Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 20: The Offseason

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
Bears hire Eagles HC Brian Billick
Eagles hire Jets HC Chad Pennington
Giants hire Ravens HC Corey Dillon
Jets hire Pumpkins HC Donnie Henderson
Pumpkins hire Rams HC Kerry Collins
Rams hire Colts DC Michael Strahan
Ravens hire Giants HC Mike Zimmer

Offensive Coordinator
Bears hire Chiefs OC Mike McCarthy
Buccaneers hire Titans OC Eric Moulds
Chiefs hire Vikings OC Roman Oben
Colts hire Buccaneers OC Terrell Owens
Commanders hire Pioneers OC Orlando Pace
Dolphins hire former B8NFLL C Leroy Harris
Eagles hire former Bills OC Tom Rathman
Jets hire former B8NFLL G Chris Pino
Packers hire Seahawks OC Chris Foerster
Pioneers hire former B8NFLL G Toniu Fonoti
Seahawks hire former B8NFLL C Greg Eslinger
Titans hire Bears OC Larry Allen (RIP)
Vikings hire former B8NFLL OT Orlando Ross

Defensive Coordinator
Bills hire former Browns DC Todd Grantham
Colts hire Ravens DC Brandon Mitchell
Cowboys hire Lions DC Ed Donatell
Express hire Orcas DC Pat Williams
Falcons hire former Cowboys DC Jim Haslett
49ers hire Bills DC Ron Meeks
Jaguars hire Pumpkins DC Jonathan Vilma
Lions hire Cowboys DC Rian Wallace
Orcas hire Jaguars DC Patrick Willis
Pumpkins hire former B8NFLL OLB Dannell Ellerbe
Ravens hire Falcons DC E.J Henderson

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

Bears own Bills 1st + 2nd + 3rd + 4th, Raiders 7th
Bills own Bears 6th + 7th
49ers own Giants 5th
Giants own 49ers 1st + 3rd
Raiders own Bears 1st + 3rd + 4th. Steelers 1st + 3rd
Steelers own Raiders 6th

Player Retirements by Team

Bears
HB Dexter McCluster (15701 total yards, 84 TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
TE Rob Gronkowski (1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Dri Archer

Bengals
K James Wilhoit (478 FGM, 2-time K of the Year, 1-time Pro Bowler)
RG Cedric Dockery (2-time Pro Bowler)
DT DeMarcus Granger (644 tackles, 91 sacks, 18 FFs, 9 FRs, former #1 overall pick)
SS George Iloka
WR Trindon Holliday (9 return TDs)
MLB Brandon Thompson
CB Alterraun Verner

Bills
none

Broncos
P John Torp (1508 career punts for 65616 yards, both B8NFLL records)
TE Dwayne Allen (670 rec for 5317 yards, 29 TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
RT Reggie Youngblood (1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Terrell Hansen

Browns
FB Kyle Juszczyk (2-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Rolando McClain (1064 tackles, 52 sacks, 10 INTs, 19 FFs, 17 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
TE Owen Daniels
DT Terrance Knighton (337 tackles, 86 sacks, 8 FFs, 3 FRs)
RE Greg Hardy

Buccaneers
ROLB Sean Spence (1003 tackles, 56 sacks, 11 INTs, 15 FFs, 12 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
SS Mark Barron
TE Jordan Cameron

Chiefs
P David Lonie

Colts
MLB Jerod Mayo (997 tackles, 40 sacks, 20 INTs, 5 FFs, 14 FRs)
RG Seth Olsen (3-time Pro Bowler)

Commanders
TE Dennis Pitta

Cowboys
MLB Sam Crooks (1166 tackles, 46 sacks, 24 INTs, 17 FFs, 12 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
TE Ed Dickson

Dolphins
none

Eagles
none

Express
C Max Unger (555 blocks vs 90 sacks allowed, 3-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Michael McDonald (1042 tackles, 30 sacks, 18 INTs, 19 FFs, 15 FRs)

Falcons
MLB James Laurinaitis (1535 tackles, 41 sacks, 16 INTs, 25 FFs, 24 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)

49ers
P Steve Weatherford (1-time P of the Year)
MLB Korey Norton (1313 tackles, 88 sacks, 15 INTs, 18 FFs, 21 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler)
WR Jordy Nelson (2-time Pro Bowler)
WR Percy Harvin (14 return TDs, 1-time Pro Bowler)

Giants
C Josh McNeil
LG Willie Colon (6-time Pro Bowler)
TE Luke Willson

Jaguars
FB Eric Stephens (4025 rushing yards, 49 total TDs, 5-time Pro Bowler)
FS Tashaun Gipson (1-time Pro Bowler)
RE Cordero Moore (496 tackles, 108 sacks, 18 FFs, 9 FRs. 4-time Pro Bowler)

