AFK_Eagle Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 ==================ZEALOTS FIELD AUCTION-CONTRACT LEAGUE RULES ADDENDUMMarch 6, 2014 RevisionIntroductionZealots Field Auction-Contract Leagues (ZFAC) are dynasty leagues based upon the original Zealots Field Leagues (ZFL) founded in 2003 by Oscar Knight. Like the ZFL, ZFAC is designed to reward the Fantasy Football Zealot by incorporating all of the best rules in the world of fantasy – NFL-size rosters, offensive and defensive players, extensive scoring, unlimited trading, salary caps, Free Agency periods and Zealous owners combine for the ultimate fantasy football experience. ZFAC will always be a free league*, so the only price for joining ZFAC is EVEN MORE blood, sweat and tears – the only reward is the right to be called the best of the best, Master and Commander Zealot. * A nominal annual dues applies to all ZFAC leagues which goes directly to website support and maintenance. No monetary rewards shall be given to the champion or any other competitors.****************Being based upon the ZFL, all rules of the ZFL apply fully and 100% unless modified or deleted by this addendum. Any rule changes to the ZFL rules will also apply to ZFAC.**************** ********** Table of Contents Definitions Rosters Lineups Scoring Team Finances Salaries Contracts Types of Contracts Veteran Plus Trades Team Freezes Contract Extensions Early Release Practice Squad Free Agents Restricted Free Agents Illegal Bidding Franchise and Transition Players Minimum Qualifying Offers Unrestricted Free Agents Injured Reserve Rookie Draft Inaugural Auction & Draft Replacement Owners Draft Commissioner Responsibilities Rule Changes ********** DefinitionsContract – The amount of time in years that an owner has promised the salary to a player.Contract Year – The day after the ZFAC Super Bowl til the following ZFAC Super Bowl.Deadlines – All deadlines given as a date (E.g. March 31, or “Payday”) shall be defined to be midnight on the night of the date indicated. All times referenced are Eastern Time, either Standard or Daylight as applicable. E.g., for Payday, the deadline is 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).Franchise Player – A Restricted Free Agent specifically tagged by the original team and guaranteed a specific salary. Each team may have one.Free Agent – Any player who is not (or is no longer) under a contract to a ZFAC team.Group I Players: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, & Wide ReceiversGroup II Players: Tight Ends & LinebackersGroup III Players: Place Kickers, Defensive Linemen & Defensive BacksOn-Season – PAYDAY to the ZFAC Super Bowl.Off-Season – Day after the ZFAC Super Bowl to PAYDAY.Payday – Three days following the last NFL preseason game of each season. In the event this falls on or after the first regular season game of the year, then Payday will be the day before the first regular game.Rookie Free Agent (RFA) – Free Agent conditionally released in which the original team retains a right to match another owner’s offer or to receive some compensation in return from the signing team.Salary – The amount an owner has agreed to pay a player annually on Payday.Salary Cap – The maximum amount an owner may spend on the salaries of his active roster, set at $5000.Transition Player – A Restricted Free Agent specifically tagged by the original team and guaranteed a specific salary. Each team may have one or two, provided they have no Franchise Player.Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) – Free Agent who is not restricted in any way. Any team may bid on and sign any UFA, including the team of origin. ********** Rosters Rosters are limited to no more than 53 players of any combination of positions on the Active Roster, and up to 6 players on the Practice Squad. From the ZFAC Rookie Draft until PAYDAY, the Practice Squad is expanded to 12 players. Due to MFL limitations which cause any newly drafted player to automatically be placed on the active roster, during the ZFAC Rookie Draft, the active roster is expanded to 60 players for purposes of allowing a team to draft rookies with the intention of immediately moving them to the Practice Squad. Following the completion of the ZFAC Rookie Draft, the active roster is returned to a maximum of 53 players. ********** Lineups 1 QB2 RB2 WR1 TE2 O-Flex (RB/WR/TE, with a max of 3 RB)1 PK2 DL2 LB2 DB2 DFX (defensive flex may be a DL, LB or DB, but no position have more than 3 starters) ********** Scoring The following scoring rules are for all positions: All Touchdowns (including Passing, Rushing, Receiving, interceptions, fumble recovery, special teams - blocked FG, punt, Missed FG): 6 ptsAll 2-pt Conversion (Passing, Rushing, Receiving): 2 ptsEach Rushing or Receiving Yard: 0.1 ptsEach Passing Yard: 0.04 pts Each Reception (RB): 0.5 pts Each Reception (All other Positions): 1 ptEach Interception