03-03-2022, 02:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-08-2022, 02:29 PM by Jiggly_333. Edited 5 times in total.)
Judging by my personal experience, at least, I think it's easy for non-GM players in the league to not really see the larger picture of what players are moving between teams. I was taking a close look at rosters at the end of S33 to write up my pair of articles on ASFC/NSFC team needs entering the S34 draft and one of the unknowns I included there was how free agents could impact the picture. So, I came up with a plan to spam more media help everyone in the league understand what moves were made and then review how those worked out (in a future article). I've since broadened from just free agents to all roster moves, which work out into 4 categories: retirements, free agents (signings and departures), trades, and called up DSFL players/new draft picks. I won't be covering extensions - I'm treating those as the default expectation since some high percentage of players just end up signing with the same team.
I originally thought it would be most interesting to go over each type of transaction but in the process of doing so figured it would make more sense to go over the changes to each team's roster while still noting the reason. I'm interested in feedback on if there's a different layout that would make more sense.
One side note for trades: I'm only covering the player aspects, not the value of the picks or other consideration. Those matter a ton from the perspective of the teams doing the trades and the future picks and all that, but this article is only looking at player moves from S33 to S34 seasons.
One other side note for callups: GM callups are not posted publicly so I can't organize callups in the correct order with respect to other team additions. I generally tried to put them at the end of the list, though I suspect most happened by Feb 25 after the first couple rounds of the draft were finalized (and no, I'm not willing to become a GM just to see that information to write better/more comprehensive media articles).
Minor stat I was interested in: Of the 4 66 S34 players, only 4 look to have been called up the ISFL teams as of March 2nd.
ASFC
Arizona Outlaws:
Key roster stats:
* 22 human players / 9 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 21 - S24 RB Deadly Memes (retirement) - already retired, Memes' corpse was a known casualty going into the season. Younger RBs in S29 Cue Jr. and S32 Riggins show Arizona is well prepared for this.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Brent Silva FA posted due to expired contract - Silva looks to have not been on the site since the end of 2021 and is hitting regression fairly hard as a member of S25. New callup Mangoldson seems to be the intended replacement.
* Feb 24 - S23 S Eugene Smoothie released by team per MO - with the signing of S29 FA Johnson, the deeply regressing Smoothie clearly isn't a top need and so it totally makes sense that they opted out.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S29 FA S Tre'Mendus Johnson - the long-time Hawk signed a 6-year $24m contract and helped a team with major regression issues at Safety. Johnson looked like a great bridge from S23 Jadakiss to S32 Witt and beyond.
* Feb 22 - S29 FA WR Quinton Crash - coming previously from NOLA (and even announced in a media article), Crash slotted in as a top WR for a team trying to repeat as top ASFC team while covering the gap between the regressing S24/25 pair of Raimon/Pama and the young S31 Staggs.
* date? - S33 OL D'Nickashaw Mangoldson called up - seems like a direct replacement for departing S25 FA Silva. Probably will play at a higher TPE than Silva, especially if earning continues, so seems like a good replacement and slight upgrade.
Austin Copperheads:
Key roster stats:
* 25 human players / 11 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 19 - S25 OL Felix Archstone retired - with a retirement at the end of S32, the team got good mileage out of the corpse in the form of 80 pancakes while only allowing 1 sack. As with all corpse players, clearly a known departure.
* Feb 15 - S28 S Juno Hu retired - seems like a fairly surprising retirement seeing as S28 players aren't even hitting regression yet. Still, Hu hadn't done anything in the league from early January until this retirement, so clearly it was an intentional decision to come back and retire. This created a big hole in Austin's secondary.
* Feb 25 - S26 OL Slurms McKenzie retired - Austin opted out earlier in the day, apparently deciding that a post-regression McKenzie at about 285 TPE wasn't going to be as good as a T4 bot OL and McKenzie retired rather than negotiating a new contract. I don't know offhand how the math on that decision works out, but I guess they had enough cap space so maybe the 465 TPE for the bot is worth it?
* Feb 25 - fellow S26 OL Moe Skeeter has been inactive since October 2021 and was also opted out by Austin in favor of a T4 bot. With about 297 TPE after regression, Skeeter seems like a possible IA bid if there's a team low on cap but I haven't seen anything yet. It actually looks like every team is using at least 1 T4 bot with all but Philly using at least 2, but most are opting for T4 bots so I guess the break even on human players is higher than this TPE level.
* Feb 25 trade away S30 WR Cliff Burton - with the FA signing of S28 WR Man plus S31 Patey at roughly the same TPE, it looks like Austin lost a WR they didn't really need here. Burton looks to have not gained any TPE in 2022 and so while I'm sure NOLA will be trying to produce activity, this seems like not a huge loss for the Copperheads.
* Feb 25 - S24 LB Brach Thomaslacher retired - facing roughly 355 TPE after retirement, it looks like Austin dropped him entirely in favor of S33 callup Smokes who's at 385+ TPE. Makes sense for a team that didn't need a 5th LB. The position group is a bit weak on paper with the top LB S28 O'Leary only having 747 TPE (and no updates since October 2021), but the team's decision still makes sense with what they have.
Arrivals:
* Feb 21 - S28 FA WR Sam the Onion Man - coming previously from Baltimore, Man immediately pairs with fellow S28 WR Cowabunga to be a strong receiving corps. The contract note about being notified if Austin runs "the traditional single QB system" in games did suggest interesting things.
* date? - S32 S Tobias Wothington III - a DSFL QB, a position swap to safety sadly prevents Austin from running the fabled 3-QB offense. As a solidly-earning safety, Worthington III debuts as the youngest member of a secondary which otherwise only features players from S24-S28. Seems like a great move for the Copperheads going forward as a secondary replacement for retired S Hu.
* date? - DSFL callup S32 OL Beeg Beeg Yoshi - not the highest earner, but under contract for only %500k makes a good value move to help deal with the other OL departures. This is the last year of the $500k contract and so Yoshi might or might not be part of the team's future plans. Either way, this looks like a smart callup and could be a good extension target.
* date? - S33 LB Joe Smokes - called up. Smokes seems like a direct replacement for retired S24 LB Thomaslacher, being at a higher TPE count and is active. Far from the top earner in the class, but definitely better for the future than deep regression.
Honolulu Hahalua:
* 21 human players / 11 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 10 - S22 S Shawn Dawkins retired - as another of the S22 class who retired at the end of S31 but had the team get another year of productivity, Dawkins' departure after S32 was a well-known state of affairs. Honolulu's secondary going into S34 is a pair of S25 players plus one each of S30, 31, and 32 so it looks like they're reasonably well set up to deal with this loss.
* Feb 11 - S26 LB Big Slammu FA posted due to expired S33 contract - I can't guess from the outside if this is Slammu looking for more money/higher chance of an Ultimus/something else, but this seems like a big loss. Slammu would be a big presence on a defense that doesn't have a top-tier LB otherwise. However, Slammu had lower tackle, TFL, FF/FR, sack, and PD numbers in S32 vs. S31. I could see either Honolulu thinking they couldn't afford the stats they'd get after another season of regression or Slammu thinking that Honolulu isn't taking full advantage of the player's abilities. Either way, leaving behind the LB duo of S25 Fields and S30 Aqua-Key'Kiann puts the Hahalua in a worse position.
* Feb 11 - S26 OL Sirdsvaldis Miglasķēms FA posted due to expired IA FA contract - Honolulu went for the bid on S25 OL Silva who'd be around 363 TPE vs. Miglasķēms' 229. Seems like easy math, though at the time of writing (Feb 27) they have the cap for another T4 bot. I could see them considering a bot depending on rookie callup plans.
* Feb 25 (announced) - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - lose S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. - covered in detail in arrivals
Arrivals:
* Feb 25 (announced) - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - this ends up looking like potentially amazingly smart move to try and smooth out Honolulu's window a bit. Going from having 3 high TPE S27 players and 0 S28 to 2 S27 and 1 28 gives a lot more flexibility in setting up for the future of the offense. With 4 defensive players from S24/25 picking up the younger QB also gives a bit more time to figure out replacements. And, with as weak as the ASFC was in S33, it's possible that Zaylren will be enough to keep them in contention for the next year or two. The obvious downside, however, is that it doesn't really improve the offense, seeing as Christ Jr. would still be over 1k TPE this season. The star trio of S26 RB Kai, S27 WR Kendrick-Watts, and S30 TE Ami might be enough, but the supporting cast beyond those three is lackluster.
