if declined
Level 1	Highest	Right to match + 1st round rookie pick
Level 2	Higher	Right to match + 2nd round rookie pick
Level 3	Lower	Right to match + 3rd round rookie pick
Level 4	Lowest	Right to match only

Commissioners configure the salaries and compensation picks for each level. Levels that fall below the league minimum salary are auto-disabled, and the top level is raised to meet the minimum so a tender is always offerable.

Every level grants the right to match, regardless of compensation. The original team is never forced to lose a player without their consent.

Strategy

What makes RFA Tenders different

Price discovery on retained players

An extension or franchise tag locks a price you set. RFA forces a market test. If no one bids, you learn the player was overvalued. If multiple teams bid, you learn the player was a steal at your tender.

Bidders pay in picks, not just dollars

Outside teams are not just spending cap dollars and contract slots. They also ship the compensation rookie picks if the original team declines to match. That second cost reshapes which players are worth chasing.

Asymmetric leverage

The original team has the final say. The bidder is committing real assets, and the original team can match the deal at the bidder's terms. This is a classic NFL mechanic, not a redraft pattern grafted onto dynasty.

Rebuilders get an exit ramp

Teams not ready to commit to a player can decline and collect picks. Tendering at Level 1 then declining is a legitimate way to convert a fading veteran into draft capital, with the platform handling the transfer.

Contenders can pry players loose

If a rebuilding team underprices a player on a low tender, contenders can target them. Pay the salary, ship the picks, and the player is yours. RFA is one of the few avenues to acquire a player from another team without negotiating a trade.

Multi-year bidding is allowed

Outside teams can offer 1-year through 5-year contracts (per league settings). Long-term offers can lock in talent at a fixed cap hit. The original team must match the exact length, which means they accept the cap commitment in full if they keep the player.

Commissioner Control

Configurable for the league you actually run

Every part of RFA is in the commissioner's hands. You decide how many tender levels exist, what each level's salary is, and which rookie picks each level transfers.

The platform enforces the rules you set. Cap impact is calculated automatically. Pick ownership updates the moment a decision is made. Compensation availability is checked on the bidding side, so a team that does not own the required picks cannot place a bid on that player in the first place.

For commissioners migrating an existing dynasty league or designing a brand new contract dynasty league, the contract league rules reference covers RFA in the broader context of franchise tags, extensions, and the full season timeline.

Is RFA right for your league?

An advanced mechanic, an optional one

Great fit for

•Veteran contract leagues looking for more offseason action
•Leagues that want NFL-realistic restricted free agency mechanics
•Owners who enjoy market-based price discovery on their roster
•Leagues willing to spend a bit more time on offseason decisions

Maybe skip if

•Your league wants the simplest possible offseason flow
•Members can't commit to multi-day decision windows
•You haven't played a contract dynasty season yet (start there first)

RFA is fully optional. Commissioners can run contract dynasty without it and add it in a later season once the league is comfortable with the basics.

RFA Tenders FAQ

What is an RFA tender in fantasy football?

A restricted free agent (RFA) tender is a 1-year offer a team makes to retain an expiring player. The team chooses a tender level that sets both the 1-year salary and the draft pick compensation they will receive if another team signs the player away. Tenders are signed during the offseason window. After the league rolls over to the new season, every tendered player is queued for the RFA auction, where the league can bid against the original team. The original team always has the right to match the winning offer.

Who is eligible for an RFA tender?

A player is automatically RFA-eligible when they have completed the last year of an initial contract. Initial contracts are: rookie contracts, contracts signed in the FA draft, and free agent contracts (in-season pickups). You can confirm a player's contract type on their contract card. Players whose initial contract has been extended or franchise tagged are not RFA-eligible. Commissioners can adjust eligibility on a per-player basis if their league wants to deviate from the default.

When does the RFA window open and close?