Thrown: -2 ptsFumbles (lost to Opponent): -2 ptsField Goal Made (30 yards or less): 3 ptsField Goal Made (greater than 30 yards): 3pts plus .1 point for every yard over 30 yardsExtra Point Made: 1 ptSafety: 4 ptsInterceptions (from Opponent): 3 ptsFumble Recoveries (from Opponent): 2 ptsForced Fumble: 2 ptsSack: 3 pt (1/2 sack = 1.5 pt)Tackles (LB): 1.5 pts Tackles (All other Positions): 2 ptsAssists (LB): 0.75 pt Assists (All other Positions): 1 pt Tackles for Loss: 2 pt (1/2 TFL = 1 pt) Blocked Punt/FG: 3 pts Length of Blocked Punt/FG TD: 0.1 ptBlocked Extra Point: 1 ptPasses Defended: 1 ptKickoff Return Yard: 0.025 pt Length of Missed Field Goal Return TD: 0.025 ptPunt Return Yard: 0.05 ptInterception Return Yard: 0.1 ptOffensive Fumble Return Yard: 0.1 ptDefensive Fumble Return Yard: 0.1 pt ********** Team Finances The currency of ZFAC is Z-Bucks (ZB), usually displayed as a dollar sign ($). Z-Bucks are used to pay salaries on Payday, for Free Agency bids, fines, and as a trading commodity. No team is permitted to run a deficit; public financing is not an option in the ZFL or ZFAC. There are no fractional ZBs, and $1 is the smallest increment. Any computation called for in these rules that results in a fractional ZB will always be rounded DOWN to the next smallest whole ZB. (E.g. An $88 salary that is increased by 20% goes to $105.6, which is then rounded down to $105.)Each franchise begins with $5500. Each franchise receives an additional $5500 the first day of the off-season. Carryover from year to year is permitted; a maximum of $500 will be allowed to carry over each year. The first day of the off-season, league commissioners will cut any funds held by teams in excess of $500, prior to adding the annual $5500 income. On-Season Limits: The total of all salaries and early release penalties (if applicable) on the active roster may not exceed the $5000 salary cap. Any team exceeding the salary cap will be fined $100 per day and further will forfeit any games while they are in violation.Off-Season Limits: Salary cap is not enforced off-season, but team owners must exercise extreme caution to ensure the ability to get back under the cap before the season starts. Contract Limits: The minimum player contract is 1 year. The league minimum salary is $10. The maximum contract length is 3 years. The maximum contract extension is 2 additional years. There is no set maximum salary. ********** Salaries When a new player is acquired, his salary will be set by either the auction in which he was last purchased or his rookie draft position, as outlined under “Rookie Draft.” For players acquired On-Season, this salary must be paid in full at the time of acquisition. For players acquired Off-Season, the salary for that year is paid on Payday. A player’s salary will always be at least $10 (the “league minimum”). ********** Contracts All new contracts are signed for one, two or three years (at the owner’s option). Determination should be announced rather quickly. Off-season, Veteran contracts must be established within one week of signing, and Activated Rookie contracts shall be established by Payday. On-season, contracts must be established within 48-hours of signing or promotion. Failure to announce a player’s contract length by the deadline will result in an automatic three-year contract. Contracts will be displayed on MFL with a salary, a year and a letter. The year is the final year of the player’s current contract, and corresponds to the start of the NFL season. (E.g. A 2014 contract will expire after the 2014 NFL season, on the day after the ZFAC Championship game.) The letter refers to the type of contract, as explained below. Types of contracts Veteran (V) players are won at auction, with a salary equal to the final bid. They can be extended during the summer prior to Payday of the final year of their contract. (E.g. A 2014 V contract can be extended anytime during the 2014 offseason prior to Payday.) “V” contracts thus extended become “E” contracts. Veteran Plus (V+) players are “V” players who ended a ZFAC regular season ranked in the top-12 at his position in points. See section on “Veteran Plus” below for more information. Extended (E) players are veterans who have been extended. Their salary is determined per the “Extensions” section below. “E” contracts may not be extended. Rookie ® players are acquired during the ZFAC Rookie Draft. (NFL rookies won at auction are given “V” contracts.) “R” salaries are determined by table. “R” contracts may not be extended. Practice (P or PR) players are acquired during the ZFAC Rookie Draft and placed immediately on the Practice Squad. (NFL rookies won at auction are not permitted to be placed on the Practice Squad.) “P/PR” salaries are determined using the same table as “R” salaries. “P/PR” contracts may not be extended; rather, once activated they become “R” contracts. Franchise (F) and Transition (T) players are special tags placed upon players with expiring contracts in order to retain their services for one more year. See the section on “Franchise/Transition” players for more information. Veteran Plus (V+) At the conclusion of the 13-week regular season, every Veteran who finishes in the top-12 at his position in points for that year will have their contract automatically upgraded to a “Veteran Plus” (V+) contract. This designation has no impact upon the player’s current salary or contract length. However, if an owner wishes to extend a V+ contract per the rules on extension listed below, a third method for determining extension cost is utilized, potentially drastically increasing the player salary. The “+” designation is only valid for the position at which it is earned. (E.g. Changing from CB to S, etc., has no impact, but switching from LB to DL, or vice versa will eliminate the “+” designation.) The “+” designation will remain until the player is extended, declared a Franchise or Transition player, or becomes a free agent. TradesPlayers traded from one team to another retain their existing salaries and contracts. Receiving teams will not pay the salary for on-season trades, but will take the salary cap hit associated with the traded player(s). Receiving teams will have 24-hours from the trade being processed on MFL to make any transactions required to remain beneath the salary cap and roster limits or they will be subject to the penalties associated with limit violation, above. Teams losing players in a trade are relieved of the salary cap hit, but any and all Z-Bucks already paid to the player are considered spent.The Trade Deadline is kickoff of NFL week 11, and trades remain prohibited through completion of the ZFAC Super Bowl. Team Freezes All non-playoff teams will have their rosters frozen upon completion of Week 13. All playoff teams will have their teams frozen upon elimination from the playoffs. A “frozen” roster is not allowed to release players, neither players under contract nor Practice Squad players. Contract Extensions Any time prior to Payday of a VETERAN’S final year of his existing contract, an owner may extend a player’s contract by one or two years. Veterans who have their contract extended receive automatic and immediate pay raises in accordance with the following table. If you haven’t extended his contract by Payday, he will no longer be eligible for contract extension, as he’ll already be in his final contracted season. He will automatically become an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of that season, unless he is tagged as a Franchise or Transition player by February 28/29th. To determine the new, extended salary, compare the computed salaries determined using the methods listed below. The final salary will be the highest of the computed methods. Extend 1 year: +20% +$20 Ave (pos)* à V+ only Extend 2 years: +35% +$40 1.15 x Ave (pos)* à V+ only *Ave (pos) is defined as the average of the top 20 salaries for each position. E.g.1. You have RB Earnest Graham signed to a 2014 $10 (V). Before Payday, you may extend him up to two additional years. Compare the salary computed using the two methods of extension: $10+35%=$13.5, round down to $13 $10+$40=$50 $50 is higher, and becomes the new salary. RB Graham’s contract now reads 2016 $50 (E). E.g.2. You have QB Nick Folk signed to a 2014 $10 (V+) contract. Ave (QB) = $400. Under (V) rules, a two year extension would make his salary $50 (see above example). Under the (V+) rules, his salary is radically increased to $400, the minimum salary for a V+ contract extension. His new contract is an “E” contract, and is no longer eligible for extensions.E.g.3. You have PK Jeff Wilkins signed to a 2014 $10 (V+) contract. Ave (PK) = $32. Under (V) rules, a two year extension would make his salary $50. The V+ Minimum is only $36 (1.15 x $32 rounded down). The $40 minimum increase still applies, so the new contract is $50. His new contract is an “E” contract, and is no longer eligible for extensions.Early Release Players released by their fantasy teams prior to their contract expiring will incur penalties. The severity of the penalty varies with the length of the contract remaining. A player dropped in the last year of his contract will have 20% of his salary remain as a salary cap penalty for the rest of the year. A player with 2 or more years remaining will have a salary cap penalty of 20% times the number of years remaining, which remains for this year and next. This calculated salary must also be paid to the player on Payday. E.g. You have RB Reggie Bush on contract for 2016 $500. You drop him mid-season of 2014. For the rest of 2014, you still suffer a salary cap hit of 60% or $300 (net improvement of $200). In 2015, on Payday, you still owe Bush that 60% so you’re out $300 and still have a $300 salary cap hit. In 2016 and beyond, there is no longer