Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 19: The Offseason

(+) Yeah! (+)

Coaching Changes

I say this every year, but I have found no evidence that suggests that your coaching staff has any impact on your team in a pure sim like this. Any changes in the coaching strategy as a result of a new coaching staff can be negated through user intervention. That being said, I like to reveal coaching changes since I believe most of us are curious about them.

Head Coach
Bills hire former Browns HC Earl Holmes
Chiefs hire Bills HC Andy Reid
Panthers hire unretired former Pioneers HC Dom Capers

Offensive Coordinator
Bills hire former Titans OC Mike Anderson
Cowboys hire Orcas OC Greg Knapp
Falcons hire former B8NFLL Rams OT Robert Gallery
49ers hire Falcons OC Ron Turner
Jaguars hire former B8NFLL G Mike Compton
Orcas hire former Orcas OC John Hufnagel
Panthers hire Bills OC Muhsin Muhammad
Patriots hire Cowboys OC Mike Tice
Raiders hire Ravens OC Priest Holmes
Ravens hire former B8NFLL Lions OT Kevin Shaffer
Steelers hire former B8NFLL G Grayling Love

Defensive Coordinator
Bears hire Pioneers DC Rosevelt Colvin
Broncos hire Bucs DC Bryan Robinson
Browns hire Titans DC Mike Trgovac
Buccaneers hire Rams DC Rob Smith
Chiefs hire Vikings DC Rob Ryan
Commanders hire former Browns HC Pepper Johnson
Jets hire former B8NFLL Broncos OLB Lawrence Timmons
Panthers hire Commanders DC London Fletcher
Pioneers hire former B8NFLL CB Terry Porter
Rams hire Chiefs DC Dick Jauron
Titans hire former B8NFLL Patriots OLB Bruce Irvin
Vikings hire Browns DC John Fox

NFL Draft Order
1. Lions
2. Broncos
3. Buccaneers
4. Panthers
5. Patriots
6. Cowboys
7. 49ers
8. Jets
9. Chiefs
10. Raiders
11. Bears
12. Orcas
13. Seahawks
14. Jaguars
15. Colts
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Steelers
19. Commanders
20. Eagles
21. Falcons
22. Bengals
23. Ravens
24. Rams
25. Express
26. Bills
27. Pumpkins
28. Packers
29. Pioneers
30. Giants
31. Browns
32. Vikings

Browns own Pumpkins 6th
Eagles own Pumpkins 2nd, Giants 2nd
Giants own Pumpkins 4th
Jaguars own Steelers 1st + 2nd + 3rd
Pumpkins own Browns 3rd, Eagles 5th + 6th, Ravens 7th
Ravens own Pumpkins 3rd
Steelers own Jaguars 7th

Player Retirements by Team

Bears
LOLB Brandon Roland

Bengals
RT Lyndon Murtha
P Chris Beckman (1-time Pro Bowler, S4 P of the Year)
DT Callahan Bright (654 tackles, 94 sacks, 16 FFs, 10 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
HB Chris Ivory
SS Shiloh Keo
WR Reuben Randle
MLB Dont'a Hightower
ROLB Manuel Carter
QB Matthew Stafford
LT Donald Penn
HB Taiwan Jones
SS James Ihedigbo
RT Johnny Coker

Bills
WR Derrick McPhearson (645 rec for 8050 yards, 50 TDs)

Broncos
RG Kyle Williams (589 blocks vs 111 sacks allowed, 3-time Pro Bowler)
WR Mike Wallace
LE Brick Massey (238 tackles, 101 sacks, 10 FFs, 7 FRs)
WR Jermaine Kearse
C Jermaine Salyer
CB Captain Munnerlyn

Browns
SS Chris Browning (697 tackles, 6 sacks, 27 INTs, 3 FFs, 13 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler, 3-time DB of the Year)
TE Charles Clay (2-time Pro Bowler)
SS Shawn Williams
RT Barry Richardson
FS Kurt Coleman

Buccaneers
K Robbie Gould
QB Josh Portis (2225-3883, 23190 yards, 923 rushes for 7849 yards, 205 TDs, 144 INTs, 1-time Off. Player of the Year and MVP)
RE Doug Worthington (326 tackles, 83 sacks, 10 FFs, 5 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
QB Alex Walton
ROLB Sio Moore (3-time Pro Bowler)
RT Cory Zirbel
ROLB Nick Hollinsworth

Chiefs
HB LeSean McCoy
CB Larry Stanley (27 INTs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
LE Eugene Germany (298 tackles, 94 sacks, 10 FFs, 5 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler, S6 co-Defensive Rookie of the Year)
HB Robert Turbin
CB Demarcus McGuire

Colts
P Dustin Colquitt (2-time Pro Bowler)
FS Rodney McLeod
LOLB Jarvis Jones (2-time Pro Bowler)

Commanders
K Mike Nugent (2-time Pro Bowler, B8NFLL record and 2nd all-time with 41 FGM in S17, spent all 18 seasons with Commanders after being taken in inaugural draft)
WR Selwyn Lymon (568 rec for 7812 yards, 81 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
QB Ben Olson (3022-5018, 32297 yards, 246 total TDs, 160 INTs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
LG Andy Christensen
LT Michael Oher
RE Chase McKnight

Cowboys
RT Jason Boone (1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Vontae Davis (25 INTs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
WR Chris Harris
ROLB Jason Worilds

Dolphins
FB Kenny Atkins (started all possible 176 games in his career)
LG Max Jean-Gilles (1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Joe Haden (26 INTs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
QB Sam Keller (3599-5757, 39927 yards, 307 total TDs, 157 INTs, 11-time Pro Bowler, 4-time QB of the Year, 2-time MVP)
HB Jacquizz Rodgers (4001 carries for 17638 yards, 433 rec for 3112 yards, 126 total TDs, 5-time Pro Bowler, 4-time HB of the Year, 2-time MVP)

Eagles
FS James Riley (544 tackles, 19 sacks, 29 INTs, 7 FFs, 14 FRs, 4-time Pro Bowler)
WR James Jones
FS Donald Jones

Express
FB Toby Gerhart (1-time Pro Bowler)
RT Justin Blalock (940 blocks vs 98 sacks allowed, 5-time Pro Bowler)

Falcons
DT Clifton Dickson (899 tackles, 110 sacks, 13 FFs, 12 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

49ers
RT Tavita Thompson (695 blocks vs 57 sacks allowed, 6-time Pro Bowler, S18 OL of the Year)
RE Paul Freeney
FS Rob Jackson
CB Peter Whitworth

Giants
WR Jeremy Maclin (549 rec for 7500 yards, 71 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Austin Zeppuhar
FS Glover Quin
LOLB Malcolm Smith
DT Joe Brewer

Jaguars
RE Barry Turner

Jets
ROLB Novorro Bowman (889 tackles, 55 sacks, 15 INTs, 16 FFs, 15 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Lions
FS J.J. Wilcox (1-time Pro Bowler)

Orcas
MLB Rey Maualuga
CB Patrick Peterson (24 INTs, 4 return TDs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
TE Jermaine Gresham