* Feb 27 - IA S25 FA OL Brent Silva picked up on bid after departing Arizona. Small but distinct upgrade from Miglasķēms and given that the team didn't have room for another T4 bot that seems to make sense. ~363 TPE seems ok as a reasonably solid stopgap, though I imagine low odds we'll see Silva back next year unless the cap situation gets way worse.
New Orleans Second Line:
* 26 human players / 10 in regression
* 1 T4, 2 T3 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 11 - S29 WR Quinton Crash FA posted due to expired 2 year $6m contract - Crash would have been the highest TPE player on the offense but leaves a team which was dead last in passing yards per game and heavily trying to focus on the run. I think the move makes a ton of sense for the player, though I'm sure the team would have preferred to have kept a great receiver around.
Arrivals:
* Feb 25 - trade for S30 WR Cliff Burton - Burton's not a top earner, but he does come into the team's offense as the second-highest TPE WR to try and replace departed Crash. I honestly have no idea if that's important in an offense with 4 RBs and 2 TEs? Given that the RBs are 3 power and one FB with no receiving, maybe they do need another devoted pass catcher, but I think I just don't understand how they're approaching the offense.
New York Silverbacks:
* 26 human players / 14 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 20 - S24 RB Captain Rodgers retired - Rodgers' last year on the roster was of minimal impact with just under 350 combined yards in an overall anemic Silverbacks offense. Known well in advance and doesn't look to have been much of a factor if he'd stayed around.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Harley Fank FA posted due to expired IA extension - as an inactive player since May 2021, Fank's deep enough into regression that this seems obvious. I think there are higher TPE FA OL available, though it looks like NYS went with a T4 bot instead of trying to find a replacement human.
* Feb 11 - S26 LB Logan Sarrasin FA posted due to expired IA bid - facing a regression to under 100 TPE, it makes complete sense to part ways with Sarrasin.
* Feb 11 - S23 CB Lesean Paris Crooks FA posted due to expired IA extension - an inactive S23 player who'd be around 210 TPE makes a ton of sense to lose and callup S33 Dangerfield seems like a major upgrade.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S25 FA WR Cmon Skiuuup - a Berlin departure led to this solidification of New York's offense. At just over 700 TPE post-regression, Skiuuup looked set to be a solid WR2/3 to help QB Savage out.
* Feb 19 - S31 FA TE Anthony MacGuire - despite my getting misled by a scrivener's error (see also discord investigation), this was totally a legal move. While a TE at time of signing, MacGuire position swapped to DT which works as a stopgap/future given that S22 Mendoza can't beat out retirement for much longer. I'm sure New York is hoping MacGuire's going to be active and earning, but even if returned to IA this looks like it could be a helpful move for a couple years. I haven't tried to understand the new position swap system yet, though, but if MacGuire only applied like half of the player's earned TPE that doesn't seem great? Still around the same TPE total as Mendoza, though, and with more years until regression.
* Feb 19 - S30 FA RB Yaji Robe - I think Robe was FA after this rookie contract through S32 (and was announced as FA for S33), but seems to have not been signed or have played anywhere for S33. Robe's previous player Prince Vegeta was a legend in Orange County, so if this signing is a prelude to a return then New York could be making an amazing signing. Unfortunately, accepting that contract is jeffie's only post in 2022 so this might be more of a depth move. It'll be interesting to see if anything comes from this, but it could also be more a depth play to deal with other offense players hitting regression.
* date? - S33 CB Dax Dangerfield - called up. Dangerfield seems like the direct replacement for Crooks and seems slated to be a major secondary upgrade. No real surprise about this callup.
Orange County Otters:
* 21 human players / 3 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 18 - S25 WR Owen Holloway retired - the ghost of Holloway past had a solid year in Orange county, with 92 receptions, 899 yards, and 6 TDs - arguably better than S31, but definitely not the best year of the career. Still, the team can't keep a post-retirement player around and so this was a guaranteed departure.
* Feb 11 - S24 LB Joeseph Joestar FA posted due to expired 3 year contract - Joestar hasn't updated since August 2021 but did post in activity check for week 245 (Jan 31) but didn't claim it. Even if that was a return to full earning, an S24 player under 200 TPE post-regression doesn't seem like a compelling signing target.
Position swap:
* Feb 26 - S30 DT Dominos Pizzaman swapped from DT to LB - seems like a position replacement for the loss of Joestar
Arrivals:
* None as of March 1. I do wonder if S33 RB Cold or one of the S34 draft picks gets called up before the start of the season though. correction, I missed one
* date? - S33 TE Molki Koivu - called up. Koivu joins as the only TE and could help round out the offense a bit. A bit behind S33 WR Gus Bus on the TPE side, but could end up being a strong piece of a younger offense if a good TPE earning rate is kept up.
San Jose SaberCats:
* 19 human players / 6 in regression
* 4 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 3 - S25 DE Raylan Crowder retired - Crowder signed a 12 year $60m contract (lol) so I'm pretty sure that they could have used the looming specter of this past contract in S34. That being said, I could see them figuring that one ~800 TPE DE isn't going to be what makes them a contender this year and so that it's better to have the extra $5m cap space around to trade. I'm not sure that's what I would have done, but I also haven't GMed so there could easily be other implications I'm not aware of too. Still, for a team that's looking at a 2-4-5 defense with no subs, I could see a decently high TPE DE being a useful piece for defensive flexibility. Alternatively, they could call up S34 CB Buster or LB Brackenridge Jr. though they haven't as of March 1.
* Feb 3 - S21 DT Otis Allen retired - I think Allen would have been at like 65 TPE after regression and that might even be below the mandatory retirement level so this has to be an expected outcome. And at that TPE level, I have to assume there are better options available even if just in the IA FA market.
* Feb 3 - S22 RB Jamar Lackson retired - San Jose could have kept the post-retirement Lackson around at just over 200 TPE potentially, but they picked up Nakamura instead (see below). Makes sense for a player this deep into regression.
* Feb 11 - S25 RB Jameson Vermillion FA posted due to expired IA extension - Vermillion would be around 250 TPE post-regression and so also not a game changer for San Jose.
* Feb 11 - S23 S Philip Stein FA posted due to expired IA extension - Stein, facing a 50% TPE loss, departs. Definitely doesn't seem impactful to keep him around.
* Feb 11 - S24 K/P Thomas Rose FA posted due to expired IA extension - a deeply regressing kicker isn't great and the team picked up a much younger option you can read more about below.
* Feb 13 - S24 CB Rickie Vaughne retired - Vaughne would have been at about 374 TPE after retirement, but it looks like that wasn't compelling enough (or the team couldn't work out an extension before retirement) for the team to keep the post-retirement edition around.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S22 FA RB Tatsu Nakamura - after a 1 year contract with Berlin, Nakamura returns moves to San Jose as more or less a direct replacement for FA Vermillion and retired Lackson. It's doubtful that any S22 player will have a huge impact at this point, but it does make for a nice story give a decent chance for the S22 player to get one more good year in (edit: I read the contract of "an all-time great" as "team all-time great" and thought Nakamura was there before, but I'm actually wrong oops).
* Feb 21 - S32 IA FA K/P Jack Lewis - teams at least basically need a kicker (I assume? I don't know what happens if you literally don't have one on the roster) and so getting one for cheap seems fine. A big utility upgrade from the regressing Rose, too, since the team now has a few years at this TPE level before they figure out what to do about the kicker position when Lewis hits regression.
* Feb 25 - trade for S24 CB Harrison Andrews - at this point any S24 player is at best a stopgap. Still, Andrews looks like a solid option if you need a stopgap for a year or two. I don't think this is the player that's going to make San Jose into a contender even in a weak ASFC, but I'd believe this is one of the better options available.
* date? - S33 LB Nick Flint - called up. Flint had a solid year for the DSFL Royals in S33 (though I'd say worse than his rookie year, actually?) and may end up taking over as top TPE linebacker on the SaberCats by the end of the season. Should be a good reinforcement for the team at a position group they're weak at.
NSFC
Baltimore Hawks:
* 22 human players / 6 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 11 - S28 WR Sam the Onion Man FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract - Man was potentially a luxury in an offense looking to have 6 players over 1000 TPE entering S34. With "only" 63 receptions and 901 yards, I can totally see a case that it wasn't worth the cap hit to bring him back. Still, that's a major player to not bring back to the Ultimus winning team.
* Feb 11 - S28 CB Raeni Clarke FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract (and even in the same post as Man) - Clarke's departure looks much more impactful than Man's to me seeing as Baltimore goes from 2 CBs over 1k TPE to one over and the second being at 562 and not having updated since November 2021. The Hawks' secondary still looks like it'll be decent in S34, but it does seem like it will most likely drop a bit.
