Trading and the League Season

[Matt-Jacksonville]

I disagree. The contract runs through the end of the league year which would be the button push.

[Jerry-Redskins]

You're paid to play games. Last game you are done.

[Jerry-Redskins]

The proposal also has nothing to do with the on or off contract aspects. The proposal is to have the trade deadline for the current season end at WK12 the same as it currently is. Trading is over for that entire season. The next season does not start until after SNS. Trading opens after the resigning and tagging.

[Mitch-Oilers]

@Jerry - that's what I was thinking as well.

Yes, it doesn't make sense to trade un-signed players. However, there isn't any trading after the trade deadline until the NFL is into the new season. So, regardless if a players contract ends at the final game or at the end of the NFL season, players aren't traded after the deadline.

[Jerry-Redskins]

Maybe I need to put it in a different order visually than I did to start the thread. The proposal is to mirror the NFL operations. This lines up the league calendar for personnel operations. The league calendar would be:

SNS
Physicals are run
Resigning/Tag period opens
FA and Trading opens
Draft
Week 12 trading stops
Non playoff player cuts stop at playoffs
Cut down to 53 (signed or unsigned players)

Rinse and repeat

This provides a natural flow for personnel actions. Ensures all league aspects of player actions are done to maximize the info available, such as retirements, for teams to plan the offseason and perform transactions and would increase players available to FA. It is clean and simple.

[Jerry-Redskins]

Here is what the NFL is doing this year for comparison:

Feb 21 - Mar 7 Tags
Mar 13 - Mar 15 Resigning
Mar 15 3:59 22 Season Ends
Mar 15 4:00 23 Season Starts
Mar 15 4:00 Trading Opens
Nov (Week 8) Trading Deadline

[Rich-League Officer]

The one aspect of this league that has been very consistent is, if possible we play by NFL rules.
Charlie and I have discussed this matter and from research on this topic this is what we have found.
Trading in the NFL is closed at their deadline (earlier than ours) and re-opens at new season start.
Player contracts expire at new season start.
Therefore in the NFL there is no opportunity to trade these players in their final year after the deadline.
Trading in the NFL then opens but those players are already free agents.
It is us who have been bastardizing the system by opening trading after the SB.
I remember why, we wanted to keep more veterans around. That was the logic.
But this practice has been abused by all teams and its unrealistic for the players.
No player in his right mind would accept a trade the day after the SB and negotiate with 1 team he was just traded to.
He knows there is more money as a free agent.

The only difference this makes is, it shifts the burden to each coach to trade those players before the deadline.
All those deals you made after the SB, well make them before the deadline.

[Justin-Chicago]

There are multiple considerations to balance, realism in trading is one of those, and as stated trading unsigned players isn’t realistic. But, this has to be balanced somehow with the game’s desire for veteran FAs to disappear for the health of the league files because it’s also not NFL-like for so many players supposedly cut to FA to just disappear. And, whatever balance is sought out, should be with only minimal if any process on Rich.

One way we could take a step in the right direction is allowing teams the opportunity to assign up to two players that do not comply with the 0-1-2 rule to their practice squad (I don’t believe the NFL imposes an age rule).

Then, at EOS, make cutting down to 53 optional, but any players left on the PS will be unrestricted FAs who are “protected” from disappearing unless they had previously failed a physical.

This would bolster FA, mainly with younger players but a few vets to spice things up, encourage parity, and also allow teams a bit of additional flexibility in long term planning.

[Matt-Jacksonville]

Not a bad idea, and I actually looked the NFL allows up to six guys on the practice squad with no age limit. However, the problem with this is game limitations. The cut to 53 and clearing of the PS prior to SNS is not just a Rich rule. It's based on how the game handles players who are on IR as well.

Anything we do that uses the IR (expanded roster) would have to be tracked by Rich and could cause an extra burden on him. One idea we could possibly do is allow protection of a limited number of unsigned veterans. These guys would go in the I slot and you would cut an equal number of younger guys which would be tracked on the contract file.

This way the vets don't retire and the likely hood of the young guys retiring is much smaller.

[Matt-Jacksonville]

*edit*

The vets would still retire per the league rules.