Jets
CB Jeremy Lane (714 tackles, 13 INTs, 7 FFs, 8 FRs, 3-time Pro Bowler)

Lions
MLB Bryan Vinson (1287 tackles, 54 sacks, 9 INTs, 16 FFs, 21 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Orcas
P Kyle Basler (1-time Pro Bowler)
LG Quinton Harris
LE Nick Campbell
CB Sam Slater

Packers
MLB Derrick Jordan (1182 tackles, 38 sacks, 22 INTs, 19 FFs, 14 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
WR Harry Douglas
CB Ras I-Dowling (1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Eric Bass

Panthers
RT Nic Gibbs (263 blocks, 16 sacks allowed)

Patriots
HB Rex Burkhead

Pioneers
K Ben Jones (392 FGM, 1-time Pro Bowler)
FS Earl Thomas (612 tackles, 22 sacks, 25 INTs, 9 FFs, 16 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler, former #1 overall pick)
LT Matt Hardrick
HB BenJarvus Green-Ellis
DT Domata Peko

Pumpkins
TE Coby Fleener
C Jacob Johnson

Raiders
none

Rams
C Wes Williams
LG Wendell Alston
LE Lamarr Houston
RE Jason Pierre-Paul

Ravens
P Ryan Plackemeier (1-time Pro Bowler)
HB Doug Martin (18197 total yards, 99 total TDs, 5-time Pro Bowler, 2-time HB of the Year, 2-time Off Player of the Year, 1-time MVP)
LOLB Cedric Young (1219 tackles, 41 sacks, 24 INTs, 21 FFs, 18 FRs. 3-time Pro Bowler)
WR Michael Crabtree (574 rec for 7265 yards, 63 TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Seahawks
QB Ryan Mallet
RT Brett Black

Steelers
P Tom Malone (5-time Pro Bowler)
C Andy Levitre (558 blocks vs 77 sacks allowed (4-time Pro Bowler)

Titans
MLB Brian Cushing (1214 tackles, 46 sacks, 10 INTs, 14 FFs, 22 FRs, 1-time Pro Bowler)
ROLB Aldon Smith (845 tackles, 42 sacks, 9 INTs. 11 FFs. 14 FRs, 2-time Pro Bowler)
CB Prince Amukamara

Vikings
DT William Morrisey (503 tackles, 91 sacks, 11 FFs, 3 FRs)
WR Brandon Marshall (689 rec for 8735 yards, 74 TDs, 2-time Pro Bowler)

Notable Free Agents
QB Tim Tebow (79.0 career passer rating, 1-time Pro Bowler)
MLB Clifton Thompson (782 tackles, 34 sacks, 16 INTs, 8 FFs, 12 FRs)
LE Johnny Stegall (59 career sacks)
DT B.J. Raji (56 career sacks, 1-time Pro Bowler)
CB Stephon Gillmore (27 career INTs)

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 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:
-Long overdue stat recording
- 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

Oof, Vinson retirement is a big loss

Norton is a huge loss

Yep, I figured it was gonna be bad for retirements, but it was somehow even worse than I anticipated. Losing Martin AND Young in one fell swoop is PAINFUL. Plackemeier and Crabtree are also big losses but I'll live. I'd really like to thank all four of them, as they will assuredly be in the Ravens Hall of Fame.

At least I already drafted replacements for that top two last season. Will definitely be spending later round pick on a new punter. And... well somehow, Eugene Monroe lives on. Thank goodness. Losing him too would have really screwed me over lol

All teams should have their roster sheet updated

I did most of the catch up on the various B8 Wiki pages for this, but I ran into some issues there to where I may do a blow up and create new pages and whatnot. That plus my sister visting took up most of my time in late June.

I plan on doing the Hall of Fame ballot today and then start with updating the Team Financial sheet on Wednesday. Hopefully we can begin RFA next week

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. HB Doug Martin
- Played all 11 seasons for the Ravens (151 starts)
- 3559 carries for 15907 yards (4.4 YPC), 260 receptions for 2290 yards (8.8 YPC), 99 total TDs, 29 fumbles (1 per 131.6 touches)
- Per 16 game averages of 377.1 carries for 1685.5 yards, 27.5 receptions for 242.6 yards, 10.4 TDs, 3.0 fumbles
- 3-time HB of the Year (S15, S17, S18)
- 2-time Offensive Player of the Year (S15, S17)
- 1-time MVP (S15)
- 5-time Pro Bowler (S12, S15, S17, S18, S19)
- Led league in rushing twice