* Feb 11 - S29 S Tre'Mendus Johnson FA posted due to expired 3 year $6m contract - Johnson was a huge value in the secondary and S26 Wildstar and S32 Turtle are looking to me like they won't be able to keep up quite the quality of play from S33. Picking up a basically maxed LB in Slammu to pressure the QB might help (more details below), but the secondary takes a distinct step down with this loss.
Arrivals:
* Feb 20 - S26 FA LB Big Slammu - coming over from Honolulu, Slammu covers one of the core needs for the Baltimore roster so that they can field a non-nickel defense. At $7m for 1 year, I don't know if this is more about money or trying for more championships for a player with a bunch of them. The Hawks had a huge number of FAs and couldn't retain them all, though, so this looks like a good move to keep a high level defense productive in S34.
Berlin Fire Salamanders:
* 22 human players / 8 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 4 - S25 CB Swantavius Jones retired - Swanty's ghost had a solid (career high!) year of tackling as a dead man walking but otherwise had a year below career highs. Still, Jones' departure was guaranteed after S33 and so this was an unsurprising loss for Berlin.
* Feb 11 - S22 RB Tatsu Nakamura FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m contract - Nakamura only rushed for about 40% of RB1 Goat Tank's yards, but actually managed a better YPC. Still, S33 RB Toledo should be an upgrade over what's likely to be Nakamura's final ISFL year.
* Feb 11 - S25 WR Cmon Skiuuup FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract - Skiuuup was the top TD target of the Berlin WRs in S33 but had similar yardage to S28 Abed and S31 Kaepercolin Jr. With the addition of S34 Dangle, I don't think this will end up being a huge loss for the Fire Salamanders' receiving corps.
* Feb 25 - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. / lose S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - with the plan to pick up S34 QB Singh in this draft, this looks like a strategic move to time their QB transition a bit better. They'll definitely take a bit of a hit in S34 and S35 from having the lower TPE QB, but the actual stat difference will probably be minimal.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S28 IA FA CB Amy Wong - getting a low TPE 3rd CB for only $1m seems like it could be a smart move for a team that's looking for a bit of secondary depth. The higher TPE pair of S31 Demonson and S25 Lenkins aren't exactly max, so the depth might be key to keep the other two fresh later in games (or just to allow for nickel packages).
* Feb 25 - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. / lose S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - with the plan to pick up S34 QB Singh in this draft, this looks like a strategic move to time their QB transition a bit better. They'll definitely take a bit of a hit in S34 and S35 from having the lower TPE QB, but the actual stat difference will probably be minimal.
* date? - S33 RB Marvin Toledo - looking like pretty much a direct replacement (and, I assume the team hopes, upgrade) from S22 Nakamura, Toledo comes into the ISFL after a 1k yard and 9 TD rushing season for Bondi Beach in S33. With no activity since Feb 13, Berlin's leadership might be sweating a little bit, but I'm sure they hope that Toledo's going to be back and active once the season gets rolling.
* date? - S34 WR Zayne Dangle slots directly into the team out of the draft as a likely replacement for Skiuuup. Coming off of an amazing DSFL year with the Buccaneers featuring a 15.8 yards/catch average, Dangle looks to be an important piece of an offense that I assume is trying to improve from bottom of the NSFC in passing yards/game.
Chicago Butchers:
* 24 human players / 5 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 4 - S28 CB Henny Tingzpahcbol retired - this nearly impossible to spell without copy/pasting player's ghost had a decent single year in Chicago with 2 sacks, an interception, and 11 PDs. Still, Chicago knew that Tingzpahcbol wouldn't be back in S34 going in.
* Feb 2 - S24 LB Juan Domine retired - I think this was a trade deadline retirement and so Domine finished out the year but was guaranteed gone after. After regression (assuming no more activity) Domine would have been over 500 TPE and so could have been a factor in S34, but I'm guessing the recreation timeline was more important to the player and/or team. Domine did manage to hit a career high in tackles and a great remaining stat line in 7 TFLs, 4 FF/3FR, 16 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 10 passes defensed. There's a reasonable argument that it was actually Domine's best year of his career, though that's obviously harder to keep up after losing 40% of your TPE to regression.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Timmy Dimbi FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m IA extension - hitting the lower parts of regression makes keeping Dimbi around over a bot less compelling, so it makes sense to see this player go here.
* Feb 11 - S22 DT Daymon Brooks FA posted but retired the next day - S22 players would be minimally useful after regression, so it makes complete sense to see Brooks' final year now.
* Feb 11 - S25 LB Alejandro Chainbreaker FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m contract - with no posts since accepting this last contract, Chainbreaker isn't technically retired but looks effectively inactive. With 306 TPE post-regression there's a chance of getting picked up by a team that really needs a linebacker for S34 but I'm guessing a mandatory retirement is instead in this player's future.
Arrivals:
* date? - S34 RB Rumble Ronson - a third RB at a third of the TPE of the highest RB on the team doesn't seem like a critical need for the team to me. Ronson did have a good S33 in the DSFL but I'm not sure how much impact we'll see. Maybe some use as a fullback to help make up for the departure of Dimbi? The team was number one overall in points scored in S33 so maybe there's a subtle reason they need this RB to make that work. Or maybe they're banking on a max-earning player being relevant by the end of the season?
* date? - S33 DE Greg Strongjaw - after losing 2 LBs and a DT, calling up another defensive player seems like it would make sense. The current (March 2) roster in Chicago looks like 5 defensive line, 2 LB, 3 CB, and 2 S - I have no idea if they're planning on playing one of the DEs in LB in a 4-3, base 4-2 nickel, or something else, but I'm guessing having the flexibility that Strongjaw provides is likely to be important for the team trying to at least maintain a middle of the league defense.
Colorado Yeti:
* 20 human players / 7 in regression
* 4 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 22 - S25 DE Xmus Flaxon Jaxon-Waxon retired - while Jaxon-Waxon could have remained productive through S34 were it not for this retirement, the retirement led instead to recreation so makes sense for the user. Jaxon-Waxon's corpse's final year stats weren't especially impressive outside of 2 kick returns for -5 yards which I can't even. This was the first of what ended up being several Yeti retirements and may have played part in planning for later players' retirement plans, though that's purely speculation on my part.
* Jan 19 - S25 LB Rusty Rucker retired - a slightly oddly timed retirement from a maximization perspective, this is what made me think that the Yeti players might have coordinated some retirements for the future of the team. Even with losing 5 player (well 4 players and 1 post-retirement ghost) in regression to retirement, more than a third of the remaining players on the team are in regression. Rucker had a solid year, but as a team trying to compete in a tough NSFC the later years of players in regression don't look like the critical element that will get Colorado over the top and so I think the retirement makes sense.
* Feb 11 - S24 S Joel Drake FA posted after expiration of S33 1 year $2m IA extension - post-regression Drake would be around 330 TPE and so moving on instead to active player (and GM) S34 S Cross-Eriksen makes a lot of sense. Drake did have a good year for the Yeti, though, including a career-high 69 tackles (nice), 2 FF, and 6 PD.
* Feb 13 - S24 QB Mattathias Caliban retired - the departure of league legend Caliban is kind a Big Deal, though the team looks ready for it with an S32 replacement lined up who, even with no activity throughout the season, will be a higher TPE option than Caliban's ghost would have been. This departure makes sense assuming that PigSnout wants a break, sad as it is for the league overall.
* Feb 21 - Immanuel Blackstone had no retirement post but facing a 75% TPE loss[/url was going to drop well below the 150 that triggers mandatory retirement and so was a guaranteed departure. I still remember Blackstone's original draft pick as one of my earliest league memories (after mocking him to Orange County 1st overall), so I'm personally sad to see the end of this era even if Blackstone's stats weren't exactly impactful in S33 (though 2FF/3FR is one of the very few defensive player stat lines I've seen with more recovered than forced fumbles).
Position swap:
* Feb 25 - S29 OL Emperor de Pengu swapped to DT - with no DTs on the team but 2 DEs available, moving to DT makes a fair amount of sense. It does leave the team (as of Mar 2) stuck with a 3-3-5 nickel with no depth past the 11 starters, so it'll be interesting to see if that's a problem for the defense.
Arrivals:
* date? - S32 QB Live Laughlove - coming off of a great year for Tijuana in the DSFL which included winning QBOTY, Laughlove will have a challenge in Colorado trying to be the starting QB the year after the Yeti were second in the league in passing yards/game. The Yeti do have a great WR trio in the form of S28 Maxwell / S30 Waterfalls / S26 Delacour and a pair of 700+ TPE receiving backs and that might be enough for this gunslinging QB to shine, but the rookie lower-TPE status could also end up being a problem.
