If a player has spent 2 years on injured reserve, what will be their status when their contract expires after the third season?

In the context of the NFL, if a player has spent two years on injured reserve and their contract expires after the third season, they would be classified as a Restricted Free Agent. This classification arises from the fact that a player's time on injured reserve counts toward their service time, but that time does not count as an accrued season for purposes of free agency.

To be classified as an Unrestricted Free Agent, a player generally needs to have at least four accrued seasons. Since the player in question has only been in the league for three seasons, they do not meet that threshold. Consequently, they fall into the category of Restricted Free Agent, which allows their current team the right to match any offers they might receive from other teams or receive compensatory draft picks if they choose not to match.

The options of Exclusive Rights Free Agent and League Minimum Player do not apply in this case because those designations pertain to different scenarios involving service time and contract status.