C. Player Contracts and Contract Caps

[Philadelphia Brawlers]

C. Player Contracts and Contract Cap

C.1. General Information
Players acquired either through the draft or free agency must be signed to a PTD contract. This contract will be the number of years that the player can remain on your roster before becoming a RFA (free agent).

C.2. Contract Cap (total years available)
Each franchise has a contract cap of 75 years. The total contract years remaining on the contracts of all players on a team's roster CANNOT exceed 75. At no point can a team go over the 75 year cap or a contract cap violation fine will be assessed. See section C.11 for Injured Reserve.

C.2.A Contract Cap Violation
If team goes over the cap years because of a trade, picking up a Free Agent, or any other reason a $5 PTB fine per year over the cap is assessed immediately. Every 24 hours roster is over cap (from time roster became illegal) $5 PTB fine per year over assessed again.

C.3. PTD Player Contracts
GMs must sign all players to a PTD contract prior to being activated and available for PTD play. A player's contract can be for any number of years (minimum 1) as long as the franchise can field a team each week and stays under the 75 year team cap..

C.3.A Contract Years Rollback
On the first day of the new season (day MFL site is rolled over to new season) the contracts of EVERY player (including IR) will be rolled back 1 year.

C.3.B. Signing players to PTD Contracts
There are four ways players receive their PTD contracts:
1. ENTRY DRAFT- Players selected in PTD entry draft must have their initial PTD contract announced PRIOR to the deadline announced by the PTD commissioner (one week from conclusion of Draft). If this deadline is not met by a team ALL players drafted will receive a default 1 year contract.
2. IN SEASON WAIVERS -Players acquired by the waiver wire in season(BBID or FCFS) are automatically signed to a ONE year contract.
3. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY (RFA)-Players acquired via RFA can be assigned contracts at the conclusion of RFA. The 5 day window will be announced near conclusion of RFA. Any player not assigned at contract will automatically be given a 1 year contract. Contracts must be announced in team threads.
4. OFFSEASON WAIVERS - Players acquired via offseason waivers can be assigned contracts. See bylaw section on Waivers.

C.4. Expired PTD Contracts
Current year PTD contracts formally expire on the day the site is rolled over to the new season. At this time, all contracts will be reduced by 1 year. All players whose contract years are zero ("0")will become free agents and will be available in the RFA session. 

C.5 Contract Extension Period
GMs may elect to extend any ONE player on their roster by one contract year. From the conclusion of the Division Throwdown (Week 18) until date in early February (announced by commish each year) GM's may extend extend ANY ONE player on their roster by 1 contract year at a cost of 20 PTB's. This includes all players acquired via trade, waiver wire pickup, or originally on roster.

*Escalator Clause: If an extension is given to the same player in consecutive seasons, the cost would double to extend the said player ($20, $40, $80, $160, etc...)! This includes if the player is on different teams.
EX1: Brawlers extend Jerry Rice for one year in 2010 (20 PTBs)
EX2: Brawlers extend Jerry Rice in 2010 and trade him to Hellions who extend him in 2011.. He has to pay the escalator clause price since it is consecutive years. It would cost 40 PTB's to do it since it is consecutive seasons.
EX3: Brawlers extend Jerry Rice in 2012 for one year. 2013 season comes and goes. At conclusion of 2014 season I want to extend Rice again. It now only costs $20 PTB's since it is NOT consecutive seasons.

C.6. Contract status
Every player traded carries his contract status with him, including the current year. This contract will be counted against the total years available to his NEW team. Any exchange of players between teams cannot leave either team with more than 75 total years for all players. If this happens, a Contract Cap violation Penalty (C.2.A.) will be assessed.

C.7. Buying Out Contract Years
Players can have their contract years reduced at any time during the offseason/season. An owner does NOT have to buy out all years of the contract. Each year that is to be bought out will cost 5 PTB's. All contract buyouts MUST be posted in Team Forum. Commissioner will post when buyout has been processed in Team Forum.
EX: Ray Rice has a 5 year contract. Team A buys out 3 years. Total cost would be 15 PTD's, and Rice would now have 2 years on his contract.

C.8. Releasing a player
Players released by any PTD team are said to be waived. If a team waives a player during the season, the franchise will be penalized by having to buyout the current contract. The penalty will be 5 PTB’s per contract year remaining. Once bought out, the player is released and free to be acquired via all league waiver rules. Once player is released and penalty is deducted, the team will get the cap years back.

Ex. The Brawlers are at 73 contract years. Ray Rice was signed to a 5-year contract and the Brawlers want to release him. The Brawlers will have to pay 25 PTB's to release him. The PTB's will be deducted from his balance and the teams cap years will now be at 68.

C.9. Player Retirement
Any player who goes into retirement, or declared retired by the league commissioner, may not be drafted or acquired through any other means by a PTD team. If a retired player is currently being held by a team, it may keep the player, but cannot place him on injured reserve or trade that player. If the team drops the player at any time, it may not re-acquire that player, nor may any other team. There is no PTB penalty for dropping a retired player.

C.10. NFL Free Agents
Any player who is released from his NFL team and becomes a Free Agent (per MFL listing) can be released from his contract under the following guidelines:
1.) Any player with a 1 or 2 year contract : Released at any time: No PTB penalty
2.) Any player with 3 + year contracts: MUST be an NFL Free Agent for 3 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS (still must be listed as a Free Agent on MFL, but not listed as a FA on MFL for 3 consecutive weeks -- sometimes players are released and it takes some time for MFL to update databases) to be dropped without PTB penalty.
* If said player is dropped before 3 consecutive weeks occur a fine of 5 PTB's per year will be assessed....

C.11 Injured Reserve
Injured Reserve is defined as said player has been placed on IR or IR Designated to return status by NFL Team.  Any player place on IR by NFL team can be placed on IR.

C.11.A. Number of Injured Reserve spots
Each franchise is allotted an unlimited number Injured Reserve spots on their roster. Once a player is removed from IR status in the NFL, he must be removed from IR status in the league

C.11.B. Injured Reserve Cap Relief
When a player is placed on IR, the team will get one year of his contract made available to them to replace him if needed. It is up to owners to make sure their roster is legal using the following guideline:

* A teams contract cap is defined as 75 years + the number of players who are on IR (ie. If a team has 4 players on IR, that team may not exceed 79 total years on the roster report.) The total contract years, minus the number of players on IR will give you the franchise total contract years. This number CANNOT exceed 75!

* Any team in violation of contract cap is assessed a contract cap penalty.

C.11.C.Trading IR Players
Players on IR can be acquired like any rostered player.

C.11.D. IR Designation to Return By NFL
Players put on IR Designated to Return List can be put on Injured Reserve. The process is the same. You will get credit for the one year. When said player comes off IR he must be reinstated to your ACTIVE roster and his contract status is renewed to what it was prior to being placed on IR. You MUST have room for said player. If not contract space must be created (i.e. Dropping a player (PTB penalty) or buying off contract years from a player). Contract cap is 75 years!

[Philadelphia Brawlers]

6/22/12

C.3.B.1

Any player drafted and not signed by deadline will be given 1 year contract.

[Philadelphia Brawlers]

02/06/2024

C.2.A Contract Cap Violation added

[Philadelphia Brawlers]

02/11/2024

Some verbiage clarified and IR added to this section