2010 NFL Free Agents: I'm Locked Up, They Won't Let Me Out

Since the end of the 2007 season, NFL fans have been inundated with news of a new collective bargaining agreement and its impact on the game.

With no new CBA in place as of yet, 2010 looks to be an uncapped year where teams will have no limitation on the amount of money they can spend.

With that in mind, some teams may be eager to spend top dollar. Others, however, may ease up on the spending spree to remain frugal with the likelihood that 2011 will return to the capped ways of old.

But this affects far more than just the teams.

Many elite players who were set to become unrestricted free agents this year will instead be restricted free agents.

Though it may not seem so, the difference is monumental.

Instead of being free to sign with any team at their heart's desire, restricted free agents can be offered a one to three-year tenders to "lock them up" so that if another team makes a winning offer on the player, their original team will still be compensated with a first and third-round selection in April's draft.

With that in mind, this market could be bare or bull.

Top-notch athletes such as Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles, Logan Mankins, Marcus McNeill, DeMeco Ryans, Kirk Morrison, Shawne Merriman, Richard Marshall, Nick Collins, and Antoine Bethea are ready to test the free agent waters.

Instead, they're stuck pool-side watching everyone else have all the fun.

With under two-and-a-half weeks until March 5, the start of the new calendar year in the NFL, the deadline to avoid an uncapped 2010 season is fast approaching.

The NFL is historically a last minute league, though, deals of this nature take until the very last minute to get done. In fact, it took a two-day extension to get the last CBA done in March 2006.

When this whole mess started in 2008, both the owners and players conceded there might be no agreement until the deadline.

Even with an uncapped year in 2010, don't fret for absence of football in 2011. It may take the realization that everything is on the line before a new deal is done.

Unfortunately for the above-listed players, it'll be too late, and they'll miss out on their opportunity to cash in for a big payday.