* date? - S32 DE Mrs. "Stacks" McHits - this OL converted to DE looks to be one of the two direct DE replacements for the retired duo of Jaxon-Waxon and Blackstone. While not the highest earning, a 500ish TPE DE is a lot better than a hole in the line so that's good.
* date? - S34 DE Nathan Explosion - this first round pick is a direct need after the dual DE retirements leading up to S34 and gets called up immediately. Makes a ton of sense from a needs view. I'd say that playing a true rookie could be a concern for the defense in dealing with the lower TPE value, but they Yeti managed to be 4th in the league for points allowed despite being 11th or 12th in total, rushing, and passing yards allowed. That feels like it has to get worse next year, but maybe I just don't know how to make a good defense work.
* date? - S34 S - Cross-Eriksen - this clear reach wonderful person of a pick looks to slot in as a direct replacement for Drake and be an upgrade. After a DSFL safety of the year in S33, I have to assume Tesla would love a rookie of the year in the ISFL for S34.
Philidelphia Liberty:
* 26 human players / 6 in regression
* 1 T4 OL bot
Departures:
* Jan 9 - S25 WR Jake Fencik retired - as a known retirement for basically all of S33, Philly couldn't've been surprised about this. Fencik still had a great season including a league-leading 119 receptions and 1619 yards which were good enough for the S33 WROTY award. Fencik was "only" around 750 TPE and so the remainder of the offense could potentially make up for this loss, but he still accounted for more than a third of the team's receiving yards. Will that be a problem? Maybe, but Philly was bottom of the league in points scored and so maybe the issues are more at other positions.
* Feb 3 - S26 OL Alexander Franklin retired - a midseason retirement leading to recreation as an S35 player means there was no chance to play a ghost in S34. Franklin actually had a league-leading 127 pancakes with only 1 sack allowed (both tied with Chicago's Riposte) so I'm sure Philly is sad to see those kind of stats go. Still, they have 4 human OL going into S34 so I'm sure they're confident enough.
* Feb 15 - S25 WR Killian Chambers MO exercised - given the depth of regression combined with the team having higher TPE options for 1/2 RB, 2/2 WR, and 2/2 TE, it makes sense the team focuses on the active options. Given the other offensive options they have, I don't think this is a concerning loss for the Liberty.
* Feb 22 - S22 RB Matt "Son of Havoc" Cross retired - as an S22 player facing another 60% TPE loss, this seems like an unexpected retirement. Cross had a decent year considering with over 400 combined yards and 6 combined TDs, but just wouldn't be at the ISFL-relevant TPE level in S34.
Arrivals:
* S29 FA TE Buffalo Hunter - Hunter reinforces the lower-TPE WR group alongside fellow TE S27 Lorenzo. This 2 year $10m contract for a near-max TPE TE looks like a great way to provide reinforcements for an offense that had a lot of trouble scoring points in S33. The maybe more interesting thing to me is that Yellowknife let Hunter get away - the Wraiths at the time of signing had no TE or OL and the highest RB/WR was at 732 TPE, so I'd think that getting a top end TE would have helped out a lot.
* date? - S33 RB DeAndre King was called up after a 1400+ yard season as a DSFL WR for the Pythons and position swapping to RB. With S28 RB Jackson over 1100 TPE, King's not a critical piece this year but getting and keeping him active could be important for the future of the Liberty rushing game.
* date? - S31 WR Malcador "The Hero" - after a close year of competition with King on the Seawolves, "The Hero" gets called up to be WR2 for Philly. With both TEs at a much higher TPE total than the WRs, this might end up with him as the 3rd or 4th overall receiver for the team, but QB Negs has plenty of arm enough to zip the ball around so "The Hero" may still well end up with a solid season.
* date? - S31 LB Nathan Claflin - Philly seems to have collected a lot of the DSFL award winners as this S33 LBOTY looks to be an important future element in a linebacker group including two S25 players. Claflin as currently the lowest TPE LB might play rotationally, but earning well could easily take over as the 4th LB. The defense does have the depth to play in either 3-4 or nickel base, so Claflin might see fairly reduced snaps in S34 depending on the defensive strategy.
Sarasota Sailfish:
* 24 human players / 9 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 28 - S22 K/P Jacob Small retires - as a midseason retiree who would've been below the mandatory retirement line without earning more TPE, Small seems unlikely to have been a critical piece for the team. Small did have a very storied career so I could see an interest in having made it to one more year, but it looks like an S35 recreate was in the cards instead.
* Feb 11 - S26 OL LeBron James III FA posted after expiration of S33 1 year $2m IA extension (also c'mon Mojojojo it's clearly LeBron James III not LeBron James II) - post-regression James III at about 321 TPE seems like one of the better FA OLs, actually, but the 3 OL Sarasota keeps on the roster are 435+. The Sailfish do have more than $7m cap as of Mar 2 so it's not like they needed to keep James III around for cap reasons, so I can only assume that the GMs think the 400+ TPE edge of the T4 bot is worth the other advantages of the human option.
* Feb 11 - S23 DE Son Goku FA posted after expiration of a 2 year $6m extension - post-regression puts Goku smack at 200 TPE and with 4 DL at a higher total it makes sense to go with them instead seeing as Goku hasn't posted since October (though he has been on the site).
* Feb 25 - trade away S24 CB Harrison Andrews - with 3 active CBs (and 2 active S) at a higher TPE total, Andrews wasn't really doing anything for the Sailfish. I know I said I wasn't going to analyze trades but I'm not sure that they needed cap this season though, so I'm not sure if this was a trade worth making. Maybe they were hoping to sign a big FA that went to another team? Still, after signing Clarke they didn't need a 4th CB so this seems fine.
Arrivals:
* Feb 21 - S30 IA FA DE Caleb Watt - Watt gave Sarasota a 4-man DL to fill out the front 7 but obviously looks more like a stopgap than a future. That might be what they're stuck with for now given that they didn't pick up DL help in the S34 draft.
* Feb 22 - S28 IA FA K/P Rainbow Dash - teams have to have someone at kicker, and I'll totally believe this player was a good option. As of Feb 27th there's only one FA kicker (S24 Rose) and Dash has higher TPE, so this seems like a fine choice to replace Small.
* Feb 24 - S28 FA CB Raeni Clarke - offering a big secondary upgrade over later-traded S24 CB Andrews, this looks like a good move to try and keep the best defense of S33 on top for S34. Being only a single year contract, this is hardly a move that solidifies the future for Sarasota. Still, having a pair of CBs sitting over 1k TPE is nice for a team trying to compete while also dealing with more than a third of the team being in regression.
Yellowknife Wraiths:
* 20 human players / 6 in regression
* 5 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 4 - S22 DT Patrik Money retired - while mathematically able to return for S34, we see instead choosing the S35 recreate which I can admit seems very reasonable. The remaining Wraiths options for defensive line are solidly higher TPE and so it looks like it makes a lot of sense to not try and keep Money around for one final season.
* Feb 11 - S21 LB Douglas Quaid retired - with a post-regression future under 100 TPE, there was no chance for Quaid to return for S34 without earning an impossible ~260 TPE last year. The cruel math of regression makes this effectively guaranteed for all S21 players, so Yellowknife had to have known this was going to happen.
* Feb 12 - S29 TE Buffalo Hunter exercises mutual option to leave Yellowknife - clearly a big loss for a team with no other TE or human OL on the roster, though 4 WRs and 2 RBs gives the offense plenty of depth. Hunter had more TPE than any other Wraiths player, though, and losing his 100 receptions can't be helpful for a team that finished last in the NSFC in S33.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S25 IA FA WR Killian Chambers - at ~445 TPE, Chambers isn't going to revolutionize Yellowknife's passing game. Still, he looks to slot in as a solid option for a team trying to set up for a future with S32 Brot and S34 Bailey headlining the receiving options in S35 and beyond.
* date? - S33 DE Daron Arnold - called up and position swapped to DE, Arnold looks to potentially be a high-earning successor to S26 Taylor. While the lowest TPE defensive lineman as of the Feb 26 update, at only 12 behind S30 DE Hellraiser I fully expect Arnold to be second highest by the end of the season (if not earlier). If Arnold can help out on the pass rush side of things, this could be an important piece to help out a defense that gave up the most passing yards/game in S33.
* date? - S32 CB Dragazor Blaze - called up from the Seawolves after winning S33 CBOTY with 84 tackles, 4FF/2FR, 5 interceptions, and 21 defensed passes, Blaze looks to be a solid reinforcement for the Yellowknife secondary. Blaze is well behind fellow S32 CB Mekhar in the TPE side of things but is still earning steadily and so I imagine the Wraiths hope this callup will get a fire lit under the rookie to earn more.