Martin ranks 1st among active and just retired players in rushing, rushing TDs, and rushing YPC. He is 2nd on the all-time B8NFLL rushing list (by over 1600 yards)

2. HB Dexter McCluster
- Played S8-17 for the Patriots, S18-19 Bears (151 games, 136 starts)
- 2993 carries for 13215 yards (4.4 YPC), 328 receptions for 2486 yards (7.5 YPC), 84 total TDs, 30 fumbles (1 per 110.7 touches)
- Per 16 game averages of 317.1 carries for 1400.2 yards, 34.7 rec for 263.4 yards, 8.9 TDs, 3.1 fumbles
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S16)
- Led league in rushing once

McCluster ranks among active and just retired players 3rd in rushing yards, 4th in rushing TDs, and 2nd in rushing YPC

3. C Andy Levitre
- Played S7-9 for the Dolphins, S10-19 Steelers (138 games, 123 starts)
- 558 blocks vs 77 sacks allowed (7.2 blocks per sack)
- Per 16 game averages of 64.6 blocks vs 8.9 sacks allowed
- 4-time Pro Bowler (S11, S13, S14, S18)

Among active and just retired pure interior OL, Levitre ranks 5th in blocks

4. C Max Unger
- Played all 14 seasons for the Express (174 games, 165 starts)
- 555 blocks vs 90 sacks allowed (6.1 blocks per sack allowed)
- Per 16 game averages of 51.0 blocks vs 8.2 sacks allowed
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S8, S12, S15)

Among active and just retired pure interior OL, Unger ranks 6th in blocks

5. LG Willie Colon
- Played S6-S11 for the 49ers, S12-S18 Falcons, S19 Giants (186 games, 184 starts)
- 548 blocks vs 97 sacks allowed (5.6 blocks per sack allowed)
- Per 16 game averages of 47.1 blocks vs 8.3 sacks allowed
- 6-time Pro Bowler (S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17)

Among active and just retired pure interior OL, Colon ranks 7th in blocks

6. MLB James Laurinaitis
- Played S6-9 for the Steelers, S10-S11 Dolphins, S12-S19 Falcons (215 games, 205 starts)
- 1535 tackles, 41 sacks, 16 INTs, 25 FFs, 24 FRs, 4 defensive TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 114.2 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1.1 INTs, 1.8 FFs, 1.7 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S9)

Laurinaitis ranks 1st among all active and just retired defensive players in tackles and FFs, and 3rd in FRs. He has the B8NFLL record for career tackles

7. MLB Korey Norton
- Played all 13 seasons for the 49ers (190 starts)
- 1313 tackles, 88 sacks, 15 INTs, 18 FFs, 21 FRs, 3 defensive TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 110.5 tackles, 7.4 sacks, 1.2 INTs, 1.5 FFs, 1.7 FRs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S11, S13, S14)
- Defensive Rookie of the Year (S7)

Among active and just retired LBs, Norton is tied for 2nd in tackles, 2nd in sacks, T-7th in FFs, T-5th in FRs

8. MLB Bryan Vinson
- Played S7-S8 for the 49ers, S9-S11 Steelers, S12-S19 Lions (178 games, 173 starts)
- 1287 tackles, 54 sacks, 9 INTs, 16 FFs, 21 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Per 16 game averages of 115.6 tackles, 4.8 sacks, 0.8 INTs, 1.4 FFs, 1.8 FRs
- 1-time LB of the Year (S18)
- 1-time Defensive Player of the Year (S18)
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S12, S18)
- Led league in tackles once

Among active and just retired LBs, Vinson is 4th in tackles, T-6th in sacks, T-5th in FRs

9. MLB Sam Crooks
- Played S6-S13 for the Vikings, S14-S16 Ravens, S17 Commanders, S18 Steelers, S19 Cowboys (203 starts)
- 1166 tackles, 46 sacks, 24 INTs, 17 FFs, 12 FRs, 4 defensive TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 91.9 tackles, 3.6 sacks, 1.8 INTs, 1.3 FFs, 0.9 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S18)

Among active and just retired LBs, Crooks is 9th in tackles, T-1st in INTs

10. MLB Rolando McClain
- Played S7-S18 for the Steelers, S19 Browns (166 starts)
- 1064 tackkes, 54 sacks, 10 INTs, 19 FFs, 17 FRs, 4 defensive TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 102.5 tackles, 5.2 sacks, 0.9 INTs, 1.8 FFs, 1.6 FRs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S10, S11)

Among active and just retired LBs, McClain ranks T-6th in sacks, T-4th in FFs

11. LOLB Cedric Young
- Played all 14 seasons for the Ravens (215 games, 199 starts)
- 1219 tackles, 41 sacks, 24 INTs, 21 FFs, 18 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Per 16 game averages of 90.7 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1.7 INTs, 1.5 FFs, 1.3 FRs
- 3-time Pro Bowler (S9, S10, S12)

