How many years must a player play to become a free agent in an uncapped year?

[solman]

Peter King writes (using concrete examples) that a player must have completed his sixth season before he can become eligible for free agency in an uncapped year.

I have seen this repeated so many times that I assumed it was fact.

The NFLPA version of the CBA seems to say something different:

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 Player Contract, become an Unrestricted Free Agent.

This would appear to make Ellis Hobbs, Nick Kaczur and Logan Mankins (amongst others) eligible for free agency in an uncapped 2010. King's construction would make them RFAs (and in a hypothetical uncapped season, teams might be very reluctant to part with draft picks).

With the Patriots already having to re-sign a number of key players in 2010 (Watson, Wilfork and an aging Neal and Light amongst many others), this could have a real impact on how they approach extensions.

Am I misconstruing the CBA? Or is King wrong?

 

[Miguel]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...read.php?p=857131&highlight=capped#post857131

I trust the CBA more than I do King.

 

[DefenseRules]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...read.php?p=857131&highlight=capped#post857131

I trust the CBA more than I do King.

Miguel, I trust YOU more than I trust King.

 

[solman]

I trust the CBA more than I do King.

If King is wrong, I can't blame him. At least a dozen non-trivial sportswriters have made this same mistake. I am unaware of anyone who has gotten this right. I'm going to accuse Florio of being wrong about this, in the hope that he gets confirmation one way or another.

It would be kind of interesting if this change (5 years instead of 6) happened at the time of the 2006 CBA extension.