XFL Free Agent & Rookie Signing Rules  

Updated for the 2012 Season

Current Salary Cap 

 67.5 Million Cap **

**includes taxi squad

31 Million Bonus

1a.  Once  a team designates a player as the team's Franchise or Transition player, the team cannot submit a contract offer to that player until the "open season" free agency period ends.  In other words, if other teams can bid on the Franchise/Transition player, the original team can not.  The original team can remove the franchise/transition tag at any time during the "open season" free agency period; however, the player will be immediately placed in the fa pool and WILL NOT resign with the original team.

1b.  Should a trans. or franchise player sign with another team during the "open season" free agency period, the original team has 48 hrs to "match" the offer.  In order to "match" the offer, the original team must give the exact same contract  (same salary, same bonus, same length) to the player that was offered by the bidding team.  If the original team does not have enough bonus money to match the contract exactly, it will automatically lose the player.  To match the offer. the original team must notify the commissioner and the bidding team of its decision within 48 hours.  The commissioner will then make the necessary correction to the contract.  If the original team fails to notify the commissioner within the allotted time, it will lose the player.  If the original team is unable or chooses not to match a contract offer to a Franchise player, the original team shall receive compensation in the form of TWO 1st Round draft picks.  If the bidding team does not have TWO 1st Round draft picks available, then the contract offered to the Franchise player will be voided.  Owners may negotiate between themselves to lower the compensation required for a franchise player.  If the original team is unable or chooses not to match a contract offer to a Transition player, it will receive no compensation.

1c.  If the Franchise/Transition player does not sign with another team during the "open season" free agency period, the original team will have THREE chances to sign that player to a long term deal.  If the player refuses all three offers, the player will play for the 1 yr salary and hope the team does not tag him the following year.  There is a deadline to do this, as posted each year. In other words, while open season is going on, and you are limited in bids, you will have to start bidding on the tagged player in order to get a long term deal.

1d.  Franchise/Transition players can not be traded until they are signed to a contract.  Teams can, however, negotiate ahead of time for the original's team's agreement not to match a contract offer to the player.

1e.  Franchise Transition players must be offered a long term contract that is at least the average of their 1 year Tagged Amount.  (I.E. the HB demands 4 million for the 1 franchised season, a 4 year deal would need to be worth 16 million in bonus and base salary to qualify.....)

2.  Restricted Free Agents:  All players who have finished their 3rd season and are currently not under contract are Restricted Free Agents (RFA's).  Before the beginning of "open season" free agency, an RFA's original team can tender at least a minimum "Qualifying Offer" to the player .  If the original team tenders a qualifying offer, the original team 1) retains the right to match any accepted offer and 2) receives compensation equivalent to the round the player was originally drafted in, if the orig. team does not match the accepted offer.  If the player was never drafted, there is no compensation based off of the minimum qualifying offer.  If the original team does not give the RFA a qualifying offer in the time allowed, He Becomes An Unrestricted Free Agent.  

2a.  How much is the minimum Qualifying Offer? The minimum qualifying offer depends on when the player was originally drafted.

   1st Rnd                   = $2,000,000
   2nd-3rd Rnd           = $1,700,000
   4th Rnd-undrafted  = $1,100,000

2b.  The original team can increase the compensation it would receive if it does not matching an accepted offer by tendering a higher qualifying offer to the player. 

Raise to 1st Round pick compensation       = $2,100,000
Raise to 1st and 3rd picks compensation   = $2,500,000

Perhaps you have a gem you acquired in Rd 7.  If you give him the 1.5M qualifying offer, now the compensation is a 1st Rd pick if someone signs him away and you do not match.  You may only raise the compensation to a 1st OR to a 1st AND 3rd.  You can not, for example, raise a 7th Rd pick to 2nd Rd compensation.

2c.  To submit a qualifying offer to an RFA, use AGENT 3.10 and submit a 0 year deal with no bonus and with the amount of the qualifying offer as the salary.

2d.  Once  a team submits a qualifying offer to an RFA, the team cannot submit a contract offer to that player until the "open season" free agency period ends. In other words, if other teams can bid on the RFA, the original team can not.  The original team can remove the qualifying offer at any time during the "open season" free agency period; however, the player will be immediately placed in the fa pool and WILL NOT resign with the original team.  

2e.   Any deal offered to a RFA must at least average the tendered amount.  For example, for RFAs tendered at $1.2 mill, the salary plus bonus for a 2 yr deal must be greater than or equal to $2.4 mill; for a three year deal, the salary plus bonus must be greater than or equal to $3.6 mill.

2f.  Should a RFA sign with another team during this period, the original team has 48 hrs to "match" the offer.  In order to "match" the offer, the original team must give the exact same contract (same salary, same bonus, same length) to the player that was offered by the bidding team.   If the original team does not have enough bonus money to match the contract exactly, it will automatically lose the player.  To match the offer. the original team must notify the commissioner and the bidding team of its decision within 48 hours.  The commissioner will then make the necessary corrections to the contract.  If the original team fails to notify the commissioner within the allotted time, it will lose the player.  If the original team is unable or chooses not to match a contract offer to the RFA, it will receive the compensation that correlates to the qualifying offer it had tendered to the RFA.  Owners may negotiate between themselves to lower the compensation required for an RFA.

2g. If the RFA does not accept an offer during the "open season" free agency period, the original team will have ONE chance to sign him to a long term deal.  If the player refuses the long term offer, the player will play for his 1 yr qualifying offer and become an Unrestricted Free Agent next year.  The original team can not offer a 1yr deal to the RFA, as the RFA will play for the tendered qualifying offer if he does not accept a long term deal.

2h.  The rights to RFA's may be traded.  

5.  Holdouts:

• Holdouts are players who performed above their salary, and thus demand more money, like Gilbert Brown. They are not UFAs, and are still owned by the original team. They may not be bid on by other teams, but may be traded. Simply put, they either resign or are cut.

7. Salaries: A bonus amount is deducted from the 31 million (or whatever the amount is for the season), but it is prorated over the length of the contract. If a player is cut, is released, or retires, the player's prorated bonus stays with the club (this is killing Baltimore in the NFL, as Rison is 3 mill against 1997!). The percentage of yearly base salary in terms of contract length and the total amount of contract tendered are listed below (the maximum contract length is 5 years):

• 5 year deals - 13%, 16%, 19% 23%, 29%
• 4 year deals - 18%, 23%, 27%, 32%
• 3 year deals - 20%, 30%, 50%
• 2 year deals - 50%, 50%

For example: a three year deal worth 3 million in base salary and a 1.5 million dollar signing bonus.
The entire signing bonus will be paid out of the 26 million allotted in this year's budget, but count as 500k against each year's salary cap.  The 3million dollars in base salary will count as 600k against the cap this year, 900k against the cap next year,  and 1.5 mill against the cap during the last year of the contract.  Overall, the player will count as 1.1 mill against the cap this year, 1.4 mill against the cap next year, and 2 mill against the cap during the last year of the contract.

10a.  Traded players eligible for restructures may also be restructured, however this counts as one of your four resturctures. 

12. The Draft: The draft pick salary demands (these are subject to inflation every year) are as follows:

12a.  Conmanager handles what a player gets paid - if you play the odds and gamble, the rookie may sign for less than his salary demand.  A rookie will demand 10% more to sign with each failed attempt.  If the Rookie is still not signed by the beginning of the season, the team may attempt once per week to sign him.  Rookies must remain inactive until they are signed.  Violations of this requirement WILL RESULT in the player being cut from the team.