Among active and just retired LBs, Young ranks 5th in tackles, T-1st in INTs, 2nd in FFs

12. ROLB Sean Spence
- Played S8-S10 for the Pumpkins, S11-S17 Panthers, S18-S19 Buccaneers (192 games, 175 starts)
- 1003 tackles, 56 sacks, 11 INTs, 15 FFs, 12 FRs
- Per 16 game averages of 83.5 tackles, 4.6 sacks, 0.9 INTs, 1.2 FFs, 1.0 FRs
- 2-time Pro Bowler (S13, S14)

Among active and just retired LBs, Spence ranks T-4th in sacks

13. RE Cordero Moore
- Played all 14 seasons for the Jaguars (218 games, 174 starts)
- 496 tackles, 108 sacks, 18 FFs, 9 FRs, 1 defensive TD
- Per 16 game averages of 36.4 tackles, 7.9 sacks, 1.3 FFs, 0.6 FRs
- 4-time Pro Bowler (S10, S12, S17, S18)

Among active and just retired DL, Moore ranks 5th in sacks, T-1st in FFs

14. DT DeMarcus Granger
- Played S6-S15 for the Orcas, S16-S17 Bills, S18-S19 Bengals (223 games, 222 starts)
- 644 tackles, 91 sacks, 18 FFs, 8 FRs
- Per 16 game averages of 46.2 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1.2 FFs, 0.5 FRs

Among active and just retired DL, Granger ranks 3rd in tackles, T-1st in FFs

15. FS Earl Thomas
- Played all 13 seasons for the Pioneers (201 starts)
- 612 tackles, 22 sacks, 25 INTs, 9 FFs, 16 FRs, 2 defensive TDs
- Per 16 game averages of 48.7 tackles, 1.7 sacks, 1.9 INTs, 0.7 FFs, 1.2 FRs
- 1-time Pro Bowler (S13)

Among active and just retired DBs, Thomas ranks 5th in tackles, 2nd in sacks, T-10th in INTs, T-2nd in FRs

The deadline to submit a ballot will be 6 PM ET on Friday, July 12th

As for my hopefully less detailed than normal public ballot:
HB Doug Martin - Yes - He's certainly on the Mt. Rushmore of B8NFLL HBs. Looking beyond the incredible career totals in "only" 11 seasons are the insane per 16 game averages. Nearly 1700 rushing yards a season. What the hell is that!?

HB Dexter McCluster - Yes - It's tough being on the same ballot as an all-timer like Martin, but even when comparing the two, McCluster's body of work and efficiency looks remarkable. Like Martin, McCluster never had a YPC under 4.1 in a season

C Andy Levitre - Yes - High blocks, fantastic block:sack ratio for an interior OL, and being almost inarguably the most important OL for one of the more prolific running attacks during his time in Pittsburgh make this a pretty easy choice for me.

C Max Unger - No - His ratio look great but his overall body of work and perceived impact are not special enough to separate himself from borderline status.

LG Willie Colon - Yes - the ratio is good but not great, so his inclusion on the ballot and my vote might seem odd, but there's a reason why he was so decorated with the six Pro Bowls. His stretch with the Falcons was phenomenal. It's weird that he didn't work out with the 49ers, but in seven seasons with the Falcons, he was invited to six Pro Bowls with a line of 390 blocks vs 54 sacks allowed or 7.2 blocks per sack (aka what Levitre averaged). 7 straight years of dominance is worthy to me.

MLB James Laurinaitis - Yes - If he didn't lose his job in the preseason last season, his stats and distance from the rest of the pack would be even greater (at least in tackles and FFs). He may not have been decorated as his level of player deserved, but he was one of the league's best against the run every year, and he was deceptively very disruptive with his 49 combined FFs + FRs. If that tackle record is ever going to fall, it won't be for a long time.

MLB Korey Norton - Yes - Him being a consistent menace in run-stopping and pass-rushing while being the face of the defense pretty much seals his candidacy. 1313 tackles and 88 sacks? Good lord. David Harris is right up there with him in those two categories, but Harris will have played two more seasons, so Norton's per 16 averages will still look the most insane.

MLB Bryan Vinson - No - Vinson was once Norton's side buddy in that 3-4 San Fran D. He basically got better in each of his stops, even if his time in Detroit was weird with all the D alignment changes and injuries. Even though he actually won a Def Player of the Year award, his inconsistency at one of the more consistent positions in the game is part of the reason I'm saying no.

