Trading and the League Season

[Jerry-Redskins]

I have had more time than normal during the offseason with no draft prep. I have been observing everything more. Our FA is way worse than it should be because we allow more trading than the NFL. I believe we should mirror the NFL. FA and Trading do not reopen until the "League Season" begins. Teams would still cut down to 53 for SNS. Rich runs physical, resigning starts, then FA and trading begin at the same time. This would increase FA in a very big way I believe and add interesting decisions to roster management. It would also mean teams have more info before trading as physicals are done and the draft class is available. The season for personnel would go this way:

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

Rinse and repeat

[tmurph-Jets]

Jets vote YES on this.
All the trading of unsigned players is not NFL-Like at all.
Sign them or cut them.

[Mitch-Oilers]

I like this approach.

As part of the schedule, it would be cool to add having the draft pool available at Wild Card weekend. I say this because college players have to declare for the draft just after bowl season ends which is typically when the NFL playoffs start now.

[Jerry-Redskins]

Gotta be fair to Charlie. He plans to be in the title game. I'm happy with draft class on or after SNS

[Mitch-Oilers]

I've got a program built that will generate a new draft class in about 5 mins with whatever rating scale we want to use. All Charlie would need to do is add the name. Click! Click! Boom!

[Charlie-49ers]

Mitch, I have your program and I have one that I also developed. Target for Draft Pool is Week 10-12

[Jerry-Redskins]

So you're saying the 49ers will already be out of the playoff race for you to focus on the draft class.............................

[Matt-Jacksonville]

I'm on the fence with this. I think you'll start to see more trade activity at the deadline. For example, let's take QB Captain Kirk. If I'm at the trade deadline and know he's on the fence for a physical in the offseason and I'm not anywhere close to making the playoffs, I could have traded him to Chicago as a quality rental to fill in for Darnold. However, if I'm in the hunt or in 1st place, that decision is much harder. Do I trade my starter and risk my playoff run or do I keep him and risk getting nothing in return for him?

I don't think this will solve the issue. I think it just moves the trading to the deadline. Yes it's more realistic, but is it actually good for the league.

[Jerry-Redskins]

Nothing changes with the trade deadline in season. All the same. It is the offseason only that changes. The decision point stays the same in your example. The proposal really only reopens trading after the resigning period rather than after the playoffs and before SNS

[Shawn-Giants]

I vote Yes to this and would also like to see the need to elevate traded players to the active roster immediately, be removed.

That's not NFL like, first stop is practice squad then once the team deemed the player ready, is when they get activated to the 53 man roster, not before.