I agree that 28 is a reasonable UFA age, but one change I would like to see is a reduction in the rediculously high draft pick compensation for RFA's.
From the expired CBA - thresholds for 2004:
OFFER / COMPENSATION
$743,725 or below / None
Over $743,725 - $1,022,622 / Third-round choice
Over $1,022,622 - $1,208,554 / Second-round choice
Over $1,208,554 - $1,487,452 / First-round choice
Over $1,487,452 - $1,859,312 / First and third-round choices
Over $1,859,312 - $2,231,175 / First and second-round choices
Over $2,231,175 - $2,603,038 / Two first-round choices
Over $2,603,038 - $3,160,831 / Two first-round and one second-round choice
Over $3,160,831 / Three first-round choices
Each additional $1,859,312 / One additional first-round choice to a maximum of five
I would expect these thresholds would also be dropped by the 24% rollback:
$910K - One First Rounders
$1.7M - Two First Rounders
$2.4M - Three First Rounders
$3.8M - Four First Rounders*
$5.2M - Five First Rounders*
(*) each add'l $1.4M - one First Rounder
I would love to see compensation significantly lowered, topping out at maybe one or two first round picks. Now that the salary cap has greatly reduced the financial disparity between teams, open up the RFA market so that teams will actually consider RFA offer sheets (unlike the current system with VERY rare exceptions). Teams would still keep the right to match or receive some compensation. I think a real RFA market would actually be less inflationary than arbitration.
A real RFA market would also allay the fears of players (and posters here) of no raises (100% QOs) until the players become arbitration eligible or holds out.