MLB Sam Crooks - Yes - I know that the stats will ultimately have him fall short of the Hall. I will stand in his corner alone as beliving that he was one of the most impactful MLBs during his stay in the league. The journeyman made each of his teams' Ds better, and the team's who let him enter into free agency paid for it by seeing immediate defensive regression (see Steelers last season).

MLB Rolando McClain - No - At his height, he was a very productive and disruptive player, but he was jerked around a lot with defensive alignments, and his playmaking was sapped in his final seasons.

LOLB Cedric Young - No - Originally a (backup) MLB before retirements and cap constraints led to a move to the outside and a starting gig, the former 105th overall pick had a great career with the only team he's ever played for and was very important for the Ravens to continue their winning ways with all the player movement on both sides of the ball, but I just don't see him as a Hall of Famer.

ROLB Sean Spence - No - An interesting late-bloomer who went from being an adequate starter to a high-end OLB in his 30s. I just don't think that he ultimately had the body of work.

RE Cordero Moore - Yes - It's almost unheard of for a DE to be a backup for three seasons and then become a starter. I would say that it's unprecedented in B8NFLL for such a player to end up with over 100 career sacks. If the per 16 game figures were to account for that, would he average nearly 9 sacks a season? He wasn't all sacks though. He was an above-average edge against the run and had more FFs than any DL, who played last season, at the time of his retirement. The three years then starter then 100 sacks narrative is good enough for me though.

DT DeMarcus Granger - No - #1 overall picks have had a mixed history, but Granger might be the first one to have a legitimate case for the Hall of Fame (I'm not fact-checking that). Some of his averages are similar to some DL that we did elect to the hall, but I don't think he was quite as impactful as them.

FS Earl Thomas - Yes - Thomas however is a former #1 overall pick who does check off all the boxes. DBs can be hard to evaluate, especially non-SSs since SSs tend to soak up the stat collecting. Seeing Thomas' rankings across the board though do paint an excellent picture of just how good he was. He was also instrumental into transforming the D into the elite unit it is today.

HB Doug Martin - Yes

HB Dexter McCluster - Yes

C Andy Levitre - Yes

C Max Unger - No

LG Willie Colon - No

MLB James Laurinaitis - Yes

MLB Korey Norton - Yes

MLB Bryan Vinson - No

MLB Sam Crooks - No

MLB Rolando McClain - No

LOLB Cedric Young - No

ROLB Sean Spence - No

RE Cordero Moore - Yes

DT DeMarcus Granger - Yes

FS Earl Thomas - Yes

I'm planning on starting RFA on Thursday and hopefully blaze through the team financial updates today and tomorrow

HoF votes due in less than 2 hours!

Oh

Whoops

Forgot about this entirely

Shattered and VI are sending in ballots right now. So can you!

Hall of Fame Results

With five voters, three yes votes were required for enshrinement

C Max Unger - no votes
MLB Bryan Vinson - no votes
MLB Rolando McClain - no votes
LOLB Cedric Young - no votes
ROLB Sean Spence - no votes

DT DeMarcus Granger - 1 vote

LG Willie Colon - 3 votes
MLB Sam Crooks - 3 votes

HB Doug Martin - 5 votes
HB Dexter McCluster - 5 votes
C Andy Levitre - 5 votes
MLB James Laurinaitis - 5 votes
MLB Korey Norton - 5 votes
RE Cordero Moore - 5 votes
FS Earl Thomas - 5 votes

Congrats to our 9th Hall of Fame class!

So first I want to apologize that I started the off-season right when my sister came to visit me for two weeks plus other stuff and then finally being able to go forward with stuff almost a week ago just for me to get hooked on Apex Legends again.

I'm good now, but I still have some things that need updated. I am going to go ahead and proceed with RFA shortly though. The spreadsheet just needs me to add +1 to everyone's age on the team financial sheet, add the cap hits for next season for players under contract for 2+ seasons, plus convert the Bengals and Colts to user team financial format. I'm going to prioritize that last one, especially with a newcomer taking over the Colts, but luckily this first phase of RFA is simple and easy.

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 = $1.37 mil
Mid Tender = potential 1st round draft pick compensation = $3.00 mil
High Tender = potential 1st + 3rd round draft pick compensation = $3.98 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 (Cs, TEs, FSs) 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 Tuesday, July 16th at 6 PM ET . As always, do not hesitate to ask me any questions.

To do :

• Finish up team financial sheet updates (AI to user format for Bengals and Colts, add +1 to everyone's ages, 2025 (aka Season 21) cap hits for those that it apply to
• Do something with stat recording so I don't have to keep bumping the old topic
• Interesting stats probably

Oh yeah, thought of something: If there's a way to retire a number for your franchise, please do that for Doug Martin. No Raven will ever wear his number again, because it's his and his alone.