Packers
QB Tyrod Taylor (1863-3256, 18730 yards, 1198 rushes for 9521 yards, 189 total TDs, 120 INTs, 2-time MVP)
ROLB Justin Williams (1-time Pro Bowler)
LE Brian Brown

Panthers
C Jesse White

Patriots
none

Pioneers
FB Mike Tolbert
MLB Mychal Kendricks
HB Rashad Jennings
WR Elliott Newton
CB Kareem Jackson
RE Zach Potter (1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Bernard Pierce

Pumpkins
WR Gonzie Massey (1007 rec for 14184 yards, 111 total TDs, 8-time Pro Bowler, 3-time WR of the Year)
HB Montee Ball

Raiders
HB Ryan Matthews

Rams
FS Harrison Smith (871 tackles, 20 sacks, 29 INTs, 10 FFs, 18 FRs, 10-time Pro Bowler)
HB Matt Forte (2462 carries for 11237 yards, 323 rec for 2681 yards, 82 total TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler, 3-time rushing YPC leader)
RE Josh Julmiste (502 tackles, 85 sacks, 10 FFs, 12 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
HB Roy Helu Jr. (20 return TDs, 6-time Pro Bowler, 2-time Returner of the Year)

Ravens
LE Charles Johnson (83 sacks, 1-time Pro Bowler)

Seahawks
LT Marcus McNeill
LOLB Aaron Curry (911 tackles, 59 sacks, 12 INTs, 16 FFs, 20 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
WR DeSean Jackson (849 rec for 11670 yards, 91 total TDs, 6-time Pro Bowler, 1-time WR of the Year)
ROLB Derrick Bonds (1016 tackles, 73 sacks, 11 INTs, 15 FFs, 18 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
SS Morgan Burnett
TE Larry Donnell
FS Atari Howard

Steelers
LOLB Adam Tufts (999 tackles, 63 sacks, 23 INTs, 19 FFs, 21 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
FS Trent Ford

Titans
LE Brandon Siler

Vikings
HB Dion Lewis (2-time Pro Bowler)
WR Quan Cosby (1-time Pro Bowler)
FS Alex Odom
TE Kyle Rudolph
DT Matt Kroul

Roland noooooo! I know he was a no name backup but he was one of the few draft picks I held onto his entire career. *salutes*

So im not sure if it was mentioned or not, but I take it this is taking place in 2023/24 of Madden 06?

Right. Madden 06 Franchise mode and we are in season 19 now so 23/24 is probably about right

Horray

After a decade of Jon Gruden and Rex Ryan, we get Andy Reid! Nice.

I'll definitely use a high round pick on a new DE. Thank you for your service, CJ! (Tag)

Offseason in a Nutshell

There are four major events during the offseason. They will be explained in full detail when the time comes, but here they are:

1. Restricted Free Agency
2. Unrestricted Free Agents
3. NFL Draft + Signing Rookies
4. Free Agency

Restricted Free Agency - This is the most complex of the four, yet it is the one that has the lowest activity. A small sub-section of players whose contracts run out are considered restricted free agents. These players can, but do not have to, be signed by their original teams to a 1 year contract at one of three fixed amounts. Those that do sign can then be offered contracts by any of the other 31 teams to multiyear deals. Any team who has a player sign a contract with another team will then have the opportunity to match said contract or let them sign with another team and receive NFL Draft pick compensation.

Unrestricted Free Agents - Any player with an expired contract who was not considered a restricted free agent is thus an unrestricted free agent. Teams then can elect to re-sign the remaining players or let them enter the free agent market. Unlike the previous event, the other 31 teams cannot do anything to you, so you are free to operate without outside pressure. There are a few more wrinkles, but it is pretty straightforward.

NFL Draft + Signing Rookies - This is an event where all 32 teams can select college football players to join their team. Each team normally has seven draft picks, one for each of the seven rounds of the draft. The order that a team selects is based on their record and playoff performance, if applicable, from the season before. Earlier in the topic, I mentioned this season's draft order, and all teams are free to trade draft picks. After the draft, a separate period of time is devoted to signing all the players that a team drafted.

Free Agency - All players not signed or re-signed in the previous three events enter the free agent pool, and this is the time that every team is able to bid on the services of those without a team (aka free agents).

What happens if you idle during the offseason?

For starters, anyone is free to ask me for advice at any point, and if real life requires you to take a small break at some point that prevents you from doing an event or more, feel free to ask me to temporarily take over your team, and I will make decisions as if I were in charge of your team. However, if the worst comes to pass, I have safety nets in place to protect user teams.

Should you idle during Restricted Free Agency, I will sign a random all players, if applicable, to random tender levels. I will not participate in the second phase on behalf of your team, and should any of your RFAs be signed by other players during that phase, I will default to not matching the deal in the third and final phase.

Should you idle during Unrestricted Free Agency, I officially sign a random half of your players, rounding up, to the contracts that they ask for.

Should you idle during the draft, I will draft as if I were in charge of your team.

Should you idle during free agency, this is unavoidably the most harsh of the four offseason events. I will not sign any players for you and the AI will fill the holes on your behalf at the conclusion of free agency.

The Almighty Slash Line

All contracts will be presented to you via slash lines. It is imperative that you interpret and understand a slash line and its components, so here is an example to kick off my seasonal explanation:

3 / $9.00 mil / $1.80 mil

3 = length in seasons that the contract will last. All contracts will end up being between 1-7 seasons in length. There are some in-game and league-mandated limitations on length, but I will explain that rather soon.

$9.00 mil = Total salary that a player will earn over the life of the contract should the contract not be reworked while still under said contract or the player released.

Using this example, the player will receive $9.00 mil over three seasons, which gives him an average cap hit of $3.00 mil. His cap hit will not be $3.00 mil in each season though. This contract will see the player's cap hit rise each season, so his first year cap hit might be $2.42 mil, $2.90 mil for the second season, and $3.68 mil for the final season.

$1.80 mil = Portion of total salary that is guaranteed, aka signing bonus. For most, this is the hardest thing to grasp about the slash line and contracts in general. The NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts, which means that what a player signs for might not actually be what they receive in the end. The team that signs a player to a contract will always be on the hook for the final figure in a slash line, with the only exception being if a player retires while under contract.

Using this example, the player might have a cap hit of $2.42, $2.90, and $3.68 mil in the first, second, and third seasons. However, his signing bonus is stretched out evenly across every season. The annual bonus in this contract would be $600k ($1.80 mil / 3 years). The annual bonus is a feature on the team financial sheet, so that info will always be available to you.

Now, if you trade or release a player under contract with guaranteed money, you will receive a reduction in your salary cap space, aka cap penalty, that is equal to their annual bonus x the years remaining on their contract. Using this example once again, let's say the player is released after the first season. That would leave him with $1.20 mil left in guaranteed money ($600k annual bonus x 2 years left on contract). The team that signed him to that contract would then be issued a cap penalty the following offseason to the tune of $1.20 mil.

