Jason Avant turned down an offer to extend his contract during the 2009 season.
Then the uncapped 2010 league year began.
Instead of waiting around for offers, Avant agreed to terms on a 5-year contract with the Eagles that he will address at a news conference Monday afternoon. Clearly he wanted security, not the strange new world of uncapped free agency.
In the capped years of the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, Avant would have been able to shop his reliable receiving and route running skills as an unrestricted free agent. It would be the reward for four seasons of work.
In the uncapped NFL, it takes six years of service to be unrestricted. Avant and 210 others were caught.
Avant still could try to sell his skills. But the Eagles would have the right of first refusal. And if they declined to match the offer, they would receive at least a second round pick as compensation.
The 2006 fourth-round pick out of Michigan caught 41 passes for 587 yards(14.3 average) and three touchdowns last season and 103 grabs and eight TD's in his career.