I originally thought it would be most interesting to go over each type of transaction but in the process of doing so figured it would make more sense to go over the changes to each team's roster while still noting the reason. I'm interested in feedback on if there's a different layout that would make more sense.
One side note for trades: I'm only covering the player aspects, not the value of the picks or other consideration. Those matter a ton from the perspective of the teams doing the trades and the future picks and all that, but this article is only looking at player moves from S33 to S34 seasons.
One other side note for callups: GM callups are not posted publicly so I can't organize callups in the correct order with respect to other team additions. I generally tried to put them at the end of the list, though I suspect most happened by Feb 25 after the first couple rounds of the draft were finalized (and no, I'm not willing to become a GM just to see that information to write better/more comprehensive media articles).
Minor stat I was interested in: Of the 4 66 S34 players, only 4 look to have been called up the ISFL teams as of March 2nd.
ASFC
Arizona Outlaws:
Key roster stats:
* 22 human players / 9 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 21 - S24 RB Deadly Memes (retirement) - already retired, Memes' corpse was a known casualty going into the season. Younger RBs in S29 Cue Jr. and S32 Riggins show Arizona is well prepared for this.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Brent Silva FA posted due to expired contract - Silva looks to have not been on the site since the end of 2021 and is hitting regression fairly hard as a member of S25. New callup Mangoldson seems to be the intended replacement.
* Feb 24 - S23 S Eugene Smoothie released by team per MO - with the signing of S29 FA Johnson, the deeply regressing Smoothie clearly isn't a top need and so it totally makes sense that they opted out.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S29 FA S Tre'Mendus Johnson - the long-time Hawk signed a 6-year $24m contract and helped a team with major regression issues at Safety. Johnson looked like a great bridge from S23 Jadakiss to S32 Witt and beyond.
* Feb 22 - S29 FA WR Quinton Crash - coming previously from NOLA (and even announced in a media article), Crash slotted in as a top WR for a team trying to repeat as top ASFC team while covering the gap between the regressing S24/25 pair of Raimon/Pama and the young S31 Staggs.
* date? - S33 OL D'Nickashaw Mangoldson called up - seems like a direct replacement for departing S25 FA Silva. Probably will play at a higher TPE than Silva, especially if earning continues, so seems like a good replacement and slight upgrade.
Austin Copperheads:
Key roster stats:
* 25 human players / 11 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 19 - S25 OL Felix Archstone retired - with a retirement at the end of S32, the team got good mileage out of the corpse in the form of 80 pancakes while only allowing 1 sack. As with all corpse players, clearly a known departure.
* Feb 15 - S28 S Juno Hu retired - seems like a fairly surprising retirement seeing as S28 players aren't even hitting regression yet. Still, Hu hadn't done anything in the league from early January until this retirement, so clearly it was an intentional decision to come back and retire. This created a big hole in Austin's secondary.
* Feb 25 - S26 OL Slurms McKenzie retired - Austin opted out earlier in the day, apparently deciding that a post-regression McKenzie at about 285 TPE wasn't going to be as good as a T4 bot OL and McKenzie retired rather than negotiating a new contract. I don't know offhand how the math on that decision works out, but I guess they had enough cap space so maybe the 465 TPE for the bot is worth it?
* Feb 25 - fellow S26 OL Moe Skeeter has been inactive since October 2021 and was also opted out by Austin in favor of a T4 bot. With about 297 TPE after regression, Skeeter seems like a possible IA bid if there's a team low on cap but I haven't seen anything yet. It actually looks like every team is using at least 1 T4 bot with all but Philly using at least 2, but most are opting for T4 bots so I guess the break even on human players is higher than this TPE level.
* Feb 25 trade away S30 WR Cliff Burton - with the FA signing of S28 WR Man plus S31 Patey at roughly the same TPE, it looks like Austin lost a WR they didn't really need here. Burton looks to have not gained any TPE in 2022 and so while I'm sure NOLA will be trying to produce activity, this seems like not a huge loss for the Copperheads.
* Feb 25 - S24 LB Brach Thomaslacher retired - facing roughly 355 TPE after retirement, it looks like Austin dropped him entirely in favor of S33 callup Smokes who's at 385+ TPE. Makes sense for a team that didn't need a 5th LB. The position group is a bit weak on paper with the top LB S28 O'Leary only having 747 TPE (and no updates since October 2021), but the team's decision still makes sense with what they have.
Arrivals:
* Feb 21 - S28 FA WR Sam the Onion Man - coming previously from Baltimore, Man immediately pairs with fellow S28 WR Cowabunga to be a strong receiving corps. The contract note about being notified if Austin runs "the traditional single QB system" in games did suggest interesting things.
* date? - S32 S Tobias Wothington III - a DSFL QB, a position swap to safety sadly prevents Austin from running the fabled 3-QB offense. As a solidly-earning safety, Worthington III debuts as the youngest member of a secondary which otherwise only features players from S24-S28. Seems like a great move for the Copperheads going forward as a secondary replacement for retired S Hu.
* date? - DSFL callup S32 OL Beeg Beeg Yoshi - not the highest earner, but under contract for only %500k makes a good value move to help deal with the other OL departures. This is the last year of the $500k contract and so Yoshi might or might not be part of the team's future plans. Either way, this looks like a smart callup and could be a good extension target.
* date? - S33 LB Joe Smokes - called up. Smokes seems like a direct replacement for retired S24 LB Thomaslacher, being at a higher TPE count and is active. Far from the top earner in the class, but definitely better for the future than deep regression.
Honolulu Hahalua:
* 21 human players / 11 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 10 - S22 S Shawn Dawkins retired - as another of the S22 class who retired at the end of S31 but had the team get another year of productivity, Dawkins' departure after S32 was a well-known state of affairs. Honolulu's secondary going into S34 is a pair of S25 players plus one each of S30, 31, and 32 so it looks like they're reasonably well set up to deal with this loss.
* Feb 11 - S26 LB Big Slammu FA posted due to expired S33 contract - I can't guess from the outside if this is Slammu looking for more money/higher chance of an Ultimus/something else, but this seems like a big loss. Slammu would be a big presence on a defense that doesn't have a top-tier LB otherwise. However, Slammu had lower tackle, TFL, FF/FR, sack, and PD numbers in S32 vs. S31. I could see either Honolulu thinking they couldn't afford the stats they'd get after another season of regression or Slammu thinking that Honolulu isn't taking full advantage of the player's abilities. Either way, leaving behind the LB duo of S25 Fields and S30 Aqua-Key'Kiann puts the Hahalua in a worse position.
* Feb 11 - S26 OL Sirdsvaldis Miglasķēms FA posted due to expired IA FA contract - Honolulu went for the bid on S25 OL Silva who'd be around 363 TPE vs. Miglasķēms' 229. Seems like easy math, though at the time of writing (Feb 27) they have the cap for another T4 bot. I could see them considering a bot depending on rookie callup plans.
* Feb 25 (announced) - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - lose S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. - covered in detail in arrivals
Arrivals:
* Feb 25 (announced) - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - this ends up looking like potentially amazingly smart move to try and smooth out Honolulu's window a bit. Going from having 3 high TPE S27 players and 0 S28 to 2 S27 and 1 28 gives a lot more flexibility in setting up for the future of the offense. With 4 defensive players from S24/25 picking up the younger QB also gives a bit more time to figure out replacements. And, with as weak as the ASFC was in S33, it's possible that Zaylren will be enough to keep them in contention for the next year or two. The obvious downside, however, is that it doesn't really improve the offense, seeing as Christ Jr. would still be over 1k TPE this season. The star trio of S26 RB Kai, S27 WR Kendrick-Watts, and S30 TE Ami might be enough, but the supporting cast beyond those three is lackluster.
* Feb 27 - IA S25 FA OL Brent Silva picked up on bid after departing Arizona. Small but distinct upgrade from Miglasķēms and given that the team didn't have room for another T4 bot that seems to make sense. ~363 TPE seems ok as a reasonably solid stopgap, though I imagine low odds we'll see Silva back next year unless the cap situation gets way worse.
New Orleans Second Line:
* 26 human players / 10 in regression
* 1 T4, 2 T3 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 11 - S29 WR Quinton Crash FA posted due to expired 2 year $6m contract - Crash would have been the highest TPE player on the offense but leaves a team which was dead last in passing yards per game and heavily trying to focus on the run. I think the move makes a ton of sense for the player, though I'm sure the team would have preferred to have kept a great receiver around.