Seriously, how is his stat line even possible?

HB Kenny Hamilton
27 - Age
2 years $1.25 mil - $5.62 mil

He hates me and wants to play for you. A mid round draft pick will take him home. Let me know!

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 Raiders try to sign Panthers ROLB Uchenna Nwosu. They own the 1st, 3rd, and 24th picks in the 1st round. Should Nwosu accept their offer and the Panthers elect not to match their offer in the third phase, the Raiders will end up giving the Panthers the 24th 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 Bengals QB Will Grier, he is asking for a 5 / $25.5 mil / $4.25 mil contract. Dividing the latter two figures by the years, you find out that he is asking for an average cap hit of $5.1 mil (25.5 / 5) and annual bonus of $850k (4.25 / 5).

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, July 24th at 6 PM ET

Bears
ROLB Zach Cunningham (1st) - 3 / $11.9 mil / $2.07 mil
RG Gilbert Coyle (3rd) - 4 / $14.1 mil / $2.68 mil

Bengals
QB Will Grier (3rd) - 5 / $25.5 mil / $4.25 mil
TE Ross Dwelley (4th) - 4 / $14.3 mil / $2.16 mil

Bills
SS Jonathan Abram (1st) - 2 / $9.17 mil / $1.04 mil
LG Ezra Cleveland (1st) - 3 / $15.3 mil / $3.00 mil
CB Sidney Jones (2nd) - 5 / $19.8 mil / $2.20 mil

Broncos
RE Jonathan Allen (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $43.2 mil / $10.0 mil
DT Jonathan Forbes (4th) - 5 / $23.8 mil / $4.50 mil
RT Sammy Springs (3rd) - 4 / $11.6 mil / $1.64 mil

Browns
RG Jack Driscoll (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $35.0 mil / $7.26 mil
DT Kurt Barber (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $42.4 mil / $7.88 mil
QB Ryan Finley (2nd) - 5 / $25.5 mil / $4.25 mil

Buccaneers
TE Jonnu Smith (1st) - 3 / $17.0 mil / $3.18 mil
C Matt Hennessey (4th) - 3 / $10.8 mil / $2.01 mil

Chiefs
DT David Onyemata (1st) - 4 / $36.9 mil / $6.96 mil
FS Carlos Jackson (5th) - 4 / $14.5 mil / $2.44 mil
LE Dave Phillips (2nd) - 5 / $17.4 mil / $2.15 mil
SS Calvin Fulcher (3rd) - 3 / $8.81 mil / $1.26 mil
QB Dwayne Thomas (4th) - 5 / $10.0 mil / $1.50 mil
ROLB Benji Fitzgerald (6th) - 4 / $9.02 mil / $1.28 mil

Colts
CB Nate Hairston (1st) - 4 / $25.1 mil / $3.16 mil
LG Dan Payton (4th) - 4 / $14.1 mil / $2.68 mil
HB Elijah McGuire (3rd) - 5 / $16.1 mil / $2.75 mil

Commanders
C Lloyd Cushenberry (2nd) - 3 / $13.2 mil / $2.70 mil
LT Darrell Stevens (3rd) - 5 / $17.8 mil / $2.80 mil
LOLB Roland Hewitt (4th) - 4 / $11.7 mil / $1.84 mil

Cowboys
MLB Lawrence Carter (3rd) - 3 / $16.7 mil / $1.95 mil
QB Drew Lock (2nd) - 5 / $27.7 mil / $4.60 mil
HB Wayne Gallman (4th) - 5 / $19.6 mil / $3.45 mil

Dolphins
C Tyler Biadasz (2nd) - 3 / $14.0 mil / $2.94 mil
WR Dede Westbrook (3rd) - 3 / $22.3 mil / $3.72 mil
LOLB Lester Castorani (3rd) - 3 / $13.8 mil / $2.52 mil
DT Robert Nkemdiche (3rd) - 4 / $25.8 mil / $5.12 mil

Eagles
CB Henry Carpenter (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $30.2 mil / $4.92 mil
HB D'onta Foreman (4th) - 5 / $17.2 mil / $2.95 mil

Express
CB Doug Harris (1st) - 4 / $25.1 mil / $3.16 mil
LE Bob Timmerman (2nd) - 5 / $18.2 mil / $2.25 mil
CB Terrell Diamond (3rd) - 5 / $24.8 mil / $2.60 mil
TE Jake Butt (4th) - 4 / $11.7 mil / $1.72 mil
LE Tony Martin (3rd) - 5 / $14.0 mil / $1.75 mil