any penalty associated with dropping Bush early. Salary cap penalties are removed on the first day of the off-season of their respective year. If a player retires from the NFL, he can be released immediately without penalty. If a player is released from his NFL team and not resigned by another team for three months, he may be released without penalty. Note that this 3-month period begins upon release from the NFL; it is not contingent upon how long a ZFAC team owns him. E.g. WR Steve Smith was released from the NY Giants, and has not been signed by another NFL team for 3 months. He can be released penalty-free from his ZFAC team. It does not matter whether he was signed by the ZFAC team 3 hours ago or 3 years ago, he can be released. Players signed during the off-season, then released during the same off-season and before payday, are guaranteed half the salary amount, paid in cash on payday. No penalty is applied to the team salary cap. Players released early (incurring a penalty) who subsequently meet the 3-month rule or player retirement cause their penalties to be immediately removed. The team does not regain any ZB’s lost as a result of the penalty, but the salary cap penalty is immediately lifted. Practice Squad In addition to the normal 53-man roster, each team is also allocated a “Practice Squad” (or Taxi Squad) of up to 6 players. From the start of the rookie draft until Payday, the Practice (Taxi) Squad is expanded to 12 roster spots. If a team exceeds the PS limit (due to drafting or trading for a player immediately placed on the PS), the owner has one week following completion of the draft / trade to activate, release or trade enough players to return to the PS limit. Failure to comply will force the commissioner to follow the payday activation rules as outlined below. On Payday, the Practice Squad returns to 6 roster spaces. At this point, all rookies must either be (a) activated with a 1-2-3 year R contract, (b) left on the practice squad with a 2-year P (PR) contract, or © dropped without penalty. Failure to reduce a team's PS down to 6 by the deadline will result in the Commissioner taking the following steps: A. Activate the highest-paid rookie on team's PSB. Continue (A) until either the active roster cap of 53 is reached or the PS is within the 6-man limitC. If roster is at 53 and PS is still above 6, then commissioner will release lowest paid PS players one at a time until the 6-man limit is met If this causes you to violate the $5000 salary cap, fines will accrue as outlined elsewhere.Only newly drafted rookies may be placed on the Practice Squad. Rookies obtained via auction are not eligible to be placed upon the Practice Squad. A player may only be on a team’s Practice Squad for a maximum of 2 years, after which he must either be activated or released. All year counts end on Payday. Time on the PS does not count for the initial Rookie Contract, and upon activation all players are given a 1, 2, or 3-year Rookie contract.Players on a team’s Practice Squad have a salary, but their salary does not count against the salary cap until they are activated. The salary must be paid on Payday as with all other players, however. Owners may promote players from the Practice Squad to the Active Roster at any time. Activation is one-way only: once activated to the active roster and given an “R” contract, a rookie CANNOT be placed on the PS. Players activated from a team’s Practice Squad must immediately start their 1, 2, or 3-year contract at their current salary. The salary must fit under the salary cap at the time of activation. Owners may drop a player from the Practice Squad without penalty, though any salary already paid is lost. Players on Practice Squads are protected from acquisition by any other team, but are available for trades. A player on the PS involved in a trade can be placed upon the PS of his new team or immediately activated, at the new owner’s discretion. A rookie with an “R” contract, if traded, CANNOT be placed upon the PS of his new team. ********** Free Agents All players who have completed their contract obligations are considered Free Agents. They are released from their former teams on February 28/29th following their final year. There are two general types of Free Agents: Restricted Free Agents (including those tagged Franchise or Transition Players), and Unrestricted Free Agents. Rookie Free AgentsEvery year, each owner may freely name up to four of their players with expiring Rookie contracts as Rookie Free Agents. This declaration must be made prior to February 28/29th. Franchise and transition players are considered a subset of Rookie Free Agents, and are discussed in more detail in a later section. During the month of March, owners are allowed to open bidding on up to two (2) RFA, Franchise or Transition players per team at a time. Auctions commence with a rolling 48-hour auction. Owners are