If that player would be traded instead, the original team would receive the same cap penalty, but the new team would have a discounted contract. Because the original team is always on the hook for the guaranteed money, the $1.20 mil that is still owed that player is taken out of the contract for the new team. If the cap hits for years 2 and 3 were originally $2.90 and $3.68 mil and the annual bonus was $600k, then the new cap hits for the new team would be $2.30 and $3.08 mil. The new team could then release or trade the player at any time without financial repercussions since the contract no longer had any guaranteed money attached.

Finally, in case someone doesn't know, mil = dollars in millions while k = dollars in thousands.

To Do:
- Hall of Fame ballot
- Update spreadsheet to adjust ages/contracts, make sure to include AI to User financial changes and vice versa, etc...
- Do trivia/interesting tidbits like I always do about ironman streaks/coaches/whatever

B8NFLL Hall of Fame Ballot

The following posts will contain 15 players and their career accomplishments up for immortalization.

This is a yes/no exercise, and there are no limits/minimum requirements to who you say yes to. Participation is of course voluntary, and for those who are new or are still getting used to player stats, do not stress yourself in doing this if you don't want to. Those who would like to participate can PM your ballot to me, DM me on Discord, post in the topic, discuss or whatever. You decide what your criteria for selection is. You can base it solely off of the context of B8NFLL, compare to real life stats, or some marriage of the two. Given how active participation in the league has its peaks and valleys, I will not have a specific target percentage of Yes votes that will ensure enshrinement. It will of course be north of 50% at the very least.

1. QB Sam Keller
- Played all 16 seasons for the Dolphins (201 games, 191 starts)
- 3599-5757 (62.5%), 39927 yards, 307 total TDs (4 rushing), 157 INTs (89.2 passer rating)
- Per 16 game averages of 3178.2 yards, 24.1 passing TDs, 12.4 INTs
- S5 Breakout Player of the Year
- 4-time QB of the Year (S8, S10, S12, S13)
- 2-time Offensive Player of the Year (S10, S13)
- 2-time MVP (S10, S13)
- 11-time Pro Bowler (S5, S6, S8, S9, S10, S11, S13, S15, S16, S17, S18)

2. QB Tyrod Taylor
- Played all 12 seasons for the Packers (155 starts)
- 1863-3256 (57.2%), 18730 yards, 131 passing TDs, 120 INTs (71.8 passer rating)
- 1198 rushes for 9521 yards (7.9 YPC), 58 TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 1933.4 passing yards, 982.8 rushing yards, 19.5 total TDs, 12.3 INTs
- 2-time Offensive Player of the Year (S14, S18)
- 2-time MVP (S14, S18)

3. HB Jacquizz Rodgers
- Played S5-S6 for Eagles, S7-S18 for Dolphins (203 games, 171 starts)
- 4001 carries for 17638 yards (4.4 YPC), 433 receptions for 3112 yards (7.1 YPC), 126 total TDs, 38 fumbles (1 fumble for every 116.6 touches)
- Per 16 game averages of 315.3 carries for 1390.1 yards, 34.1 rec for 245.2 yards, 9.9 TDs, 2.9 fumbles
- 3-time HB of the Year (S11, S13, S14)
- 2-time Offensive Player of the Year (S13, S16)
- 2-time MVP (S13, S14)
- 5-time Pro Bowler (S7, S10, S11, S13, S14)

4. HB Matt Forte
- Played S7-S16 for Buccaneers, S17-S18 for Rams (148 starts)
- 2462 carries for 11237 yards (4.5 YPC), 323 receptions for 2681 yards (8.3), 82 total TDs, 35 fumbles (1 for every 79.5 touches)
- Per 16 game averages of 266.1 carries for 1214.8 yards, 34.9 rec for 289.8 yards, 8.8 TDs, 3.7 fumbles
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S11, S12)

5. WR Gonzie Massey
- Played all 14 seasons for Pumpkins (220 starts)
- 1007 receptions for 14184 yards (14.0 YPC), 111 total TDs (1 rushing)
- Per 16 game averages of 73.2 receptions for 1031.5 yards, 8.0 TDs
- 3-time WR of the Year (S14, S15, S17)
- 1-time Offensive Player of the Year (S14)
- 8-time Pro Bowler (S10, S11, S12, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18)

6. WR DeSean Jackson
- Played all 14 seasons for Seahawks (208 games, 191 starts)
- 849 receptions for 11670 yards (13.7 YPC), 91 total TDs (2 rushing)
- Per 16 game averages of 65.3 receptions for 897.6 yards, 7.0 TDs
- 1-time WR of the Year (S12)
- 6-time Pro Bowler (S9, S10, S11, S12, S13, S16)

7. RT Justin Blalock
- Played all 16 seasons for the Express (232 games, 219 starts)
- 940 blocks, 98 sacks allowed (9.5 blocks per sack allowed)
- Per 16 game averages of 64.8 blocks, 6.7 blocks allowed
- 5-time Pro Bowler (S5, S9, S10, S11, S16)

8. RT Tavita Thompson
- Played S5-S10 for Packers, S11-S18 for 49ers (180 games, 165 starts)
- 695 blocks, 57 sacks allowed
- Per 16 game averages of 61.7 blocks, 5.0 sacks allowed
- 1-time OL of the Year (S18)
- 6-time Pro Bowler (S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18)

9. DT Callahan Bright
- Played S6-S15 for Panthers, S16-S18 for Bengals (205 games, 204 starts)
- 654 tackles, 94 sacks, 16 FFs, 10 FRs, 1 def TD
- Per 16 games averages of 51.0 tackles, 7.3 sacks, 1.2 FFs, 0.7 FRs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S13, S17)

10. DT Clifton Dickson
- Played S3-S13 for Patriots, S14-S18 for Falcons (244 starts)
- 899 tackles, 110 sacks, 13 FFs, 12 FRs
- Per 16 game averages of 58.9 tackles, 7.2 sacks, 0.8 FFs, 0.7 FRs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S4, S14)

11. CB Joe Haden
- Played all 11 seasons for Dolphins (173 starts)
- 207 tackles, 26 INTs, 5 FFs, 5 FRs, 1 def TD
- 3-time Pro Bowler S8, S13, S15)

12. FS Harrison Smith
- Played S7-S9 for Cowboys, S10-S18 for Rams (180 starts)
- 871 tackles, 20 sacks, 29 INTs, 10 FFs, 18 FRs, 5 def TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 77.4 tackles, 1.7 sacks, 2.5 INTs, 0.8 FFs, 1.6 FRs
- 10-time Pro Bowler (S7, S9, S10, S11, S12, S13, S15, S16, S17, S18)

13. SS Chris Browning
- Played S7-S12 for Broncos, S13-S17 for Bengals, S18 for Browns (176 games, 112 starts)
- 697 tackles, 6 sacks, 27 INTs, 3 FFs, 13 FRs, 2 def TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 63.3 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2.4 INTs, 0.2 FFs, 1.1 FRs
- 3-time DB of the Year (S15, S16, S18)
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S15, S16, S18)

14. RE Josh Julmiste
- Played S5-S15 for Falcons, S16-S17 for Seahawks, S18 for Rams (212 games, 180 starts)
- 502 tackles, 85 sacks, 10 FFs, 12 FRs
- Per 16 game averages of 37.8 tackles, 6.4 sacks, 0.7 FFs, 0.9 FRs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S9, S10, S14)

15. LOLB Aaron Curry
- Played S8-S14 for Browns, S15-S18 for Seahawks (163 starts)
- 911 tackles, 59 sacks, 12 INTs, 16 FFs, 20 FRs, 1 def TD
- Per 16 game averages of 89.4 tackles, 5.7 sacks, 1.1 INTs, 1.5 FFs, 1.9 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S9)

The deadline to submit a Hall of Fame ballot to me will be Saturday, November 4th at 5 PM ET.