Falcons
CB Jalen Myrick (1st) - 4 / $35.3 mil / $6.68 mil
WR Corey Coleman (1st) - 3 / $18.2 mil / $3.03 mil
RG Jeff Blades (1st) - 4 / $11.5 mil / $2.12 mil

49ers
RG Al Taylor (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $12.9 mil / $2.52 mil
RT Reginald Thomas (2nd) - 4 / $13.2 mil / $2.04 mil
CB Jason Evans (4th) - 5 / $12.9 mil / $1.65 mil

Giants
LE Rich Stevens (1st + 3rd) - 4 / $43.2 mil / $10.0 mil
LOLB Lorenzo Carter (1st) - 3 / $15.8 mil / $2.91 mil
HB Scott Griffin (4th) - 5 / $12.6 mil / $2.05 mil

Jaguars
LG Michael Deiter (1st) - 3 / $20.0 mil / $3.99 mil
FS Troy Apke (1st) - 4 / $15.5 mil / $2.60 mil
CB Terrell Adams (4th) - 5 / $24.8 mil / $2.60 mil

Jets
MLB Tanner Vallejo (1st) - 2 / $21.1 mil / $4.60 mil
FB Reggie Gilliam (1st) - 2 / $9.46 mil / $2.12 mil
WR Bam Peterson (1st) - 3 / $20.3 mil / $3.39 mil

Lions
WR Josh Doctson (1st) - 3 / $24.4 mil / $4.08 mil
HB J.J. Howard (3rd) - 5 / $17.2 mil / $2.95 mil
C Jeff Brookes (4th) - 3 / $8.88 mil / $1.59 mil

Orcas
MLB Drew Sheth (1st + 3rd) - 2 / $24.0 mil / $5.54 mil
SS Carlos Clayton (3rd) - 3 / $12.1 mil / $1.50 mil
DT Nate Armstrong (4th) - 5 / $28.8 mil / $5.80 mil
FB Dave Palmer (3rd) - 3 / $4.85 mil / $750k

Packers
RE Martin Miller (1st) - 4 / $34.8 mil / $7.56 mil
RG Dimitrius Edwards (1st) - 3 / $20.0 mil / $3.99 mil
WR Laquon Treadwell (3rd) - 3 / $17.1 mil / $2.85 mil

Panthers
ROLB Uchenna Nwosu (1st) - 3 / $21.6 mil / $4.20 mil
HB Brian Hill (4th) - 5 / $18.4 mil / $3.25 mil
QB Todd Williams (4th) - 5 / $18.9 mil / $3.10 mil

Pioneers
CB Corey Gray (1st) - 4 / $35.3 mil / $6.68 mil
FS Shane Spielman (1st) - 4 / $15.5 mil / $2.60 mil

Pumpkins
WR Jakeem Grant (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $34.6 mil / $5.88 mil
TE Will Dissly (1st) - 3 / $17.9 mil / $3.42 mil
LG Pat Newberry (2nd) - 4 / $14.1 mil / $2.68 mil
LOLB Derrick Stafford (4th) - 4 / $11.1 mil / $1.76 mil

Raiders
WR Leonte Carroo (1st) - 3 / $26.4 mil / $4.47 mil
WR Cecil Burrough (4th) - 3 / $13.8 mil / $2.19 mil

Rams
LG Ben Bartch (1st) - 3 / $31.7 mil / $6.45 mil
QB Kyle Allen (2nd) - 4 / $27.3 mil / $5.28 mil
CB Dave Warren (2nd) - 5 / $23.2 mil / $2.50 mil
TE Chris Herndon (4th) - 4 / $11.7 mil / $1.72 mil
RT Donald Wilkes (3rd) - 4 / $13.7 mil / $2.12 mil

Ravens
MLB Ted Warren (3rd) - 3 / $12.5 mil / $1.17 mil
CB Cletus Lopez (4th) - 5 / $14.6 mil / $1.75 mil

Seahawks
RG Robert Hunt (1st) - 3 / $20.0 mil / $3.99 mil
CB Courtney Jones (3rd) - 5 / $28.2 mil / $2.85 mil
RG John Woodson (4th) - 4 / $12.3 mil / $2.28 mil
WR Chris Moore (3rd) - 3 / $14.9 mil / $2.40 mil

Steelers
QB David Blough (3rd) - 5 / $21.1 mil / $3.45 mil

Vikings
LOLB Duke Riley (1st + 3rd) - 3 / $27.4 mil / $5.46 mil
LOLB Patrick Biggs (1st) - 3 / $11.9 mil / $2.07 mil
LE Rashaan Owen (4th) - 5 / $15.4 mil / $1.95 mil

Where's my tackle?