not allowed to place bids on their own RFA, F or T players. Upon completion of an auction, the winning team has 24 hours to post his intentions to increase the final bid, if desired. All posts are final. Failure to indicate a higher bid defaults as “no increase”. Bid-increase posts which are edited default to “no increase”. The original owner of the player in question has 72 hours from end of auction to match the high bid and resign the player. The original owner may not post his “match/no-match” intentions until AFTER the winning bidder posts his “raise/no-raise” intentions, although instructions may be given privately to the commissioner to execute in the event the original owner will be unavailable to post real-time. All posts are final. Failure to post intentions in the allotted time defaults as “no match”, while matching posts which are edited also default to “no match”. If the original owner does NOT match the bid (either by declaration or not posting intent to match within 72 hours), the player belongs to the team which won the auction and can be signed for a 1-2-3 year “V” contract. If the original owner DOES match the bid, he can resign the player as follows: Rookie RFA: sign to a 1-2-3 year “V” contract Franchise/Transition: sign to a 1-year “F/T” contract RFAs who are not bid on at all by March 31 (or the “end of the RFA period” if such is delayed) are first available to the team of origin for the league minimum salary ($10). If the team of origin declines to offer the league minimum salary, the player in question immediately becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent. In some cases, the winning team will surrender a rookie draft pick in compensation to the team losing the player, as dictated by the table below. The commissioner will list all players paid a salary (regardless position) since Payday of the season just completed, arranged from highest to lowest. Determine the salary of the #50 highest paid player, the #75 highest paid player, and so on. Compare the final bid salary of the RFA to this “best paid” list to determine if draft pick compensation is required, as follows: RFA Final Bid Salary ≥ Top 50 à 1st round pick≥ Top 75 à 2nd round pick≥ Top 90 à 3rd round pick≥ Top 100 à 4th round pick≥ Top 110 à 5th round pick≥ Top 120 à 6th round pick≤ Salary 121 à No compensation if match declined In the event two levels of salary are identical, the lower round is not used for compensation. E.g. In 2014, the #100 paid player had a salary of $100. The #110 paid player also had a salary of $100. During the 2015 RFA season, no RFA will be rewarded a Round 5 draft pick in compensation. Instead, compensation will progress from Round 6 (if above the #120 salary but below #110) to Round 4 (if above #110 but below #90). Let’s follow an example of the RFA process at work: E.g.1. During the 2013 season, the #50 highest paid player had a salary of $500, and the #75 highest paid player had a salary of $300. Denver declares WR Eric Decker as an RFA player. During 2014 RFA bidding, Oakland wins Decker at auction for $350. Oakland declines to increase the final bid. If Denver matches, he can sign Decker to a new “V” contract at $350. If he does NOT match, he compares the salary against last year’s best-paid list. $350 falls between $300 and $500, so Oakland would be required to surrender a 2nd round Rookie Draft Pick for the upcoming 2014 draft. If the winning team has multiple picks of the appropriate round, the default pick lost is the latest in the round. The winning team reserves the right to offer an earlier pick if desired. E.g.2. Continuing the above example, Oakland owns two Round 2 picks for the 2014 draft. By default, Denver would receive the later pick as compensation. If Oakland desires, he may offer the earlier pick instead in order to sweeten the offer and make it more likely Denver will accept the pick in lieu of the player. If the winning team does not have a draft pick of the appropriate round, a draft pick of a higher round may be used in compensation instead. A team without a 1st round draft pick may not place bids on a player which, if won, would require a 1st round pick in compensation, nor may he increase the final winning bid high enough to require a 1st round pick. In the event the winning team has multiple picks in this higher round, the later pick is given in compensation. E.g.3. Continuing the above example, Oakland does not have a Round 2 draft pick, but does possess the 1.05 and 1.09 draft picks. Denver is rewarded the 1.09 draft pick. If compensation is required, draft picks are transferred immediately. In order to prevent a team from trading away a high pick for a low pick just prior to compensation being awarded, when a team wins an auction for an RFA player, that team (and that team alone) is placed on a temporary no-trade freeze until final disposition of the player is determined. Until