We should already be into our first official offseason event by then, but that shouldn't be an issue.

As always, I publicize my ballot for informational purposes, and because I love talking about their contextual histories.

Keller - Yes

While his stats may not quite match up to his contemporaries in real life, I think there's a strong argument that he would have with his accolades and 3 SB rings (not to mention 7 total SB appearances). In the context of B8NFLL though, he will almost certainly go down as the best passer by a decent margin. There are QBs who have and will enter the draft who will not finish their careers in this project, so Gardner Minshew is the only one right now who can really have a remote chance.

Anyway, Keller was the fifth QB taken in the famed S3 draft that included Vince Young and Chris Leak, and he will join them as the only three QBs to enter the Hall of Fame (pending Tyrod Taylor). Unlike Young and Leak, Keller didn't become a starter until his third season, backing up Trent Dilfer and Kerry Collins his first two seasons. He also wasn't supposed to start his third season, but two failed trades (one to bring in Matt Hasselbeck and another to send Keller out to the Chiefs) result in him getting the starting job in a historical run with the Dolphins.

Taylor - No

Scrambling QBs have come in two noticeable molds. There a true dual-threats like Josh Portis and Vince Young. Then there were those who were less productive and more frustrating as passers but absolute burners who really boosted the OL, such as Michael Vick and Bobby Reid. Taylor clearly fit into the latter, but he was surprisingly consistent with passing efficiency.

His 71.8 is pretty good for a true scrambler, and he was between 64.7 and 78.2 every season, only twice dipping below 70 in his 11 seasons playing (a 12th was wiped out due to injury). Taylor had 5 seasons of 1000 yard rushing yards, he helmed four teams that had double digit wins, and he was the recipient of two MVPs, joining Edgerrin James, Donovan McNabb, Sam Keller, Vince Young, and Jacquizz Rodgers as the "only" multi-time MVP winners. A lot of people can't handle having a true scrambler on the team, but Kora and Tangicide were both patient and were often rewarded. It may not have resulted in a SB appearance, but Taylor did have an excellent run with the team. We are never going to see another QB run like him, but I do think he falls a little short of being a Hall of Famer in my book.

Rodgers - Yes

Another no-brainer. Rodgers, nee Jamal Redd, was a BPA pick by the Eagles way back in S5. He sat behind Cornell Brockington and had more fumbles than TDs. The Dolphins needed a new HB, and the Eagles needed a new SS, so the teams swapped Rodgers and Michael Huff, both blossoming with their new teams. Huff gave the Eagles a much-needed facelift in the secondary, and the future DB of the Year and Hall of Fame Finalist helped bring the secondary out of the gutter while also helping eventual rookie starters in FS James Riley, CB Trumaine Johnson, and CB Marcus Peters as the Eagles have boasted one of the better secondaries in recent seasons.

Getting back to Rodgers though, he and Keller were electric together even if they didn't connect through the air as much as other QB/HB combos. He and Keller actually led the league in rushing and passing yards in S13. They went 3-2 in Super Bowls together, which is excellent anyway you look at it. Rodgers, the two-time rushing yards leader, was on pace to eclipse Emmit Smith's real life rushing record, but the HB who played in all 16 games in seven of the previous eight seasons was only able to play eight games, and fell roughly 700 yards short (with his 770 yards in eight games, he was on pace to do so). While it's a bummer he wasn't able to set a record not expected to ever fall, he does finish as the most prolific HB in B8NFLL history and with similar accolades to Keller, he is certainly in the argument for best HB in our project's history.

Forte - Yes

Madden 06 is a game that is geared toward rushing, but somehow, the Bucs were unable to produce a 1000 yard rusher from S2 until Forte broke the barrier in S11. Part of that was because of Tom Brady and the duo of David Givens and Nate Burleson putting more of a focus on the passing game. Part of that was also injuries plaguing the position, including Forte himself who was close in three of his first four seasons in spite of injuries thanks to high YPC, including a 5.2 mark in S9.

Forte carried the ball just 2462 times in his career and only once eclipsed 300 (311 in S16, his last season in Tampa), but he really was a special back despite not being a bell cow. Even though he didn't always qualify as a runner, he still managed to lead the league in rushing YPC three times in his 12 seasons, and has the two most recent seasons of a qualified HB with a 5.0+ YPC. He was truly one of a kind, and I think his body of work is worthy enough for the Hall of Fame.

Massey - Yes

Gonzie was actually based on (a much bigger and better) version of me. I was a WR/DB, and my cousin, who Brick was based on, was a DE/TE who ended up being his division's player of the year. I kind of feel bad that I cut Brick for Hall of Fame consideration, but it can't be helped.

Gonzie began his career as the #2 WR behind Larry Fitzgerald with Michael Vick being the primary passer. He put up pretty good numbers all things considered, averaging over 600 yards a season and 5 TDs his first four years. Then Vick became a free agent and Larry Fitzgerald was traded to the Patriots. The passers for the Wildcats ended up being a combo of Colin Kaepernick, 2nd-4th rounders like Jimmy Clausen, Aaron Murray, and Ryan Lindley. Some great passers among them sure, but not a murderer's row. Still Gonzie exploded with the #1 role. He had nine seasons of 900+ rec yards in his final 10 seasons, including 1300+ in each S14-S17. He became the second player to eclipse 1000 career receptions in B8NFLL, and actually did set the record getting two more than Mark Clayton, albeit playing in one more season. In a game where the passing game isn't as prolific, finding QBs/WRs who would actually be enshrined is tough, but Massey's yards and TD totals (plus you know he would make probably four All-Pros if that were a thing here) would almost certainly get him there. He's obviously a shoo-in here.

Jackson - Yes

It is unfortunate optics that Jackson was taken in the same draft as Massey, ascended to the #1 role sooner than Massey, and generally had a better supporting case than Massey with the likes of QBs Carson Palmer, Kirk Cousins, and Gardner Minshew, as well as HB Lynell Hamilton and a typically better OL and finished with considerably lower stats. They are still extremely impressive stats. Only six WRs have eclipsed 10000 career receiving yards, and the four who retired before are in the Hall (Kelly Campbell, Mark Clayton, Roddy White, and Ted Ginn) Also do note that Jackson played in 12 fewer games and had 29 fewer starts than Massey due to injuries. He, Massey, and Ginn were the premier NFC WRs for many seasons, and it would be fitting for them to all be enshrined.

Blalock - Yes

An OT averaging at least 8 blocks per sack allowed is a great mark. Averaging nearly 10 for the entire career is something else. In fact, Blalock was averaging more than 10 blocks per sack allowed entering his final season before an uncharacteristic 48 block, 10 sack season (having a pair of mid-to-low 70s HBs starting nearly half your games and being the most pass-happy team obviously played a major role) pushed him below that. Before last season though, he was a steady and great OT through all the good and bad years.