Arrivals:
* Feb 25 - trade for S30 WR Cliff Burton - Burton's not a top earner, but he does come into the team's offense as the second-highest TPE WR to try and replace departed Crash. I honestly have no idea if that's important in an offense with 4 RBs and 2 TEs? Given that the RBs are 3 power and one FB with no receiving, maybe they do need another devoted pass catcher, but I think I just don't understand how they're approaching the offense.
New York Silverbacks:
* 26 human players / 14 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 20 - S24 RB Captain Rodgers retired - Rodgers' last year on the roster was of minimal impact with just under 350 combined yards in an overall anemic Silverbacks offense. Known well in advance and doesn't look to have been much of a factor if he'd stayed around.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Harley Fank FA posted due to expired IA extension - as an inactive player since May 2021, Fank's deep enough into regression that this seems obvious. I think there are higher TPE FA OL available, though it looks like NYS went with a T4 bot instead of trying to find a replacement human.
* Feb 11 - S26 LB Logan Sarrasin FA posted due to expired IA bid - facing a regression to under 100 TPE, it makes complete sense to part ways with Sarrasin.
* Feb 11 - S23 CB Lesean Paris Crooks FA posted due to expired IA extension - an inactive S23 player who'd be around 210 TPE makes a ton of sense to lose and callup S33 Dangerfield seems like a major upgrade.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S25 FA WR Cmon Skiuuup - a Berlin departure led to this solidification of New York's offense. At just over 700 TPE post-regression, Skiuuup looked set to be a solid WR2/3 to help QB Savage out.
* Feb 19 - S31 FA TE Anthony MacGuire - despite my getting misled by a scrivener's error (see also discord investigation), this was totally a legal move. While a TE at time of signing, MacGuire position swapped to DT which works as a stopgap/future given that S22 Mendoza can't beat out retirement for much longer. I'm sure New York is hoping MacGuire's going to be active and earning, but even if returned to IA this looks like it could be a helpful move for a couple years. I haven't tried to understand the new position swap system yet, though, but if MacGuire only applied like half of the player's earned TPE that doesn't seem great? Still around the same TPE total as Mendoza, though, and with more years until regression.
* Feb 19 - S30 FA RB Yaji Robe - I think Robe was FA after this rookie contract through S32 (and was announced as FA for S33), but seems to have not been signed or have played anywhere for S33. Robe's previous player Prince Vegeta was a legend in Orange County, so if this signing is a prelude to a return then New York could be making an amazing signing. Unfortunately, accepting that contract is jeffie's only post in 2022 so this might be more of a depth move. It'll be interesting to see if anything comes from this, but it could also be more a depth play to deal with other offense players hitting regression.
* date? - S33 CB Dax Dangerfield - called up. Dangerfield seems like the direct replacement for Crooks and seems slated to be a major secondary upgrade. No real surprise about this callup.
Orange County Otters:
* 21 human players / 3 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 18 - S25 WR Owen Holloway retired - the ghost of Holloway past had a solid year in Orange county, with 92 receptions, 899 yards, and 6 TDs - arguably better than S31, but definitely not the best year of the career. Still, the team can't keep a post-retirement player around and so this was a guaranteed departure.
* Feb 11 - S24 LB Joeseph Joestar FA posted due to expired 3 year contract - Joestar hasn't updated since August 2021 but did post in activity check for week 245 (Jan 31) but didn't claim it. Even if that was a return to full earning, an S24 player under 200 TPE post-regression doesn't seem like a compelling signing target.
Position swap:
* Feb 26 - S30 DT Dominos Pizzaman swapped from DT to LB - seems like a position replacement for the loss of Joestar
Arrivals:
* None as of March 1. I do wonder if S33 RB Cold or one of the S34 draft picks gets called up before the start of the season though. correction, I missed one
* date? - S33 TE Molki Koivu - called up. Koivu joins as the only TE and could help round out the offense a bit. A bit behind S33 WR Gus Bus on the TPE side, but could end up being a strong piece of a younger offense if a good TPE earning rate is kept up.
San Jose SaberCats:
* 19 human players / 6 in regression
* 4 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 3 - S25 DE Raylan Crowder retired - Crowder signed a 12 year $60m contract (lol) so I'm pretty sure that they could have used the looming specter of this past contract in S34. That being said, I could see them figuring that one ~800 TPE DE isn't going to be what makes them a contender this year and so that it's better to have the extra $5m cap space around to trade. I'm not sure that's what I would have done, but I also haven't GMed so there could easily be other implications I'm not aware of too. Still, for a team that's looking at a 2-4-5 defense with no subs, I could see a decently high TPE DE being a useful piece for defensive flexibility. Alternatively, they could call up S34 CB Buster or LB Brackenridge Jr. though they haven't as of March 1.
* Feb 3 - S21 DT Otis Allen retired - I think Allen would have been at like 65 TPE after regression and that might even be below the mandatory retirement level so this has to be an expected outcome. And at that TPE level, I have to assume there are better options available even if just in the IA FA market.
* Feb 3 - S22 RB Jamar Lackson retired - San Jose could have kept the post-retirement Lackson around at just over 200 TPE potentially, but they picked up Nakamura instead (see below). Makes sense for a player this deep into regression.
* Feb 11 - S25 RB Jameson Vermillion FA posted due to expired IA extension - Vermillion would be around 250 TPE post-regression and so also not a game changer for San Jose.
* Feb 11 - S23 S Philip Stein FA posted due to expired IA extension - Stein, facing a 50% TPE loss, departs. Definitely doesn't seem impactful to keep him around.
* Feb 11 - S24 K/P Thomas Rose FA posted due to expired IA extension - a deeply regressing kicker isn't great and the team picked up a much younger option you can read more about below.
* Feb 13 - S24 CB Rickie Vaughne retired - Vaughne would have been at about 374 TPE after retirement, but it looks like that wasn't compelling enough (or the team couldn't work out an extension before retirement) for the team to keep the post-retirement edition around.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S22 FA RB Tatsu Nakamura - after a 1 year contract with Berlin, Nakamura returns moves to San Jose as more or less a direct replacement for FA Vermillion and retired Lackson. It's doubtful that any S22 player will have a huge impact at this point, but it does make for a nice story give a decent chance for the S22 player to get one more good year in (edit: I read the contract of "an all-time great" as "team all-time great" and thought Nakamura was there before, but I'm actually wrong oops).
* Feb 21 - S32 IA FA K/P Jack Lewis - teams at least basically need a kicker (I assume? I don't know what happens if you literally don't have one on the roster) and so getting one for cheap seems fine. A big utility upgrade from the regressing Rose, too, since the team now has a few years at this TPE level before they figure out what to do about the kicker position when Lewis hits regression.
* Feb 25 - trade for S24 CB Harrison Andrews - at this point any S24 player is at best a stopgap. Still, Andrews looks like a solid option if you need a stopgap for a year or two. I don't think this is the player that's going to make San Jose into a contender even in a weak ASFC, but I'd believe this is one of the better options available.
* date? - S33 LB Nick Flint - called up. Flint had a solid year for the DSFL Royals in S33 (though I'd say worse than his rookie year, actually?) and may end up taking over as top TPE linebacker on the SaberCats by the end of the season. Should be a good reinforcement for the team at a position group they're weak at.
NSFC
Baltimore Hawks:
* 22 human players / 6 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 11 - S28 WR Sam the Onion Man FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract - Man was potentially a luxury in an offense looking to have 6 players over 1000 TPE entering S34. With "only" 63 receptions and 901 yards, I can totally see a case that it wasn't worth the cap hit to bring him back. Still, that's a major player to not bring back to the Ultimus winning team.
* Feb 11 - S28 CB Raeni Clarke FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract (and even in the same post as Man) - Clarke's departure looks much more impactful than Man's to me seeing as Baltimore goes from 2 CBs over 1k TPE to one over and the second being at 562 and not having updated since November 2021. The Hawks' secondary still looks like it'll be decent in S34, but it does seem like it will most likely drop a bit.
* Feb 11 - S29 S Tre'Mendus Johnson FA posted due to expired 3 year $6m contract - Johnson was a huge value in the secondary and S26 Wildstar and S32 Turtle are looking to me like they won't be able to keep up quite the quality of play from S33. Picking up a basically maxed LB in Slammu to pressure the QB might help (more details below), but the secondary takes a distinct step down with this loss.
Arrivals:
* Feb 20 - S26 FA LB Big Slammu - coming over from Honolulu, Slammu covers one of the core needs for the Baltimore roster so that they can field a non-nickel defense. At $7m for 1 year, I don't know if this is more about money or trying for more championships for a player with a bunch of them. The Hawks had a huge number of FAs and couldn't retain them all, though, so this looks like a good move to keep a high level defense productive in S34.
