A federal judge in Newark, N.J., told...

A federal judge in Newark, N.J., told eight football players battling the National Football League’s free-agency system on antitrust grounds to argue their case in Minnesota, where a similar case has been proceeding since 1987.

U.S. District Judge John W. Bissell granted a request by NFL attorneys to transfer the case.

The players argue that the system is unfair because teams that could lose players to free agency can block deals or demand compensation in the form of draft picks from the potential signing teams.