He finished with the third most blocks in B8NFLL history and is currently 219 blocks ahead of 2nd place among active and just-retired players. That's just ridiculous. He may not have been on the level of a Daniel Inman or Mark Tauscher, but to contribute as many blocks on a seasonal basis and maintain an elite level of play until your final season certainly sounds like a hall of famer to me.

Thompson - Yes

I have a soft spot for OL who change destinations midway through their career and end them on such an absurd, torrid stretch. I said yes to Mike Jones and Phil Trautwein, and I'm saying yes to Thompson. Thompson was actually a Top 10 pick by the Packers in S5. He became the full-time starter in his second season, but injuries kept getting in the way. After failing to reach half a season's worth of games in each S8-S10, Tangicide had seen enough. The 49ers already had Trent Williams and Mark Tauscher, so I think that Tauscher suffered an injury early in his final season, and Scare scooped up Thompson to start 14 games in his place. Thompson had these lines in his years as a 49er:
41 and 6
53 and 5
75 and 5
77 and 5
84 and 11
67 and 5
70 and 6
71 and 3

He made the Pro Bowl in each of his final six seasons with the 49ers and was named OL of the Year in his final season. I forgot to add this bit to his bullet points, but he ended his career with a 12.1 blocks per sack allowed ratio. Yeah, that's a hall of famer.

Bright - Yes

I'm a huge sucker for two-way DTs, and Bright was a great one. Arguably the best draft pick in Panthers' history, he entered the league as a 25 year old and was healthy and prolific enough to nearly reach 100 sacks. He was a force to be reckoned with, and he is one of the main reasons why the Panthers were finally able to break through and grab a playoff spot as they were a playoff spot in four of his 10 seasons there. The Panthers have 0 playoff berths in the seasons that they didn't emply Bright. Coincidence!? He was also one of the few new pieces that the Bengals brought in on defense over the years, and he helped transform them from a bottom tier unit to an elite one in just two seasons.

Dickson - Yes

I will always have a soft spot for Dickson and Mathias Kiwanuka for being Top 10 draft picks on a defense totally bereft of talent and somehow develop, thrive, and help make that unit into a perennially great one. Seriously, before safety nets were in place, if a user idled during the second portion of the off-season, signing your own UFAs, all of your free agents would just walk. This quickly destroyed the Patriots and why they had a spell as the Birmingham Cougars. Dickson may not have contributed much in the way of FFs or FRs, but he was a tackling machine and a great sacker as well. After being traded to the Falcons, he had 62 tackles and 10 sacks in his first season there, and while the sacks never came back, he had two other seasons with 60+ tackles, including 65 this past season when he had to shoulder the load after D.J. Reader was lost for the season. It's unfortunate that I don't believe he ever won a playoff game, but Dickson was amazing. His 110 sacks I believe put him into a tie for 3rd on the all-time list behind Travis Johnson and the still-active John Mixon. The Pats drafted him and Kiwanuka in consecutive drafts, and they had 219 career sacks. Wow!

Haden - Yes

I'm not expecting him to get in. I don't have a statistical argument for him as is the case for most CBs. I do have a speculative one though. The Dolphins lost the Super Bowl for the third time in as many tries. Their legion of boom then evaporated with CBs Antoine Winfield and Chris McAllister as well as SS Shaun Williams all retiring. That left them with FS Ed Reed (in what would turn out to be his final season maybe) and backups CB Antonio Cromartie and SS Antoine Bethea being elevated to starters. The Seahawks lured away RFA DT Matt Kroul and with the pick the Dolphins received, they selected Haden in what would start a string of absolutely filthy secondaries that included multiple seasons where they allowed under 100 passing yards a game. I attribute the shutdown to Haden more than any other starter in that secondary (FS Tony Jefferson would succeed Ed Reed and CB#2 would eventually be a revolving door). I didn't put Cromartie on the ballot, and when Bethea hangs up his cleats, I'm not sure if he will be on the ballot, but I just really feel that Haden has been one of if not the most impactful CB in our league's history. The fact he was able to maintain a 90+ rating to the very end makes me think that I'm right.

Smith - Yes

Forget the rings, forget the Pro Bowls, and forget helping to set elite Ds on multiple teams, the combination of which are Hall of Fame worthy, and just look at that per 16 game ridiculous line for a FS. Some other FSs will be retiring in the next few seasons with some comparable stats in some areas, but that entire line will be hard to match up to.

Browning - No

I don't know what it is for all these SSs to have late career renaissances where they end being at or near the top of their field. Browning's case is a bit more curious because he was excellent in INTs and FRs and a total non-factor sacking and forcing fumbles. While I don't think he deserved them all, he did do something that many other SS candidates haven't done, and that is win three DB of the Year awards (all in the final four seasons of his career). He was both the Madden and User pick only one of those seasons. The other two he was the Madden pick while the users went in another direction. Personally, he doesn't jump out to me, but I figured that I had to include him for winning a position-specific award three times. He was part of the SS factory the Broncos had with their backups that includes high-end active players in Scott Morris and Derek Linde.

Julmiste - No

An unheralded and underrated career Julmiste had. Julmiste entered the league as a 2nd round backup. You know how many non-first round DEs from the offensive heyday of this project that started as backups and ended up having long productive, borderline Hall of Fame careers? Cordero Moore, Kroy Biermann, Charles Johnson, and maybe that's it? The list is very short. Julmiste's averages are skewed by his backup status his rookie and final seasons where the combined 32 games resulted in 10 tackles and nothing else. In my heart he's a hall of famer, but I know that he ultimately falls just short. He and fellow retiree Doug Worthington teamed up to formed one of the low-key best DE tandems for over a decade in Atlanta.

Curry - No

All of the OLB candidates (Curry, Tufts, and Bonds) were fringe candidates that I was likely going to say no to, but Curry's averages looked the best to me with him only playing 11 seasons. He was an across the board contributor while never being "the guy" on some rough Browns and underperforming Seahawks defenses, but the converted MLB had great totals for only playing 11 seasons. I think that they fall short of Hall of Fame material, but I wanted to add some positional variety, and there's someone or people who might think that he is Hall-of-Fame worthy.

16. HB Roy Helu Jr.
- Played all 11 seasons for the Rams (no starts)
- 20 return TDs (10 each KR and PR)
- 6-time Pro Bowler (If I need to grab the years, I will do so eventually)
- 2-time Returner of the Year (S10, S11)

I am such a dumbass that I touted about him in Discord chat, and I just completely forgot about including him. I will not remove Curry from the list and violate the 15-member finalist protocol and just add Helu and hopefully people see this.

He is an obvious yes to me. By far the best returner in our league's history. Not that being one-sided would really matter, but he had double digit kick return and punt return TDs. The dude was flat out a menace. I believe he had double digit return TDs in more than half of his seasons, and he even had two seasons cut short due to injury, so that makes his body of work all the more impressive. He was a perennial candidate on the returner of the year list, which speaks volumes about not only his averages and TD totals but just being among the very best in his field from start to finish. He will likely be the only returner to ever be a Hall of Fame candidate here, and he deserves to be enshrined.