Berlin Fire Salamanders:
* 22 human players / 8 in regression
* 3 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 4 - S25 CB Swantavius Jones retired - Swanty's ghost had a solid (career high!) year of tackling as a dead man walking but otherwise had a year below career highs. Still, Jones' departure was guaranteed after S33 and so this was an unsurprising loss for Berlin.
* Feb 11 - S22 RB Tatsu Nakamura FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m contract - Nakamura only rushed for about 40% of RB1 Goat Tank's yards, but actually managed a better YPC. Still, S33 RB Toledo should be an upgrade over what's likely to be Nakamura's final ISFL year.
* Feb 11 - S25 WR Cmon Skiuuup FA posted due to expired 1 year $5m contract - Skiuuup was the top TD target of the Berlin WRs in S33 but had similar yardage to S28 Abed and S31 Kaepercolin Jr. With the addition of S34 Dangle, I don't think this will end up being a huge loss for the Fire Salamanders' receiving corps.
* Feb 25 - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. / lose S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - with the plan to pick up S34 QB Singh in this draft, this looks like a strategic move to time their QB transition a bit better. They'll definitely take a bit of a hit in S34 and S35 from having the lower TPE QB, but the actual stat difference will probably be minimal.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S28 IA FA CB Amy Wong - getting a low TPE 3rd CB for only $1m seems like it could be a smart move for a team that's looking for a bit of secondary depth. The higher TPE pair of S31 Demonson and S25 Lenkins aren't exactly max, so the depth might be key to keep the other two fresh later in games (or just to allow for nickel packages).
* Feb 25 - (no forum post ever made for this trade?) - gain S27 QB Joliet Christ Jr. / lose S28 QB Dexter Zaylren - with the plan to pick up S34 QB Singh in this draft, this looks like a strategic move to time their QB transition a bit better. They'll definitely take a bit of a hit in S34 and S35 from having the lower TPE QB, but the actual stat difference will probably be minimal.
* date? - S33 RB Marvin Toledo - looking like pretty much a direct replacement (and, I assume the team hopes, upgrade) from S22 Nakamura, Toledo comes into the ISFL after a 1k yard and 9 TD rushing season for Bondi Beach in S33. With no activity since Feb 13, Berlin's leadership might be sweating a little bit, but I'm sure they hope that Toledo's going to be back and active once the season gets rolling.
* date? - S34 WR Zayne Dangle slots directly into the team out of the draft as a likely replacement for Skiuuup. Coming off of an amazing DSFL year with the Buccaneers featuring a 15.8 yards/catch average, Dangle looks to be an important piece of an offense that I assume is trying to improve from bottom of the NSFC in passing yards/game.
Chicago Butchers:
* 24 human players / 5 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 4 - S28 CB Henny Tingzpahcbol retired - this nearly impossible to spell without copy/pasting player's ghost had a decent single year in Chicago with 2 sacks, an interception, and 11 PDs. Still, Chicago knew that Tingzpahcbol wouldn't be back in S34 going in.
* Feb 2 - S24 LB Juan Domine retired - I think this was a trade deadline retirement and so Domine finished out the year but was guaranteed gone after. After regression (assuming no more activity) Domine would have been over 500 TPE and so could have been a factor in S34, but I'm guessing the recreation timeline was more important to the player and/or team. Domine did manage to hit a career high in tackles and a great remaining stat line in 7 TFLs, 4 FF/3FR, 16 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 10 passes defensed. There's a reasonable argument that it was actually Domine's best year of his career, though that's obviously harder to keep up after losing 40% of your TPE to regression.
* Feb 11 - S25 OL Timmy Dimbi FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m IA extension - hitting the lower parts of regression makes keeping Dimbi around over a bot less compelling, so it makes sense to see this player go here.
* Feb 11 - S22 DT Daymon Brooks FA posted but retired the next day - S22 players would be minimally useful after regression, so it makes complete sense to see Brooks' final year now.
* Feb 11 - S25 LB Alejandro Chainbreaker FA posted due to expired 1 year $2m contract - with no posts since accepting this last contract, Chainbreaker isn't technically retired but looks effectively inactive. With 306 TPE post-regression there's a chance of getting picked up by a team that really needs a linebacker for S34 but I'm guessing a mandatory retirement is instead in this player's future.
Arrivals:
* date? - S34 RB Rumble Ronson - a third RB at a third of the TPE of the highest RB on the team doesn't seem like a critical need for the team to me. Ronson did have a good S33 in the DSFL but I'm not sure how much impact we'll see. Maybe some use as a fullback to help make up for the departure of Dimbi? The team was number one overall in points scored in S33 so maybe there's a subtle reason they need this RB to make that work. Or maybe they're banking on a max-earning player being relevant by the end of the season?
* date? - S33 DE Greg Strongjaw - after losing 2 LBs and a DT, calling up another defensive player seems like it would make sense. The current (March 2) roster in Chicago looks like 5 defensive line, 2 LB, 3 CB, and 2 S - I have no idea if they're planning on playing one of the DEs in LB in a 4-3, base 4-2 nickel, or something else, but I'm guessing having the flexibility that Strongjaw provides is likely to be important for the team trying to at least maintain a middle of the league defense.
Colorado Yeti:
* 20 human players / 7 in regression
* 4 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Dec 22 - S25 DE Xmus Flaxon Jaxon-Waxon retired - while Jaxon-Waxon could have remained productive through S34 were it not for this retirement, the retirement led instead to recreation so makes sense for the user. Jaxon-Waxon's corpse's final year stats weren't especially impressive outside of 2 kick returns for -5 yards which I can't even. This was the first of what ended up being several Yeti retirements and may have played part in planning for later players' retirement plans, though that's purely speculation on my part.
* Jan 19 - S25 LB Rusty Rucker retired - a slightly oddly timed retirement from a maximization perspective, this is what made me think that the Yeti players might have coordinated some retirements for the future of the team. Even with losing 5 player (well 4 players and 1 post-retirement ghost) in regression to retirement, more than a third of the remaining players on the team are in regression. Rucker had a solid year, but as a team trying to compete in a tough NSFC the later years of players in regression don't look like the critical element that will get Colorado over the top and so I think the retirement makes sense.
* Feb 11 - S24 S Joel Drake FA posted after expiration of S33 1 year $2m IA extension - post-regression Drake would be around 330 TPE and so moving on instead to active player (and GM) S34 S Cross-Eriksen makes a lot of sense. Drake did have a good year for the Yeti, though, including a career-high 69 tackles (nice), 2 FF, and 6 PD.
* Feb 13 - S24 QB Mattathias Caliban retired - the departure of league legend Caliban is kind a Big Deal, though the team looks ready for it with an S32 replacement lined up who, even with no activity throughout the season, will be a higher TPE option than Caliban's ghost would have been. This departure makes sense assuming that PigSnout wants a break, sad as it is for the league overall.
* Feb 21 - Immanuel Blackstone had no retirement post but facing a 75% TPE loss[/url was going to drop well below the 150 that triggers mandatory retirement and so was a guaranteed departure. I still remember Blackstone's original draft pick as one of my earliest league memories (after mocking him to Orange County 1st overall), so I'm personally sad to see the end of this era even if Blackstone's stats weren't exactly impactful in S33 (though 2FF/3FR is one of the very few defensive player stat lines I've seen with more recovered than forced fumbles).
Position swap:
* Feb 25 - S29 OL Emperor de Pengu swapped to DT - with no DTs on the team but 2 DEs available, moving to DT makes a fair amount of sense. It does leave the team (as of Mar 2) stuck with a 3-3-5 nickel with no depth past the 11 starters, so it'll be interesting to see if that's a problem for the defense.
Arrivals:
* date? - S32 QB Live Laughlove - coming off of a great year for Tijuana in the DSFL which included winning QBOTY, Laughlove will have a challenge in Colorado trying to be the starting QB the year after the Yeti were second in the league in passing yards/game. The Yeti do have a great WR trio in the form of S28 Maxwell / S30 Waterfalls / S26 Delacour and a pair of 700+ TPE receiving backs and that might be enough for this gunslinging QB to shine, but the rookie lower-TPE status could also end up being a problem.
* date? - S32 DE Mrs. "Stacks" McHits - this OL converted to DE looks to be one of the two direct DE replacements for the retired duo of Jaxon-Waxon and Blackstone. While not the highest earning, a 500ish TPE DE is a lot better than a hole in the line so that's good.