Oh, you did offer a tender for one of them. Luckily I can still offer him one in the game

Just making sure. I doubt anyone would want him as an RFA, but I didn't want him hitting free agency

48 hours to get your offers in if you're participating in RFA

First, a trade announcement

Patriots receive:
Ravens 4th round pick (115th overall)

Ravens receive:
HB Kenny Hamilton (86 overall, 28 years old)
Patriots 7th round pick (203rd overall)

Patriots will incur a $2.5 mil cap penalty next season to wipe a $5.62 mil cap hit this season
Ravens will assume a $4.37 mil cap hit

Hamilton was a super-sub for the Falcons with his above-average YPC for a backup (upper 3s) and pass-catching abilities. Getting a starter's load didn't see the uptick in efficiency the Patriots wanted, and he lost his job to rookie Gus Edwards last season. This prompted him to demand a trade, and the Pats get a pick just outside of the Top 100.

The Ravens just saw Doug Martin retire, so they had a need to add someone to the backfield. With a mid-round pick and with a cap hit coming under the theoretical average for a rostered player ($230 mil / 46 required rostered players = $5.00 mil cap hit), this was the best way for the Ravens to get such a talent for this season with that draft pick and/or cap hit. He isn't looked upon being the savior, but he is expected to compete with second-year HB Sony Michel.

Both teams understood the trade parameters, financial impact, player histories, and what each team hoped to accomplish.

This trade is now official

The deadline to submit offers for Phase 2 of RFA has passed

I will soon send out PMs/DMs to users who had a player accept an offer from another team. The deadline to inform me if you will match the contract or not will be on Saturday, July 27th at 10 PM ET

I didn't see this mentioned at a first glance, but in case anyone forgot, failure to inform me if you intend to match a contract or not will default to not matching the contract.

RFA Phase 3 results

Bengals have signed Browns DT Kurt Barber to a 4 year deal. The Browns matched the contract.

Chiefs have signed Dolphins C Tyler Biadasz to a 5 year deal. The Dolphins did not match the contract and receive the Chiefs' 2nd round pick.

Cowboys have signed Pumpkins WR Jakeem Grant to a 5 year deal. The Pumpkins matched the contract.

Dolphins have signed Broncos DE Jonathan Allen to a 4 year deal. The Broncos matched the contract.

Express have signed Cowboys MLB Lawrence Carter to a 3 year deal. The Cowboys matched the contract.

Giants have signed Browns G Jack Driscoll to a 3 year deal. The Browns did not match the contract and receive the Giants' 1st and 3rd round picks.

Packers have signed Dolphins WR Dede Westbrook to a 4 year deal. The Dolphins did not match the contract and receive the Packers' 3rd round pick.

Packers have signed Orcas DT Nate Armstrong to a 5 year deal. The Orcas did not match the contract and receive the Packers' 4th round pick.

Patriots have signed Seahawks CB Courtney Jones to a 5 year deal. The Seahawks did not match the contract and receive the Patriots' 3rd round pick.

Vikings have signed Dolphins DT Robert Nkemdiche to a 5 year deal. The Dolphins did not match the contract and receive the Vikings' 3rd round pick.

I need to update the spreadsheet for RFA and also the Pats/Ravens trade. I hope to begin the next off-season event on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Steelers Trade Block

WR Kenny Stills (84 OVR - 29YO) - 1yr / 1.1m / 8.47m (so 7.37m after trade)
LOLB Dee Neal (80 OVR - 25YO) - 1yr / 580k / 4.57m (so 3.9m after trade)

Kenny Still hasn't been good for me but my QB play has been bad for a long time. He did win returner of the year 2 seasons ago. Last season he put up 29 catches for 269 yards / 2 TDs but was moved to WR3 half way through the season. The season before he put up 46 catches for 508 yards / 3 TDs

Dee Neal is still on his rookie contract and was a 1st round pick. Last season was the first time he played for me during his rookie deal where he managed 84 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 3 INTs in a 4-3 which is fairly decent (I think) but I'm looking for a bit more oomph in my LB group this season after it struggled last season (I was fielding an 86 / 80 at OLB and an 83 at MLB)

Remembered draft is all 1 day now so saying days doesn't work. I guess like something in the 3rd/4th range is what I was thinking. I want to get enough draft capital where I can possibly move into the mid 1st depending on the board (my 2nd rounder is pick 3) with picks this year / future picks.

Looking at August's calendar, it is likely that the draft will take place on August 24th or 24th

KCF0107 posted...

Looking at August's calendar, it is likely that the draft will take place on August 24th or 24th

I think you meant 25th for the second one?

What time would it be? I don't think I can make the whole thing regardless that weekend but I will send you my draft strategy after I figure out my free agents.

It would be early afternoon ET start time