I hope to wrap up team financial updates before I go to bed (which is still a long ways off)

Also, for some reason, I thought that I set the deadline for Hall of Fame voting to be today at 5 PM ET. I'm extending that to 5 PM ET on Sunday, November 5th.

Hopefully, I can get everything updated and start RFA before that deadline

Restricted Free Agency

This minor but oddly detailed offseason event is for a small subset of players who just completed their untampered rookie contract that was exactly three years in length. These players are not eligible to be originally offered multi-year contracts by the team that holds their rights but instead one-year contracts of fixed figures based on the tender level that you offer them.

Our Tender Levels for this season
No Tender = no potential draft pick compensation = $0
Low Tender = potential original round draft pick compensation = $1.32 mil
Mid Tender = potential 1st round draft pick compensation = $2.88 mil
High Tender = potential 1st + 3rd round draft pick compensation = $3.83 mil

Now, the mentioning of draft pick compensation there is only applicable if another team attempts to sign your player. It has no bearing on this first phase of RFA. It wouldn't make much sense if you had to give up draft picks to sign your own player now would it? Newcomers and people who don't have a good memory are certainly free to ask me what round a player was drafted in if that affects their tender level.

That being said, you might want to keep in mind about that draft pick compensation when you determine what tender to offer your player. If you think highly of your player, you might want to offer the highest tender to deter other teams from attempting to sign them. If you don't consider a player to be a part of your future plans, you might want to offer the low tender so that they barely count against your cap space and you could end up even getting draft pick compensation if someone else wants him.

A word of advice from me: The full monetary amount attached to the tenders is NOT GUARANTEED and in many cases is less than what they would make on the open market, so there is essentially 0 risk to offering all of your players a tender unless you personally hate them with a passion.

You can also engage trade talks with other teams so that you can prearrange a trade that if X player is not signed by another team, you will trade them to Y team for Z compensation that might be lower than what Y team would have had to give up to sign them during RFA. In this scenario, you might want to offer the highest tender level to deter the maximum amount of teams from disrupting the trade.

RFA Rules

1. I will privately contact every user and inform them of their RFAs and the tender levels. If you dont have any RFAs, then you won't be notified.

2. Users will have three days to inform me which players they wish to sign and at what tender level.

3. I will publicly reveal all RFAs from user and A.I. teams that can be signed by other teams (AKA were offered a tender) plus their draft pick compensation and the base kind of deal they are looking for.

4. I will give users seven days to decide any action, if any, they wish to take. If they do wish to take further action, they will PM me.

Now by "any action you wish to take," I mean that everyone has an opportunity to attempt to sign RFAs from other teams. You might see some sticker shock but keep in mind that some positions are more expensive (WRs, DTs, QBs) than others (OLBs, Cs, TEs) relative to their overall rating. An 80 WR will usually be more expensive than a 90 C, and that's just how things are

5. If a team attempts to sign another teams RFA, then the user who owns the RFAs rights will have three days to decide whether or not to match the offer.

The deadline for the first phase (encompassing rule #s 1 + 2) will be Wednesday, November 8th at 5 PM ET. As always, do not hesitate to ask me any questions.

Hall of Fame Results

With seven voters, five votes were needed for enshrinement

RE Josh Julmiste - no votes

LOLB Aaron Curry - 1 vote

QB Tyrod Taylor - 2 votes
SS Chris Browning - 2 votes

HB Matt Forte - 4 votes

DT Callahan Bright - 5 votes
CB Joe Haden - 5 votes

WR DeSean Jackson - 6 votes
RT Justin Blalock - 6 votes
DT Clifton Dickson - 6 votes
HB Roy Helu Jr. - 6 votes

QB Sam Keller - 7 votes
HB Jacquizz Rodgers - 7 votes
WR Gonzie Massey - 7 votes
RT Tavita Thompson - 7 votes
FS Harrison Smith - 7 votes

Congrats to our eighth Hall of Fame class!

RFA Phase 2

The following posts will contain a list of all RFAs, sorted by team, that were offered tenders by their team during the first phase. Each player will have in parenthesis the draft pick compensation required to sign (not simply offer but actually sign) them as well as the default deal that they are looking for to the side.

In order to even submit an offer to a player, you must have the draft picks on hand. Post #3 has the NFL Draft order, which includes any draft pick ownership changes based on previous trades. You should keep in mind that if you own multiple picks in a round, signing an RFA will have you lose the worst of however many picks you have. For example, let's say the Jaguars try to sign Vikings RG Bradley Bozeman. They own the 14th and 18th picks in the 1st round. Should Bozeman accept their offer and the Vikings elect not to match their offer in the third phase, the Jaguars will end up giving the Vikings the 18th pick in the 1st round.

Going back to the deals in question, these deals are for the other 31 teams in the league. The team who first offered the tender is stuck with the 1 year deal unless a team submits an offer during this phase. You can also offer them a long term deal later on in the offseason as well as any time during the pre, regular, and postseason, but what's important right now is that you understand that you can do nothing about your own RFAs at this moment.

If you do wish to submit an offer to an RFA from another team, the deal mentioned is not the exact deal that you have to offer them. You are free to mess with the years, total money, and/or guaranteed money. As a word of caution though, unless you are trying some bizarre psychological attack to where you offer a deal that would devastate a team financially but would be practically forced to accept, you will want to submit an offer that would ultimately net you the player you seek. Not only that, but you are in essence competing with 30 other teams for the right to simply sign an RFA. If you skimp out on any combination of years, total money, and guaranteed money, you are decreasing, sometimes substantially, the odds that you will get the player.

If you do submit a custom offer, use the base deal as a benchmark. Using Bears RG Tavian Millard, he is asking for a 3 / $14.7 mil / $2.91 mil contract. Dividing the latter two figures by the years, you find out that he is asking for an average cap hit of $4.9 mil (14.7 / 3) and annual bonus of $970k mil (2.91 / 3).

I hope that everyone understands the slash line that I explained earlier in the topic, but if not, do not hesitate to ask any questions. You can direct them to me via PM, through the topic, or Discord.

Do not feel compelled to be active in this phase if you don't want to. While most users do not, some do as well as the AI, so it isn't as if nothing happens.