The RFA tender window runs from the end of the regular season through the league's April 1st rollover, the same window as the franchise tag. The RFA auction itself runs in the offseason before the rookie draft begins, since compensation picks must still be available to transfer. The rookie draft cannot start until all RFA decisions are resolved.

How do tender levels work?

Each tender level pairs a 1-year salary with a compensation package. Higher levels charge the team a higher salary but lock in better rookie pick compensation if another team beats the tender. Lower levels are cheaper but come with weaker compensation. Commissioners configure how many levels exist, the salary at each level, and the rookie picks attached to each level. Every level grants the right to match.

Does compensation scale with the winning bid?

No, and this is the core risk-reward of RFA. The compensation is fixed by the tender level the original team selected, regardless of how high the winning bid goes. Sneak through with a cheap Level 4 tender and a rival drops a massive offer? You get the Level 4 compensation, not a level matched to the bid amount. Sign a Level 1 tender hoping for a 1st round pick and no one bids? You are stuck paying that high salary on a 1-year deal.

Are there minimums on which tender level I can choose?

Yes. The selected tender level salary must be at least the player's current salary multiplied by the league's player salary increase per year setting. This prevents a team from undercutting an existing contract through the tender mechanic. If a level falls below that floor or below the league minimum salary, it is auto-disabled.

What is the right to match?

When another team places a bid in the RFA auction that beats the tender, the original team is shown the offer (salary, contract length, bidding team) and is given the choice to match or decline. If they match, the player stays on the original team at the matched salary and contract length. If they decline, the player goes to the high bidder and the high bidder sends the rookie pick compensation tied to the tender level the original team selected.

Are RFA tender offers always 1-year contracts?

The tender itself is always a 1-year deal. However, other teams bidding in the RFA auction can offer multi-year contracts (typically 1 to 5 years, based on league settings). If the original team matches a multi-year offer, they retain the player at those exact terms and consume one of their multi-year contract slot allocations for that length.

What happens if no other team bids?

The player stays on the original team at the tender salary on a 1-year contract. No compensation changes hands. Because the player is now on a 1-year deal entering their final contract year, they become extension-eligible, just like any other final-year player.

Can a player who comes off RFA be extended?

Yes, if they end up on a 1-year contract. That happens in two cases: when no team bids and the original team keeps the player on the 1-year tender, or when the winning bid itself was a 1-year offer (regardless of whether the original team matched or declined). In both cases the player enters the next season on their final contract year and becomes extension-eligible. A multi-year winning bid pushes extension eligibility back until the new contract enters its final year.

Does matching consume contract slots?

Yes. Matching a multi-year bid uses one of the team's available contract slot allocations for that length, the same way signing a multi-year deal in the FA draft would. If you don't have a 3-year slot available, you cannot match a 3-year offer. Plan your slot usage with RFA in mind.

Can the original team always decline?

Yes. If a team places a winning bid, the original team can always choose to match or decline. The bidding team is the one required to own the compensation picks before they can place the bid in the first place. Teams that don't own the necessary picks tied to the tender level cannot bid on that player at all, so by the time the original team has a decision in front of them, the compensation is already guaranteed to transfer if they decline.

How does this compare to franchise tags?

Franchise tags are a one-time guaranteed retention at a premium salary, typically the average of the top salaries at the position. RFA tenders are a market test: you set a tender level, and the rest of the league decides whether to challenge you. RFA gives you the upside of paying less, with the trade-off that you may lose the player or be forced to match a higher bid.

Is RFA available in standard dynasty?

No. RFA tenders only exist in contract dynasty leagues because they depend on salary cap mechanics, draft pick compensation, and contract terms. RFA is included in the contract dynasty token ($11.99 per team per year). Standard dynasty remains completely free without contract mechanics.

Run RFA in your contract dynasty league

RFA Tenders is included with every contract dynasty league at $11.99 per team per year. Set up your league free, configure tender levels, and explore every contract feature before September 1st activation.

Create a Contract Dynasty League See all contract features