the original team makes a “match/no-match” decision, the winning team is not allowed to make trades involving draft picks. (Trades involving only players are still permitted.) As soon as the RFA player is assigned a contract and compensation is exchanged (if any), the trade-freeze is lifted. If a single team wins multiple RFA players requiring compensation, the auction completed first is resolved first. E.g. Oakland wins two RFA’s requiring Round 2 compensation, and has two Round 2 picks. The auction completed first will be resolved using the later of Oakland’s picks to take in compensation; the auction finishing second receives the other pick. The numbers referenced above (max 2 bids per team, 24 hours to increase bid, 72 hours to match) are default numbers. Individual leagues are allowed, with a 2/3 vote (8 of 12 teams), to adjust the timelines or increase to a max of 3 bids per team. Such a vote would be valid for that off-season only. E.g. ZFAC-III votes in 2014 to increase bids to 3 per team. In 2015, the league would revert to max of 2 bids. A new vote is required to adjust standards in 2015. Illegal Bidding An illegal bid occurs during the RFA period when a team makes a bid in an auction without having the requisite draft pick(s) in compensation already in hand. For example, if you do not have a Round 1 pick, you are not allowed to make a bid which requires a Round 1 pick until AFTER you obtain a Round 1 pick. If you do, it’s an illegal bid. If an illegal bid is made, the illegal bid is removed and the bid returned to the previous high bidder with a new 48-hr clock. (Current MFL restrictions do not allow adjusting the time remaining on the auction, though future advances in MFL capabilities may permit this refinement, and this ruleset will be adjusted accordingly if/when this occurs.) The team which made the illegal bid is thereafter banned from participating in the auction for the player in question and will receive individualized instruction by the commissioner why the bid was not allowed. A second illegal bid in the same RFA period will result in a ban from participation in the auction(s) in question and a $250 fine. A third illegal bid in the same RFA period will result in a ban from any participation in the remainder of the RFA period. Any legal high bids already in place will be allowed to finish normally, and the owner is expected to post any bid increases and match/no-match decisions in a timely manner. In addition, a three-strike offender pays an additional $250 fine (for a total of $500) and will begin the following year's RFA process with one strike already in place. By commissioner's discretion, ZFAC rookies (defined as anybody who has not taken part in at least one RFA period) may receive one warning prior to the above consequences being meted out. Franchise and Transition Players Franchise and Transition Players are a special subset of Restricted Free Agents. The purpose of the “Franchise” tag or “Transition” tag is to lock up a stellar Free Agent for one year, or at least get something of value in return if you can’t afford to keep him yourself. Each team is allowed to use one “Franchise” player tag or up to two “Transition” tags in lieu of a franchise tag at the end of any player’s contract. No team is required to use either tag. The player “tag” is only applicable to players who are about to become Free Agents, and the same player may be tagged in consecutive years. Each team announces their “tagged” players, if any, on or before February 28/29th, along with the minimum qualifying offers (see below) for each. If a tagged player is won at auction by another team, the winning team has 24 hours to raise the bid if desired, similar to the RFA process. Also like RFA, the original team reserves the right to match the bid within 72 hours. If the original team DOES match, the player is signed to a 1-year F or T contract. If the original team does NOT match, the winning team can sign the player to a 1-2-3 year “V” contract. Draft pick compensation is mandatory, as indicated below. Compensation relies only upon position; final salary does not impact compensation in any way. Franchise Players: Group I: TWO 1st round picks (may be same year or consecutive years)Group II: 1st and 3rd round picksGroup III: 2nd and 4th round picks Transition Players: Group I: 1st and 3rd round picksGroup II: 2nd and 4th round picksGroup III: 3rd and 5th round picks Tagged players not bid on by a different team remain on the original team’s roster, at the minimum qualifying offer, for the next season on a 1-year F or T contract. The tagged player may be released prior to the start of the season, but the owner is still on the hook for the guaranteed salary and also for the one-year contract cap hit – until the tagged player gets resigned by another team, if applicable. In that case, the guaranteed salary less the salary paid by the new team