NPL Free Agency Rules

The following free agency plan pertains only to free agency that takes place over the off-season. Free agency during the regular season remains unchanged. The free agency period will run for approximately a week, stop during the draft, then resume after the draft with the pool of un-drafted rookies included in with veteran free agents.

Each season a number of veteran players from each team will become free agents, available on the open market. Actual numbers may vary due to trades, retirements, cuts or other roster moves. But once a player has a designated season after which he’ll become a FA, that date will not change until he has been through the free agency process (including being cut and resigned from the regular season FA pool).

Drafted players will be eligible to become FAs after they complete their fourth season in the league. Players signed from the free agent pool or from another team’s practice squad will be free agents after one year, unless points are used to extend their contracts.

Each team will receive 25 bidding points, and possibly bonus points, with which to attempt to sign free agents. There is no top limit to bids except the total number of points a team has to use, however teams must bid a minimum of one point to sign anyone during the regular free-agency period.  Bids may only be placed in whole numbers. Once a team is out of points, it may not sign any more players in off-season free agency. Points not spent will not accrue from season to season.

A player will sign for no less than half of the max bid from a team.  Meaning if you bid 20 for a player the least amount he will sign for is 10 points or 1 point over the next highest bid, whichever is higher.  Example you bid 20 points on Johnny Dash  No one else bids on him, he signs with your team for 10 points.  Example 2 you bid 20 points on TE J. Bryk, another team bids 5, he signs with you for 10 Points.  Example 3 You bid 20 points on TE J. Bryk, team 2 bids 15, he signs with you for 16 points. 

Based on overall roster strength as determined in Roster Breakdown, bonus points will be given to teams with weaker rosters to improve. The ratings will be compiled less the values of the FAs who had been on the team rosters.

Rank: 1-4    = 0

Rank: 5-8    = 3

Rank: 9-12   = 6

Rank: 13-16 = 9

Rank: 17-18 = 12

Players will also have a say in where they play, according to the needs of the teams attempting to sign them.

Depending on the roster slots they are likely to fill, as defined below and assigned by the computer, players may receive bonus points:

Tier 1 +2 points:

QB1

HB1

FB1

WR1-2

TE1

C1

G1-2

T1-2

K1

P1

DE1-2

DT1-2

LB1-3

CB1-2

S1-2

Tier 2 +1 points:

QB2

HB2

FB2

C2

G3

T3

K2

P2

DE3

DT3

LB4

CB3

S3

Lower roster slots receive no bonus.

The power of inertia dictates that players being bid on by the team who last had them on their roster will receive .5 points. This will function basically as a tiebreaker where applicable.

Once signed, players' contracts may be extended by One (1) season at the cost of one (1) bidding point, two (2) seasons at the cost of 2 bidding points  or by three (3) seasons at the cost of two (3) bidding points. Contracts may only be extended in the season in which the player is signed and by the original signing team.

Teams may protect players from becoming free agents in three ways:

1. Each team may designate one player from its roster as its franchise player. This player will never be eligible for free agency as long as the tag is kept on that player. If a tag is rescinded, the former franchise player will automatically become a free agent during the next free agency period.

2. Teams may resign one of their own free agents each season without exposing that player to bids from other teams. The automatic resign will cost four (4) bidding points, if used.

2a. In addition, teams with six or more free agents in a single season (excluding players on one-season contracts taken from the FA pool) as determined at week 8 of the regular season will receive an extra automatic resign. The second resign will cost four (4) bidding points, if used.