The deadline to submit offers for the second phase of RFA will be Wednesday, November 15th at 9 PM ET

Bears
RG Tavian Millard (2nd) - 3 / $14.7 mil / $2.91 mil
C Albert Houston (4th) - 3 / $9.83 mil / $1.83 mil
DT Andrew Billings (3rd) - 5 / $21.2 mil / $3.90 mil

Bengals
ROLB B.J. Goodson (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $31.0 mil / $6.69 mil
CB Ryan Smith (1st) - 4 / $26.6 mil / $3.88 mil
FS Shalom Luani (4th) - 4 / $13.9 mil / $2.32 mil

Bills
HB Tarik Cohen (3rd) - 5 / $18.9 mil / $3.35 mil
RT J.J. Maddox (4th) - 4 / $13.2 mil / $2.08 mil
LOLB Jermaine Carter Jr. (2nd) - 4 / $10.7 mil / $1.68 mil

Broncos
MLB Kurt Paulding (4th) - 3 / $18.0 mil / $2.52 mil
DT Danny Shelton (2nd) - 4 / $24.8 mil / $4.88 mil

Browns
RT Walter Devine (1st) - 4 / $15.3 mil / $2.56 mil
CB Jourdan Lewis (1st) - 5 / $27.1 mil / $2.75 mil
QB Wade Bell (3rd) - 5 / $16.0 mil / $2.60 mil

Buccaneers
DT Kenny Clark (1st) - 4 / $40.0 mil / $7.08 mil
HB James Connor (2nd) - 5 / $18.9 mil / $3.35 mil

Chiefs
C Patrick Mekari (2nd) - 3 / $12.7 mil / $2.61 mil
RT Jeremiah Mansfield (2nd) - 4 / $14.3 mil / $2.28 mil
MLB Aaron Radetsky (7th) - 3 / $10.8 mil / $1.08 mil
QB John Little (3rd) - 5 / $9.74 mil / $1.50 mil
CB J.T. Lawton (7th) - 5 / $14.1 mil / $1.70 mil

Colts
HB Jamaal Williams (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $44.4 mil / $8.88 mil
K Greg Joseph (4th) - 2 / $4.93 mil / $660k
SS Mike Edwards (4th) - 3 / $10.1 mil / $1.35 mil
WR Geronimo Allison (3rd) - 3 / $13.3 mil / $2.10 mil

Commanders
DT Christian Covington (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $48.6 mil / $8.88 mil
RG Austin Corbett (3rd) - 3 / $12.4 mil / $2.40 mil
WR Pat Andersen (4th) - 3 / $16.5 mil / $2.73 mil
RT Ryan Wade (4th) - 4 / $12.2 mil / $1.80 mil

Cowboys
RG Greg Battle (3rd) - 4 / $13.6 mil / $2.60 mil
LT Jevon Engram (2nd) - 5 / $17.8 mil / $2.85 mil
HB Matt Breida (4th) - 5 / $14.4 mil / $2.40 mil

Dolphins
MLB Jordan Hicks (1st) - 2 / $18.9 mil / $3.96 mil
K Kaare Vedvik (4th) - 3 / $6.57 mil / $900k
CB Wade Oldham (1st) - 4 / $36.3 mil / $7.28 mil
RE Ronald Blair (2nd) - 4 / $19.9 mil / $3.36 mil
RG Tony Immelman (3rd) - 4 / $13.6 mil / $2.60 mil
RT Ryan Alexander (2nd) - 4 / $14.8 mil / $2.44 mil

Eagles
LG Alex Cappa (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $19.2 mil / $3.84 mil
HB Karlos Williams (4th) - 5 / $18.9 mil / $3.35 mil
RT Curtis Hicks (2nd) - 4 / $14.3 mi / $2.28 mil
WR Reshard Higgins (3rd) - 3 / $14.3 mil / $2.31 mil

Express
DT Vernon Butler (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $48.6 mil / $8.88 mil
ROLB Harold Landry (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $26.4 mil / $5.28 mil
WR Tajae Sharpe (4th) - 3 / $14.3 mil / $2.31 mil
FS Jamie Hixon (4th) - 4 / $11.9 mil / $1.92 mil

Falcons
LT Halapoul Vaitai (2nd) - 4 / $25.8 mil / $5.68 mil

49ers
C Grant Pleasant (3rd) - 3 / $10.4 mil / $1.95 mil
LOLB Darron Lee (2nd) - 4 / $10.7 mil / $1.68 mil

Giants
LG Kirk Alexander (3rd) - 3 / $19.2 mil / $3.84 mil
RE Carl Nassib (2nd) - 4 / $19.9 mil / $3.36 mil

Jaguars
DT Sheldon Rankins (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $40.7 mil / $7.56 mil

Jets
K Ryan Santoso (3rd) - 2 / $4.75 mil / $640k
WR Nelson Agholor (2nd) - 3 / $23.5 mil / $3.96 mil
CB Leroy Briggs (4th) - 5 / $19.0 mil / $2.10 mil

Lions
DT Jarran Reed (2nd) - 4 / $27.5 mil / $5.32 mil
LG Wes Martin (2nd) - 4 / $13.6 mil / $2.60 mil
QB Dwayne Haskins (3rd) - 5 / $11.7 mil / $1.80 mil

Packers
C Garrett Bradbury (1st + 3rd) - 2 / $13.6 mil / $3.44 mil
K Daniel Carlson (2nd) - 2 / $4.93 mil / $660k
DT Austin Johnson (1st) - 4 / $35.4 mil / $6.68 mil
TE Dallas Goedert (3rd) - 3 / $13.7 mil / $2.34 mil
RT Dan Nichols (4th) - 3 / $13.8 mil / $2.70 mil
HB David Cobb (3rd) - 5 / $17.8 mil / $3.15 mil

Panthers
FB Cullen Gillaspia (3rd) - 2 / $11.5 mil / $2.66 mil
SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (1st) - 2 / $9.83 mil / $1.04 mil

Patriots
ROLB Deion Jones (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $28.3 mil / $5.67 mil
LE Kris Brown (1st) - 4 / $25.3 mil / $4.88 mil

Pioneers
SS Khari Willis (1st) - 2 / $9.33 mil / $1.02 mil
LG Leonardo Lyle (3rd) - 4 / $13.6 mil / $2.60 mil
LE Jordan Willis (2nd) - 5 / $18.2 mil / $2.20 mil

Pumpkins
CB Ryan Peterson (4th) - 5 / $23.9 mil / $2.50 mil
ROLB Bobby Cameron (3rd) - 4 / $10.7 mil / $1.68 mil

Raiders
SS Andrew Wingard (1st) - 2 / $9.33 mil / $1.02 mil

Rams
C Marquis Abbott (1st) - 2 / $11.0 mil / $2.48 mil
CB Quincy Wilson (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $41.3 mil / $8.96 mil
QB Devlin Hodges (4th) - 5 / $16.0 mil / $2.60 mil

Ravens
RG Clarence Swift (1st) - 4 / $12.7 mil / $2.44 mil
RE Dexter Wilder (3rd) - 5 / $17.5 mil / $2.15 mil
CB Cordrea Tankersley (2nd) - 5 / $20.6 mil / $2.20 mil

Seahawks
LT Randy Taylor (4th) - 5 / $14.6 mil / $2.10 mil

Steelers
CB Fabian Moreau (2nd) - 4 / $26.6 mil / $3.88 mil
RG Jose Short (4th) - 3 / $12.4 mil / $2.40 mil

Titans
QB James Poole (1st) - 5 / $20.3 mil / $3.35 mil
LE Andrew Siegel (4th) - 5 / $14.1 mil / $1.75 mil

Vikings
P Corey Bojorquez (4th) - 2 / $2.77 mil / $780k
RG Bradley Bozeman (1st) - 3 / $23.7 mil / $4.80 mil
MLB Stephone Anthony (3rd) - 3 / $18.0 mil / $2.52 mil

bump for justice

The deadline to submit offers for Phase 2 of RFA are over.