remains the obligation of the original team. After the start of the season, the tagged player is considered to be on a one-year contract extension at the minimum qualifying salary, and an “early release” is handled as described above. Minimum qualifying offers“Franchise” players must receive a minimum qualifying offer equal to or greater than the average of the top five salaries at that position from the prior year. “Transition” players must receive a qualifying offer equal to or greater than the average of the top ten salaries at that position from the prior year. All qualifying offers must be greater than or equal to the player's previous year’s salary + 20%. Unrestricted Free AgentsAll Free Agents who are not Restricted Free Agents as defined above are classified Unrestricted Free Agents. Additionally, RFAs who are not bid on nor offered a contract (league minimum) by their original team also become UFAs. Any team may bid on UFAs, including the original team, and the highest offer signs the player to a new contract. No match provision is allowed and no compensation is received for Unrestricted Free Agents.Free Agents are available almost year-round, as follows:Kickoff of NFL Week 14 – ZFAC Championship ClosedZFAC Championship – March 31 RFA OnlyApril 1 – NFL Draft UFA OpenNFL Draft – ZFAC Draft Complete ClosedZFAC Draft Complete – NFL Week 14 UFA OpenRookies not on any NFL team yet may not be signed as Free Agents. Unlike the ZFL, there is no numerical limit to the number of Free Agents that may be signed per week. The only limitation is the available salary cap space and cash on hand.Free Agents are always acquired by an auction process. The minimum opening bid for any and all Free Agents is $10. The minimum bid increase is $1. The final winning bid represents the player’s new salary, and a New Contract then begins in accordance with these rules. No bid may be withdrawn for any reason. Commissioner discretion may be used for accidental free agent bids started against incorrect players, provided the error is immediately brought to the Commissioner’s attention.During the season (Payday – NFL Week 14) – Free Agents are awarded to the highest bidder in open bid, moving deadline format processed by MFL. Bidding will automatically close on each player after one day has passed without a change in high bidder. Salaries must be paid immediately upon acquisition and must fit under the available cap room.During the off-season (ZFAC Championship – Payday, interrupted) – Free Agents are awarded to the highest bidder in open bid, moving deadline format processed by MFL. Bidding will automatically close on each player after two days have passed without a change in high bidder. Salaries are NOT paid until Payday.The default auction limits and durations are shown above. Each league is authorized (year-round) to set sponsorship limits and auction closing times as they see fit, subject to majority vote of the league. ********** Injured Reserve The “Inactive List” of the ZFL is not used. We use the MFL Taxi Squad for the Practice Squad in ZFAC.Owners may place up to four players on the Injured Reserve. A player is eligible for the IR if he is listed as IR on the MFL website. Any player placed on injured reserve will remain on the list until the start of the off-season. Before any player can be placed on the injured reserve list that player must be on a team’s active roster for at least one week; they cannot be signed directly to the IR list from Free Agency. Players placed on IR do not count against the team’s 53-man roster limit.Any player placed on the IR frees up salary cap space equal to exactly half of his salary. Odd value salaries (E.g. $11) will count against the salary cap as half the salary, rounded down.E.g. You have RB Reggie Bush with a $251 salary. You put him on IR. He now counts as only $125 against the team’s cap space. At the start of the next season, Bush’s contract will still be for $251. Its expiration date will not change. ********** Rookie Draft Draft order is determined following standard ZFL rules. Each pick is limited to a twelve-hour time limit. If a selection is not made in the time allotted the pick will be skipped, but may be made up at any time thereafter. The Rookie Draft will be six rounds long. Trading draft picks and/or players is legal during the Rookie Draft, but only for one season in advance. (E.g. Prior to and during the 2014 draft, 2014 and 2015 draft picks are eligible for trade. Upon completion of the 2014 draft, then 2015 and 2016 draft picks are eligible for trade.) Rookie Salaries The salaries of rookies drafted are determined by the following table. “Group I” refers to QBs, RBs, and WRs. “Group II” refers to TEs and LBs. “Group III” refers to PKs, DLs and DBs. Group I:Rd 1 = $300, $15 steps, $180 minimumRd 2 = $150, $10 steps, $80 minimumRd 3 = $60Rd 4 = $45Rd 5 = $30Rd 6 = $20Group II:Rd 1 = $120, $10 