For a second straight year, it looks as if several of the top restricted free agents on the market will remain unsigned deep in the offseason. If a player meets the RFA criteria, a team must issue a qualifying offer in order to actually make him a restricted free agent. The qualifying offer is a one-year contract offer, with its exact value determined by an existing formula. A restricted free agent also isn’t eligible to sign an offer sheet with a rival team after March 1. If a restricted free agent goes the entire season without signing any sort of contract, he doesn’t become unrestricted the following year.