Match limit

From XOPedia

Match limits relate to restricted free agency. A team with rights to a free agent can match any contract a player gets, as long as the contract is within the match limit. Match limits are determined by the qualifying offer given to the free agent before free agency starts.

GMs choose among three types of qualifying offers (QOs) to give to their restricted free agents: low-level, mid-level and a high-level. Those QOs have the following corresponding match limits:

• Low-level: can match up to and including the equivalent of a 4/$4M/0% deal
• Mid-level: can match up to and including the equivalent of a 5/$9M/0% deal
• High-level: can match any contract