In addition to who can be a free agent, 2010 will also change who can sign free agents. In an attempt to stop the "rich from getting richer," in a figurative sense, the eight teams that advance to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2009 will be restricted in how they can sign free agents.
The four teams that make their respective conference championship games will be prohibited from negotiating with, or signing, any unrestricted free agents unless they are either re-signing one of their own players, or the player was cut by his previous team. In 2008, the four teams this would have affected were Arizona, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh.
The four teams that make it to the divisional rounds in their conferences, but fail to make it to a conference championship game will be only be allowed to sign one player with a salary over $4.925 million. They may also sign any number of players to a first-year salary of no more than $3.725 million, and an annual increase of no more than 30%. The four teams this would have affected in 2008 were Tennessee, San Diego, Carolina, and the New York Giants.
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