Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

X's & O's

By Jeremy Green

Non-Football Injury:
Any injury of a player that is off the field and the player is under a NFL contract. The NFL team is not required to pay the player's salary from a non-football related injury.

Physically Unable to Perform (PUP):
This is a player that has a football injury from the previous season and the player is still hurt and unable to play until the sixth week of the season. The NFL team still has to pay the player's salary.

Injured Reserve:
The player is put on this list because he will be out from an injury. Can come off IR anytime during the season, but the player must clear waivers. The NFL team must still pay the player's salary.

Practice Squad:
Each NFL team gets five practice squad players. Each player is free to negotiate and sign with another club during the year. However, a player can only go from a practice squad to an active list, not from practice squad to practice squad. Can only be on practice squad for two seasons. The minimum salary is $3,300 per week.

Active List:
For each regular season, the active list limit will be 45 players per club. These 45 players can dress each week for game day.

Inactive List:
Eight players are inactive from each game including one quarterback. These players can't suit up, however, the quarterback can play if the other two active quarterbacks are hurt.

Franchise Player:
Each NFL team may designate one of its players that would otherwise be an unrestricted free agent as a franchise player each season. The NFL team then must automatically tender the player a one year contract for the average of the five largest previous year's salaries at that player's position or 120% of the player's prior year salary, whichever is greater. If the player signs with another team, that team must compensate the old team with two number one draft picks.

Transition Player:
Each club shall be permitted to designate two unrestricted free agents as transition players. The NFL team then must automatically tender the player a one year contract for the average of the ten largest previous year's salaries at that player's position or 120% of the player's prior year salary, whichever is greater. The transition player is free to negotiate with any new team with the only restriction being that the current team has the right of first refusal.

Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA):
Any player with five or more accrued seasons, or with four or more accrued seasons in any capped year, shall, at the expiration of his contract, become an unrestricted free agent. The player shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a contract with any club.

Restricted Free Agent (RFA):
Any player with three or more accrued seasons, but less than five accrued seasons (or less than four accrued seasons in any capped year), shall, at the expiration of his last contract during such period, become a restricted free agent. The restrictions can be right of first refusal and/or draft pick(s).

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA):
The contract that is collectively bargained by the NFLPA with the NFLMC on behalf of all NFL players. Basically it describes the employment relationship between players and teams -- including virtually all terms of condition and employment.