There was an interesting item posted on the Pro Football Talk website on Monday night in which an NFL source explained the Vikings can't use the transition tag on wide receiver Sidney Rice because under the rules of the uncapped year that designation can be applied only to a player with six years of service.
While we have no knowledge that the Vikings would have used the transition tag on Rice, we've confirmed the PFT report is 100 percent accurate. (The transition label gives a team an opportunity to match an offer sheet, but no compensation if there is a failure to match.)
This doesn't mean Rice is sure to hit the free-agent market. Keep in mind, there is no new collective bargaining agreement in place and once there is one it remains unclear when unrestricted free agency would begin.
Two years ago, a player with four years of service was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. But last year, heading into the final season of the CBA, that number increased to six years.
If the new agreement calls for, say, five years, Rice would then be a restricted free agent, meaning the Vikings would be in a position to hold onto his rights.
As with everything these days, the lack of a CBA (and the threat of a lockout) makes it very difficult to judge what will happen with many potential free agents.