steps, $90 minimumRd 2 = $80, $5 steps, $50 minimumRd 3 = $40Rd 4 = $35Rd 5 = $30Rd 6 = $20Group III:Rd 1 = $100, $5 steps, $80 minimumRd 2 = $70, $2 steps, $60 minimumRd 3 = $35Rd 4 = $30Rd 5 = $25Rd 6 = $20 Salaries are determined first by position group, then the number of steps are taken into account. E.g.1. RB Knowshon Moreno is taken at 1.01. As the first Group I player taken in the first round, his salary is $300. E.g.2. WR Michael Crabtree is taken at 1.02. He is the second Group I player taken in the first round. His salary is $300-$15 = $285. E.g.3. LB Aaron Curry is taken at 1.03. He is the first Group II player taken in the first round. His salary is $120. Note that this salary is not reduced to $100 as the THIRD PLAYER taken in the round, but remains at $120 as the FIRST GROUP II PLAYER taken in the round. ********** Inaugural Auction & Draft [This section applies only during the first year of a league’s existence, and is void for all subsequent years.]The Inaugural Veteran Auction for a ZFAC League will commence on a mutually agreed upon date following assembly of the league and web site set up. All teams begin with $5500 and no players. Auction will be by open bidding with a moving deadline. If there is insufficient time to complete the Inaugural Auction, each team should ensure they have their starters prior to the start of the On-Season. Each team is limited to starting / sponsoring three players at one time. When one is won, another may be sponsored / started. This limit may be increased by league vote, if desired.For the inaugural auction only, no less than 20% (as always rounded down) of a team’s players must be assigned to each available contract length – 1, 2, or 3 years. That is, if you sign 53 players in the inaugural auction, you have to have at least 10 players with 1-year contracts, at least 10 players with 2-year contracts, and at least 10 players with 3-year contracts. There are no further restrictions, and the last 40% (23 in this example) may be all given any contract length. First, the league commissioner’s contracts following the inaugural auction are declared by private email to the Czar (or another non-involved party), second all other owners reveal their contracts to the commissioner, and third all contracts are revealed to the entire league simultaneously. All contracts must be submitted to the Czar within two weeks of completion of the inaugural auction and announced to the league as soon as practicable thereafter.The initial six-round Rookie Draft is scheduled in accordance with the ZFL rules, or two weeks after completion of the Veteran Auction, whichever is later. The Veteran Auction will be considered complete when all owners have sponsored “NOBODY”. Once all owners have sponsored “NOBODY,” the Rookie Draft will be scheduled. Free Agency will resume via auction process following completion of the Rookie Draft. Rookie Draft order in the inaugural year will be randomly determined non-serpentine (does not reshuffle every odd round). If desired by the league owners and helpful due to the timing, the Inaugural Veteran Auction and the Initial Rookie Draft may be combined and held after the NFL Rookie Draft. In that case, the Rookie Salaries outlined above do not apply, but rather the auction value of each selected player will apply and those “rookies” will have Veteran contracts. ********** Replacement Owners DraftGiven the high rate of player turnover in a ZFAC league as compared to a classic league, ZFAC leagues do not conduct a replacement owner draft in the event two (or more) owners are replaced at the same time. All teams are delivered intact to the new owner. As time permits, league commissioners have the discretion to allow new owners some leeway in normal league timelines. E.g. A team owner is replaced due to prolonged absence. A new owner takes control of the team on March 4, after the normal deadline for declaring RFA, Franchise and Transition tags. The commissioner may, at his discretion, allow the new owner a brief period to make these decisions before allowing the RFA period to continue.********** Commissioner Responsibilities In addition to the powers and responsibilities assigned by the ZFL, the following duties are required for the leadership of a ZFAC league. A1. Oversee All Auction Processes A2. Maintain accurate records of all team’s finances and salary cap positioning. A3. Maintain accurate records of all players’ salaries and contracts. As desired, each ZFAC commissioner may appoint a Vice-Commissioner to assist in any or all of these responsibilities, or to serve as interim Commissioner during any absences of the Commissioner. ********** Rule ChangesRule changes are determined by the Rules Council, consisting of equal representation from all ZFAC leagues, plus the ZFAC Czar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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