I was wondering if a restricted free agent has to sign a higher offer sheet from another team or he can decide not to sign and stick to his current team for a lower salary? Also, if the team matches the offer sheet, does the RFA have to stay with his current team? I checked on the internet but couldn't find the answers.
A free agent can sign a contract with any team they want provided it is atleast 3 years. Can be high, low, anything. The team with the RFA rights has the right to match and the free agent is bound to the team that matched.
An offer sheet must be for at least 2yrs, not including any option years. larsv8 said three yrs...it's just two. As larsv8 said, he can sign any contract he wants with his "incumbent" team...same as a UFA, within the rules of capspace and cap exceptions. The only difference between RFA and UFA is when another team tries to sign him. They sign an "offer sheet" and the incumbent teams has Right of First Refusal to match...plus, as stated contract must be for 2yrs. If the offer sheet is matched, the player has veto power over trades for that season, and cannot be traded to the team who he signed the offer sheet, at all for the year.
