In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by league rules.
The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the last place team is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936 and has been held every year since.
Brian Keith Bosworth, nicknamed "the Boz", is an American actor and former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A two-time Dick Butkus Award winner during his college football career at the University of Oklahoma, he also achieved notoriety for his outspoken comments and antics. Bosworth was selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft, but his professional career was cut short by injury. After retiring as a player, Bosworth pursued an acting career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Lito Decorian Sheppard is an American football coach and former player. During his playing career as cornerback, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft after playing college football for the Florida Gators. He played for the Eagles for seven seasons, and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice. He also played for the NFL's New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders. As a coach, he was the safeties coach for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019.
Chad Owens Sr. is an American former professional football wide receiver and kick returner who played for three years in the National Football League (NFL) and nine years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. Owens played college football at Hawaii. He spent six seasons playing for the Toronto Argonauts, and has also been a member of the Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. Owen's is also a professional bodybuilder who competes in the IFBB Men's Physique Division.
Courtney E. Roby is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. Roby also played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons.
Anthony "Spice" Adams is an American television host, actor, comedian, and former professional football player. He played as a defensive tackle for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Adams was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft, for whom he played four seasons, followed by the Chicago Bears from 2007 to 2011.
Fork Union Military Academy is a private, all-male, college preparatory Christian military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in the United States.
Gary Lawrence Brackett is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Brackett played for the Colts for his entire 9-year career, and was part of their Super Bowl XLI winning team.
Howard Green Jr. is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2002 to 2011. He played college football at Southwest Mississippi Community College from 1998 to 1999 and then for the LSU Tigers of Louisiana State University from 2000 to 2001. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft but was waived before the start of the 2002 season. Green played in the NFL for five teams: the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers, while also being an offseason member of the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins, and spent time on the Texans active roster in 2002. In Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the Packers won 31–25, Green hit quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's arm, forcing an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Mark Herzlich Jr. is an American sports commentator and former professional football player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
Kitwana Shaloyd Jones is a former Canadian football defensive end. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Jones has also played professionally for the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes. He played college football at the University of North Carolina and Hampton University.
Brandon Marcel Whitaker is an American former professional football running back who played for the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Alouettes in 2008. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, where he majored in communications. Whitaker is a three-time Grey Cup champion, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 with the Alouettes, as well as the 105th Grey Cup with the Argonauts under the leadership of former Alouettes' coach Marc Trestman.The Argonauts did not extend Whitaker's contract with the team subsequent to the 2017 CFL season.
Victor Allen Butler is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Oregon State University.
Jarius Jessereel Wynn is an American former professional American football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft and won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Georgia.
Donovan Jamelle Warren is a former American football cornerback. Warren was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent following the 2010 NFL draft. He also played with the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of Michigan, where he started in 34 of 36 games. As a member of the 2009 Michigan Wolverines, he led the team in interceptions, earning first-team All-Big Ten recognition from the media. Warren played high school football at Long Beach Polytechnic in California.
Stevie Christopher Brown is an American former professional football safety. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he started at safety as a junior for the 2008 team and at linebacker for the 2009 team. He was also a member of the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Cordarro Law is an American former professional football defensive lineman. He played college football for Southern Mississippi. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was also a member of the Calgary Stampeders, San Diego Chargers, and Toronto Argonauts.
Jeffrey Kyle Mathews is a former American football quarterback who played four seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Cornell, where he was ranked among the top 20 quarterbacks in passing yardage in Division I FCS history. He surpassed the Cornell record for total passing yards by more than 2,000 yards and ended his collegiate career as the holder of 47 Cornell and 18 Ivy League conference records. After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL draft, Mathews spent the summer with the Atlanta Falcons, and was a practice squad member of the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals. He moved north to the CFL, playing two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and a season each with the Toronto Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes.
George Odum is an American professional football safety and special teamer for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Arkansas before signing with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Odum was named to the 2020 and 2022 All-Pro Team for his special team play.