* date? - S34 DE Nathan Explosion - this first round pick is a direct need after the dual DE retirements leading up to S34 and gets called up immediately. Makes a ton of sense from a needs view. I'd say that playing a true rookie could be a concern for the defense in dealing with the lower TPE value, but they Yeti managed to be 4th in the league for points allowed despite being 11th or 12th in total, rushing, and passing yards allowed. That feels like it has to get worse next year, but maybe I just don't know how to make a good defense work.
* date? - S34 S - Cross-Eriksen - this clear reach wonderful person of a pick looks to slot in as a direct replacement for Drake and be an upgrade. After a DSFL safety of the year in S33, I have to assume Tesla would love a rookie of the year in the ISFL for S34.
Philidelphia Liberty:
* 26 human players / 6 in regression
* 1 T4 OL bot
Departures:
* Jan 9 - S25 WR Jake Fencik retired - as a known retirement for basically all of S33, Philly couldn't've been surprised about this. Fencik still had a great season including a league-leading 119 receptions and 1619 yards which were good enough for the S33 WROTY award. Fencik was "only" around 750 TPE and so the remainder of the offense could potentially make up for this loss, but he still accounted for more than a third of the team's receiving yards. Will that be a problem? Maybe, but Philly was bottom of the league in points scored and so maybe the issues are more at other positions.
* Feb 3 - S26 OL Alexander Franklin retired - a midseason retirement leading to recreation as an S35 player means there was no chance to play a ghost in S34. Franklin actually had a league-leading 127 pancakes with only 1 sack allowed (both tied with Chicago's Riposte) so I'm sure Philly is sad to see those kind of stats go. Still, they have 4 human OL going into S34 so I'm sure they're confident enough.
* Feb 15 - S25 WR Killian Chambers MO exercised - given the depth of regression combined with the team having higher TPE options for 1/2 RB, 2/2 WR, and 2/2 TE, it makes sense the team focuses on the active options. Given the other offensive options they have, I don't think this is a concerning loss for the Liberty.
* Feb 22 - S22 RB Matt "Son of Havoc" Cross retired - as an S22 player facing another 60% TPE loss, this seems like an unexpected retirement. Cross had a decent year considering with over 400 combined yards and 6 combined TDs, but just wouldn't be at the ISFL-relevant TPE level in S34.
Arrivals:
* S29 FA TE Buffalo Hunter - Hunter reinforces the lower-TPE WR group alongside fellow TE S27 Lorenzo. This 2 year $10m contract for a near-max TPE TE looks like a great way to provide reinforcements for an offense that had a lot of trouble scoring points in S33. The maybe more interesting thing to me is that Yellowknife let Hunter get away - the Wraiths at the time of signing had no TE or OL and the highest RB/WR was at 732 TPE, so I'd think that getting a top end TE would have helped out a lot.
* date? - S33 RB DeAndre King was called up after a 1400+ yard season as a DSFL WR for the Pythons and position swapping to RB. With S28 RB Jackson over 1100 TPE, King's not a critical piece this year but getting and keeping him active could be important for the future of the Liberty rushing game.
* date? - S31 WR Malcador "The Hero" - after a close year of competition with King on the Seawolves, "The Hero" gets called up to be WR2 for Philly. With both TEs at a much higher TPE total than the WRs, this might end up with him as the 3rd or 4th overall receiver for the team, but QB Negs has plenty of arm enough to zip the ball around so "The Hero" may still well end up with a solid season.
* date? - S31 LB Nathan Claflin - Philly seems to have collected a lot of the DSFL award winners as this S33 LBOTY looks to be an important future element in a linebacker group including two S25 players. Claflin as currently the lowest TPE LB might play rotationally, but earning well could easily take over as the 4th LB. The defense does have the depth to play in either 3-4 or nickel base, so Claflin might see fairly reduced snaps in S34 depending on the defensive strategy.
Sarasota Sailfish:
* 24 human players / 9 in regression
* 2 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Jan 28 - S22 K/P Jacob Small retires - as a midseason retiree who would've been below the mandatory retirement line without earning more TPE, Small seems unlikely to have been a critical piece for the team. Small did have a very storied career so I could see an interest in having made it to one more year, but it looks like an S35 recreate was in the cards instead.
* Feb 11 - S26 OL LeBron James III FA posted after expiration of S33 1 year $2m IA extension (also c'mon Mojojojo it's clearly LeBron James III not LeBron James II) - post-regression James III at about 321 TPE seems like one of the better FA OLs, actually, but the 3 OL Sarasota keeps on the roster are 435+. The Sailfish do have more than $7m cap as of Mar 2 so it's not like they needed to keep James III around for cap reasons, so I can only assume that the GMs think the 400+ TPE edge of the T4 bot is worth the other advantages of the human option.
* Feb 11 - S23 DE Son Goku FA posted after expiration of a 2 year $6m extension - post-regression puts Goku smack at 200 TPE and with 4 DL at a higher total it makes sense to go with them instead seeing as Goku hasn't posted since October (though he has been on the site).
* Feb 25 - trade away S24 CB Harrison Andrews - with 3 active CBs (and 2 active S) at a higher TPE total, Andrews wasn't really doing anything for the Sailfish. I know I said I wasn't going to analyze trades but I'm not sure that they needed cap this season though, so I'm not sure if this was a trade worth making. Maybe they were hoping to sign a big FA that went to another team? Still, after signing Clarke they didn't need a 4th CB so this seems fine.
Arrivals:
* Feb 21 - S30 IA FA DE Caleb Watt - Watt gave Sarasota a 4-man DL to fill out the front 7 but obviously looks more like a stopgap than a future. That might be what they're stuck with for now given that they didn't pick up DL help in the S34 draft.
* Feb 22 - S28 IA FA K/P Rainbow Dash - teams have to have someone at kicker, and I'll totally believe this player was a good option. As of Feb 27th there's only one FA kicker (S24 Rose) and Dash has higher TPE, so this seems like a fine choice to replace Small.
* Feb 24 - S28 FA CB Raeni Clarke - offering a big secondary upgrade over later-traded S24 CB Andrews, this looks like a good move to try and keep the best defense of S33 on top for S34. Being only a single year contract, this is hardly a move that solidifies the future for Sarasota. Still, having a pair of CBs sitting over 1k TPE is nice for a team trying to compete while also dealing with more than a third of the team being in regression.
Yellowknife Wraiths:
* 20 human players / 6 in regression
* 5 T4 OL bots
Departures:
* Feb 4 - S22 DT Patrik Money retired - while mathematically able to return for S34, we see instead choosing the S35 recreate which I can admit seems very reasonable. The remaining Wraiths options for defensive line are solidly higher TPE and so it looks like it makes a lot of sense to not try and keep Money around for one final season.
* Feb 11 - S21 LB Douglas Quaid retired - with a post-regression future under 100 TPE, there was no chance for Quaid to return for S34 without earning an impossible ~260 TPE last year. The cruel math of regression makes this effectively guaranteed for all S21 players, so Yellowknife had to have known this was going to happen.
* Feb 12 - S29 TE Buffalo Hunter exercises mutual option to leave Yellowknife - clearly a big loss for a team with no other TE or human OL on the roster, though 4 WRs and 2 RBs gives the offense plenty of depth. Hunter had more TPE than any other Wraiths player, though, and losing his 100 receptions can't be helpful for a team that finished last in the NSFC in S33.
Arrivals:
* Feb 19 - S25 IA FA WR Killian Chambers - at ~445 TPE, Chambers isn't going to revolutionize Yellowknife's passing game. Still, he looks to slot in as a solid option for a team trying to set up for a future with S32 Brot and S34 Bailey headlining the receiving options in S35 and beyond.
* date? - S33 DE Daron Arnold - called up and position swapped to DE, Arnold looks to potentially be a high-earning successor to S26 Taylor. While the lowest TPE defensive lineman as of the Feb 26 update, at only 12 behind S30 DE Hellraiser I fully expect Arnold to be second highest by the end of the season (if not earlier). If Arnold can help out on the pass rush side of things, this could be an important piece to help out a defense that gave up the most passing yards/game in S33.
* date? - S32 CB Dragazor Blaze - called up from the Seawolves after winning S33 CBOTY with 84 tackles, 4FF/2FR, 5 interceptions, and 21 defensed passes, Blaze looks to be a solid reinforcement for the Yellowknife secondary. Blaze is well behind fellow S32 CB Mekhar in the TPE side of things but is still earning steadily and so I imagine the Wraiths hope this callup will get a fire lit under the rookie to earn more.
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Draft Steal (retired S35 CB) - Profile/Update | Wiki
Troen Egghands (retired S22 DE) - Profile | Update | Wiki
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