Why Bombers gun is a surprise free agent

By SEN

There are 102 AFL players who will enter free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

As players begin to really weigh up their future, AFL Media compiled the full list of players who will become free agents come October.

After the likes of Andrew Brayshaw and Luke Davies-Uniacke re-signed on long-term deals, there are only five remaining restricted free agents left unsigned.

Those players are Brandon Starcevich (Brisbane), Tom De Koning (Carlton), James Worpel (Hawthorn), Oscar Allen (West Coast) and Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs).

The remaining 97 names are all unrestricted, including Essendon's Sam Draper and Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli.

Draper's name may come as a surprise to many, but according to Channel 9 journalist and SEN regular Tom Morris, because the ruckman is not in the club's top 25 per cent of payees, he is an unrestricted free agent.

This could impact Draper's Essendon future if the Adelaide Crows, who have been strongly linked, match any Bombers bids.

“So it was a surprise yesterday when the AFL sent around the 102 free agents list to all the clubs, which consisted of five restricted free agents and 97 unrestricted free agents,” Morris said on SEN Breakfast.

“The biggest surprise was that Sam Draper, who we thought was going to be a restricted free agent because he's been at the club for eight years, was actually unrestricted.

“The difference for those who may not be as familiar with it, is unrestricted free agents can go wherever they want, the bids can't be matched by clubs. A restricted free agent, like what Jeremy Cameron was at GWS, can be matched and then that forces a trade. Eight years for restricted, 10 years for unrestricted.

“Draper has been there for eight years, but because he's not in the top 25 per cent of paid players at the club, he's considered unrestricted. That means he's not in the top 10 to 12 most highest paid players at the Bombers. So I've got Zach Merrett being paid more than Draper, as well as Jade Gresham, Andy McGrath, Darcy Parish, Ben McKay, Jordan Ridley, Jye Caldwell, Dylan Shiel and Sam Durham.

“So what it means at the end of the year from a practical sense is that Essendon can't do anything if Draper wants to go. If Adelaide come with a big offer and he wants to go, that's it. They'll get a compensation pick. Whereas previously, we thought that Essendon would be able to match that bid.”

+Denotes previously delisted
^Denotes previously moving clubs as a free agent
Name denotes restricted free agent

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