In case one of the PMs includes, this player, I will publicly reveal that I gave HB Jamaal Williams a 5 / $60 mil / $13.0 mil contract offer

I have notified those who have actions to take for Phase 3. The deadline for the final phase will be 11 PM ET on Saturday, November 18th. If I receive everything before the deadline, we could move to the next offseason event sooner.

RFA Phase 3 results

Bears have signed Broncos MLB Kurt Paulding to a 4 year deal. The Broncos elected not to match the contract and receive the Bears' 4th round pick.

Bears have signed Giants DE Carl Nassib to a 4 year deal. The Giants elected not to match the contract and receive the Bears' 2nd round pick.

Bears have signed Rams CB Quincy Wilson to a 5 year deal. The Rams elected not to match the contract and receive the Bears' 1st and 3rd round picks.

Bengals have signed Bucs DT Kenny Clark to a 4 year deal. The Bucs matched the contract.

Bills have signed Commanders DT Christian Covington to a 7 year deal. The Commanders elected not to match the contract and receive the Bills' 1st and 3rd round picks.

Bills have signed Pumpkins CB Ryan Peterson to a 5 year deal. The Pumpkins elected not to match the contract and receive the Bills' 4th round pick.

Bills have signed Steelers CB Fabian Moreau to a 4 year deal. The Steelers elected not to match the contract and receive the Bills' 2nd round pick.

Cowboys have signed Packers OT Dan Nichols to a 3 year deal. The Packers elected not to match the contract and receive the Cowboys' 4th round pick.

Eagles have signed Bengals FS Shalom Luani to a 4 year deal. The Bengals elected not to match the contract and receive the Eagles' 4th round pick.

Eagles have signed Express DT Vernon Butler to a 4 year deal. The Express elected not to match the contract and receive the Eagles' 1st and 3rd round picks.

Pumpkins have signed Colts HB Jamaal Williams to a 5 year deal. The Colts matched the contract :(

Seahawks have signed Bengals OLB B.J. Goodson to a 3 year deal. The Bengals matched the contract.

Unrestricted Free Agents (AKA Signing Your Remaining Free Agents)

Any player of yours whose contract expired and was not part of the previous event will be included here. This is an extremely straightforward event. You either sign or you do not sign players, Those you do stay on your team, those you don't enter the free agent pool.

When you receive the PM with your slash lines, remember that those are not the deals you have to sign them to. With a few exceptions that I will lay out, you can sign anyone (pending the age/max length rule) to deals 1-7 years in length. If you wish to give a player a custom offer, I might be available to do live signings on Discord or the spreadsheet but don't depend on that being the case. Otherwise, we can bounce PMs/DMs off of each other for a while (remember that there is a deadline though and delay in response could be a day or longer). If you wish to offer someone a deal of a different length but do not want to bother with the financials, you can merely say you want to give X player the default deal for Y years.

There are only two wrinkles for this event. One is that a few players might hold out for better deals. I can confirm that no user has a holdout. What would happen is that I will isolate them in the PM and tell you their base deal. If you elected not to sign them, they would stay on your team without playing a down for you until you trade them, release them, or give into their contract demands. Keep in mind that any guaranteed money still left on their contract (annual bonus) is transferred over to the new contract.

The second wrinkle is that some players hate your team to where they will only sign via the franchise tag, which is a one year deal that pays them the average of the Top 5 salaries at their position or 120% of what they made last season, whichever is higher. I will isolate those players and also tell you how much money that comes out to as of this moment. The franchise tag has rarely been used, so while I am not expecting anyone will use it, you never know.

For those who don't remember, the age/max length rule is that you can't sign a player to a longer contract if it will take them past their age-34 season. You can however sign a player through their age-34 season if it was already included in their default contract. For example, if a 33-year-old player asks for a 3 year contract, you can sign him to that deal because it was part of the default deal. You cannot sign them to a 4+ year contract though.

Also remember that sign-and-trades are not allowed. Players signed to 1 year contracts are ineligible to be traded (RFAs signed via tenders are exempt from this rule). Players signed to multi-year contracts are ineligible to be traded until Week 9 of the regular season.

Signing Your UFAs Rules

1. I will PM everyone their UFAs and the slash line (length/total/signing bonus) of their desired deal. I will also include and isolate any players who are either holding out or hate your team to where they will only sign with you if you place the franchise tag on them.

2. You will PM me back with the following format (using two players from my team as an example)

Re-signing:
DE Wally Springs - 5 / $14.10 mil / $1.75 mil
or
DE Wally Springs 3 year default

Franchise Tag:
Nobody

Not re-signing:
QB Tim Tebow

The deadline for signing your UFAs will be Sunday, December 3rd at 10 PM ET

DE Bobby Ford (87 OVR, 28 yrs) is on the trade block. He's a converted OLB so outside his cap hit probably wouldn't take much to aquire.

Just over 9 days remain

Hype hype hype

Save

Sent my email...twice. Please disregard the first one

I had meant to have the draft stuff all prepared by now, but I've been playing catchup after taking over for the Raiders and their difficult roster/financial situation. I do want to say here that I'm going to try out a one-day draft this season. The tentative date will be Saturday, December 16th. I should have prospect stuff and draft postings done no later than Wednesday. Roster and Free Agent sheets are still being updated, but the Free Agents sheet is updated.

Draft board hype even if I have like no picks

Live NFL Draft

This is a 7-round affair where teams select college players. There are 32 picks in each round for a total of 224 selections overall. We will be doing a single-day draft this season. The draft takes place in the spreadsheet as that is where all the info is, and I totally failed in my lone attempt to do a draft in both the spreadsheet and Discord.

In one of the posts below, I will include the draft order again as well as updated draft pick ownerships. I only include ownership of other teams' picks. If you wish to attend the draft at all, I require that you own a Google account and either PM/DM me or post here the email associated with it so that I can include you as having permission in the spreadsheet and you can sign in and enter the chat function which is located near the top right of the spreadsheet. Most of you have done so in previous years, but there could be a few people wanting to attend this year but have yet to receive permission. You must be on a desktop/laptop to access the chat function.

NFL Draft Rules

1. When it is your time to pick, type your selection in the spreadsheet

2. There is a 5 minute pick limit, which starts when I say something along the lines of "X team is on the clock"

3. If no pick has been made after 5 minutes, I will select the player for you

4. If a user is not present at the time they are on the clock, they will be auto-drafted via rule #3 until they notify me of their return

If I can't or don't want to be here for the draft, what are my options?

Queue - You give me a list of players in order of priority. It can be as few as one and as many as the 250+ prospects that will eventually be in that sheet.

Draft Strategy - You give me a vague or specific set of instructions on how to draft your players. An example of this would be:
Draft best available HB in 1st round
Draft best available player in 2nd-4th rounds
Draft best available player for a position of need in 5th-7th rounds.

Conditionals - You give me a list of conditionals. Unlike the other two examples, this one is best used if you only think that you will be unavailable for a single round. Using DE Brian Burns as an example:
1. Draft DE Brian Burns
2. Draft the best available OT with a 1st round grade
3. Draft the best available player for a position of need