The Washington Football Team has tendered exclusive rights free agent quarterback Kyle Allen.
What does that mean? The 25-year-old quarterback isn't going anywhere in 2021.
An exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) is any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If an ERFA's original team offers him a one-year contract at league minimum, he cannot negotiate with other teams.
That's where Allen — who only has two accrued seasons — stands with Washington now.
Accrued seasons determine a player's free agency status (UFA, RFA or ERFA). In order for a season to accrue, the player needs to have been on his team's active/inactive list, injured reserve or PUP list for at least six regular-season games that season.
An undrafted free agent out of college in 2018, Allen logged only two games in his rookie season, falling short of the necessary six-game requisite for an accrued season. He earned two accrued seasons between 2019 (Carolina) and 2020 (Washington), hence his ERFA designation.
Per Ben Standig of The Athletic, Allen will earn $850,000 on the exclusive rights tender in 2021.
After releasing Alex Smith last week, Washington now has Taylor Heinicke and Allen under contract for next season.
Interestingly enough, Washington could have done the same with Heinicke, who was also an exclusive rights free agent. But rather than tender him, the Football Team offered him a two-year contract extension (which he gladly accepted).
