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This post started as an exercise to see which current MLS players would be eligible for Free Agency following this season according to what we know of the recently ratified CBA. The new rules state that in order to be eligible as a Free Agent, the player must be at least 28 years of age and have a minimum of 8 years experience within MLS [EDIT: Players must also be below the max salary charge ($436,250)]. We will refer to this as the 28/8. If a player has reached that status, his salary will have a maximum raise limit, which is dependent upon their salary of the previous season.
If a 28/8 eligible player made less than $100,000 in the previous season then he has a capped increase of up to 25%. For players making between $100,000 - $200,000, they have a capped increase of up to 20%. Players who made greater than $200,000 have a capped increase of up to 15%. These potential salaries are included in the table, though they're highly speculative and merely a negotiation cap. Taking MLS rules as face value comes with an inherent risk.
In order to reach these salaries I took the 2015 salary, I applied the 25/20/15 capped increase, using the maximum each time, in order to achieve an approximate 2016 salary. This list does not take into account players who might still be under contract for 2016. That information is not available to the public, and so this list, while it contains all the players who would be eligible, does not mean every player included will be a Free Agent based on current contracts. We simply do not know at this time.
Chicago Fire
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Jon Busch | 38 | GK | 15 | $90,000 | $112,500 |
| Ty Harden | 31 | D | 8 | $75,075 | $93,848 |
| Jeff Larentowicz | 31 | D | 11 | $271,000 | $311,650 |
| Patrick Nyarko | 29 | M/F | 8 | $125,500 | $150,600 |
Colorado Rapids
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Marc Burch | 30 | D | 10 | $110,000 | $132,000 |
| Bobby Burling | 30 | D | 9 | $140,000 | $168,000 |
| Michael Harrington | 29 | D | 9 | $130,000 | $156,000 |
| Nick LaBrocca | 30 | M | 9 | $180,000 | $216,000 |
| Drew Moor | 31 | D | 11 | $270,500 | $311,075 |
| James Riley | 31 | D | 11 | $83,750 | $104,688 |
Columbus Crew
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Tyson Wahl | 31 | D | 10 | $99,667 | $124,583 |
DC United
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Davy Arnaud | 34 | M | 14 | $212,500 | $244,375 |
| Bobby Boswell | 32 | D | 11 | $200,000 | $230,000 |
| Fabian Espindola | 29 | F | 9 | $175,000 | $210,000 |
| Sean Franklin | 29 | D | 8 | $234,167 | $269,292 |
| Chris Rolfe | 32 | F | 9 | $225,000 | $258,750 |
FC Dallas
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Atiba Harris | 30 | M | 10 | $130,000 | $156,000 |
| Stephen Keel | 31 | D | 9 | $60,000 | $75,000 |
| Dan Kennedy | 32 | GK | 8 | $233,000 | $267,950 |
| Chris Seitz | 28 | GK | 9 | $130,000 | $156,000 |
Houston Dynamo
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Ricardo Clark | 32 | M | 11 | $337,750 | $388,413 |
| David Horst | 29 | D | 8 | $81,500 | $101,875 |
| Nathan Sturgis | 28 | M | 10 | $75,375 | $94,219 |
LA Galaxy
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Edson Buddle | 33 | F | 14 | $106,250 | $127,500 |
| Todd Dunivant | 34 | D | 13 | $205,750 | $236,613 |
| Dan Gargan | 32 | D | 10 | $125,000 | $150,000 |
| Alan Gordon | 33 | F | 12 | $175,000 | $210,000 |
| Robbie Rogers | 28 | D | 8 | $191,667 | $230,000 |
Montreal Impact
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Kenny Cooper | 30 | F | 9 | $285,625 | $328,469 |
| Eric Kronberg | 31 | GK | 10 | $132,000 | $158,400 |
| Justin Mapp | 30 | M | 14 | $199,225 | $239,070 |
| Dominic Oduro | 29 | F | 10 | $251,667 | $289,417 |
New England Revolution
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Brad Knighton | 30 | GK | 8 | $82,005 | $102,506 |
| Chris Tierney | 29 | D | 8 | $113,333 | $136,000 |
New York City FC
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Mehdi Ballouchy | 31 | M | 10 | $83,250 | $104,063 |
| Ned Grabavoy | 31 | M | 12 | $215,000 | $247,250 |
| Jason Hernandez | 31 | D | 11 | $185,000 | $222,000 |
| Josh Saunders | 34 | GK | 10 | $90,000 | $112,500 |
| Chris Wingert | 32 | D | 12 | $215,000 | $247,250 |
New York Red Bulls
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Dax McCarty | 27 | 10 | M | $262,500 | $301,875 |
| Kyle Reynish | 31 | 8 | GK | $90,317 | $112,896 |
Orlando City SC
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Corey Ashe | 29 | D | 9 | $189,750 | $227,700 |
| Eric Avila | 27^ | M | 8 | $77,000 | $96,250 |
| Donovan Ricketts | 37 | GK | 8 | $260,000 | $299,000 |
Philadelphia Union
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Brian Carroll | 33 | M | 13 | $150,000 | $180,000 |
| Conor Casey | 33 | F | 9 | $180,000 | $216,000 |
Portland Timbers
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Nat Borchers | 33 | D | 11 | $245,000 | $281,750 |
| Jack Jewsbury | 33 | M/D | 13 | $137,500 | $165,000 |
| Will Johnson | 28 | M | 9 | $334,333 | $384,483 |
| Andrew Weber | 31 | GK | 8 | $60,000 | $75,000 |
Real Salt Lake
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Tony Beltran | 27 | D | 8 | $205,950 | $236,843 |
| Javier Morales | 35 | M | 9 | $300,000 | $345,000 |
| Jamison Olave | 33 | D | 8 | $300,000 | $345,000 |
| Nick Rimando | 35 | GK | 16 | $370,000 | $425,500 |
San Jose Earthquakes
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Steven Lenhart | 28 | F | 8 | $159,083 | $190,900 |
| Shea Salinas | 28 | M | 8 | $148,333 | $178,000 |
| Khari Stephenson | 34 | M | 8 | $71,646 | $89,557 |
| Marvell Wynne | 28 | D | 10 | $190,000 | $228,000 |
Seattle Sounders
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Chad Barrett | 29 | F | 11 | $100,000 | $120,000 |
| Brad Evans | 29 | M/D | 9 | $302,666 | $348,066 |
| Chad Marshall | 30 | D | 12 | $291,667 | $335,417 |
| Troy Perkins | 33 | GK | 10 | $136,663 | $163,995 |
Sporting Kansas City
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Chance Myers | 27^ | D | 8 | $195,000 | $234,000 |
| Paolo Nagamura | 32 | M | 11 | $230,000 | $264,500 |
| Jacob Peterson | 29 | F | 10 | $130,375 | $156,450 |
Toronto FC
No current player qualifies for the 28/8 Free Agency.
Vancouver Whitecaps
| Player | Age | Position | Years in MLS | 2015 Salary | Max 2016 Projected Salary |
| Jordan Harvey | 31 | D | 10 | $150,000 | $180,000 |
^ Two players who are currently 27 would have 8 years of MLS experience following the 2015 season. When the cut-off for the 28/8 rule for when a player must be 28 years-old is currently unknown, so the players were included. I've included their birth dates below:
- 11/24/87 - Eric Avila
- 12/7/87 - Chance Myers