2002 NFL expansion draft explained

2002 NFL expansion draft
Logosize:180px
Sport:American football
Date:February 18, 2002
Location:George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas
League:NFL
Prev:1999
Expansion Teams:Houston Texans
Expansion Season:2002

The 2002 National Football League expansion draft is the most recent National Football League (NFL) draft in which a new expansion team, named the Houston Texans, selected its first players. On October 6, 1999, in Atlanta, NFL owners had unanimously voted to award the 32nd NFL franchise and Super Bowl XXXVIII to the city of Houston, Texas.[1] In order for the Texans to become competitive with existing teams, the league awarded them the first pick in the 2002 NFL draft and gave them the opportunity to select current players from existing teams. That selection was provided by the expansion draft, held on February 18, 2002.[2] [3] [4] [5]

In this draft, held months before the regular draft, the existing franchises listed players from which the Texans could select to switch to the new team. This was the third expansion draft after the NFL had instituted the salary cap, which limited the total amount teams could spend on their roster of players. Teams placed many quality players on the list who had large contracts, as the Texans were required to assume the contracts of those players if selected.[6] [7] The list included 155 NFL players,[8] [9] 25 of whom were Pro Bowl players. The draft took place live and aired on ESPN. The Texans drafted a total of 19 players.[2] [3] [5] [10] They selected three players with a total salary-cap value of $14.9 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were $23 million over the cap; three players with a total salary-cap value of $14.1 million from the New York Jets, who were $16 million over the cap; and two players with a total salary-cap value of $7.1 million from the Baltimore Ravens, who were $23 million over the cap.[11]

Rules of the draft

Process

Each NFL team listed five players that the Texans could select,[6] [7] [8] and the Texans were required to claim either 30 players[6] [7] [8] or $27.2 million in contracts (38% of the 2002 salary cap).[7] [8] [12] After the Texans selected a player from an existing team, that team could remove a player from their remaining list.[7] [8] [12] If a second player was taken, the existing team could then pull back its remaining players.[7] [8] [12] However, teams were not required to remove players from the draftable list, resulting in three Jets and three Jaguars being drafted to the Texans. The Texans were prohibited from selecting a player from a team and trading the player back to that club.[12]

Player limitations

Existing teams were not allowed to put punters or kickers on the list,[7] [8] nor any player from their 2001 roster who would have become an unrestricted free agent in 2002.[7] They could not list players who went on injured reserve during the 2001 summer's training camp[7] [8] nor any player who would become a restricted free agent after the 2001 season.[7] Their list could include only one player with more than 10 years' experience.[7] [8]

Salary cap ramifications

Some teams used the expansion draft as a way to eliminate expensive veteran players from their salary caps, because the Texans assumed the contracts of the players they selected, including all future portions of their signing bonuses and any guarantees or other terms.[12] Notable players that teams exposed to the draft included five-time Pro Bowler Tony Boselli, Randall McDaniel, and Willie Roaf.[13] The Jets left Aaron Glenn unprotected although it wanted to keep him, because the team hoped that the Texans would not want Glenn's $8 million salary-cap figure for 2002.

If the Texans cut a selection and he re-signed with his old team, the existing team re-assumed his signing bonus. Extra bonuses that did not count against the Texans' salary cap were given to veteran players who were selected. Those selected received $10,000 immediately, an additional $20,000 bonus for reporting to training camp, and another $30,000 for making the active roster during the regular season.[12]

Player selections

= Selected to a Pro Bowl with the Texans
Pick Player Name Position Original NFL Team Salary Cap Figure
1Tony BoselliJacksonville Jaguars$6,883,332
2Ryan YoungOTNew York Jets$563,000
3Aaron GlennCBNew York Jets$8,013,177
4Gary WalkerDTJacksonville Jaguars$5,250,000
5Jamie SharperLBBaltimore Ravens$2,875,000
6Jermaine LewisWRBaltimore Ravens$4,289,333
7Marcus ColemanCBNew York Jets$5,480,750
8Seth PayneDTJacksonville Jaguars$2,775,000
9Matt CampbellWashington Redskins$875,000
10Matt StevensSNew England Patriots$565,000
11Jeremy McKinneyGCleveland Browns$405,760
12Ryan SchauOTPhiladelphia Eagles$563,000
13Charlie RogersSeattle Seahawks$563,000
14Sean McDermottTETampa Bay Buccaneers$300,000
15Jabari IssaDEArizona Cardinals$397,666
16Avion BlackWRBuffalo Bills$460,000
17Danny WuerffelQBChicago Bears$555,760
18Brian AllenLBSt. Louis Rams$452,000
19Johnny HugginsTEDallas Cowboys$300,000

References

General
Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Houston Texans – Pro Football Hall of Fame . October 1, 2008 . Pro Football Hall of Fame. https://web.archive.org/web/20080923215440/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/team.jsp?franchise_id=13. 23 September 2008 . live.
  2. Web site: 2000-2002 Texans Transactions . December 9, 2015 . Houston Texans . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080105042519/http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Transactions2000_2002.asp . January 5, 2008 .
  3. Web site: 2002 expansion draft: Veteran players drafted by Houston Texans. February 18, 2002. ProFootballWeekly. October 3, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080904233046/http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives2001/features_2001/expansion_draftpicks.asp. 4 September 2008. dead.
  4. Houston Texans Expansion Draft Choices. October 3, 2008. September 5, 2002. Sports Illustrated. March 4, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304031105/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2002/02/18/texans_expansion_picks/. live.
  5. News: Boselli Leads Texans' Expansion Draft . February 18, 2002 . CBS-KGTV San Diego . 4 October 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520024759/http://www.10news.com/sports/1240874/detail.html . 20 May 2011 .
  6. News: Rick . Gosselin . As Texans expand, others' caps shrink . January 6, 2002 . Dallas Morning News . September 24, 2008 . January 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194327/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_hidethis=no&p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_siteloc=&s_dispstring=As%20Texans%20expand,%20others%27%20caps%20shrink&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(As%20Texans%20expand,%20others%27%20caps%20shrink)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no . live .
  7. News: Pro Football; N.F.L. Expansion Draft: Big Names on the List . Pennington . Bill . January 23, 2002 . New York Times . 24 September 2008 . June 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160609120732/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/23/sports/pro-football-nfl-expansion-draft-big-names-on-the-list.html . live .
  8. Web site: List of players exposed to Houston expansion draft . February 18, 2002 . Pro Football Weekly . October 3, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080720104949/http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives2001/features_2001/expansion_draftlist.asp . July 20, 2008 .
  9. Houston Texans Expansion Draft List. February 17, 2002. Sports Illustrated. October 3, 2008. May 4, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090504154744/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2002/01/25/expansion_list/. live.
  10. News: Buchsbaum . Joel . February 25, 2002 . Player-by-player analysis of Texans' expansion draft . Pro Football Weekly . 4 October 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080807131542/http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives2001/features_2001/buchsbaum_022502.asp . 7 August 2008 .
  11. News: NFL Texans draft Boselli, Wuerffel . October 13, 2008 . CBC News . February 19, 2002 . December 2, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081202004408/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2002/02/19/texans020218.html . live .
  12. Web site: NFL – Rules of expansion . September 24, 2008 . Clayton . John . John Clayton (sportswriter) . February 14, 2002 . ESPN . May 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090504165919/http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/s/2002/0214/1332544.html . live .
  13. Web site: 2024-01-17 . Texans select Boselli with top pick . 2024-08-12 . Deseret News. Associated Press . en.