*** THIS RULE HAS FAILED ***
This rule proposal comes to us from the Holley Hawks, who illegally posed it during the season last year on the MFL site via a poll:
Current Rule
Currently, only players drafted in the first two rounds are eligible for a 4th-year option. Players drafted in rounds 3-5 become free agents.
Rule Change Proposal
All drafted players are eligible for a 4th year option.
Context
There was a move among league members to try to increase the availability of good free agents. The example that came up was Julio Jones. He was drafted by the Colliders so he played for 3 years. Then he was a restricted free agent, where the Colliders kept him for 3 more years. Then he was franchise tagged twice. So Julio Jones didn’t hit the open market for 8 years.
To mitigate this, we changed the rule to say a player can only receive the franchise tag once per team. We did away with restricted free agency and added the 4th round option. The idea was to give a 25% raise in year 4, which would likely be a team friendly outcome to reward good drafting in the early rounds.
Reasons to Keep It the Way It Is
A 5th round pick that blows up would be signed for $1.59 where he might be worth $60. Some might think that’s egregiously below market value.
Reasons to Change It
It rewards good scouting/drafting (or, if we’re being honest, luck). Who cares if I’m only paying $1.59 for my superstar RB that was third string but became a starter? Every one of you had a chance to draft him several times if I got him in the 5th round.
Weigh In
Vote below! Or, if you’re not sure yet, comment below and vote after there has been a robust discussion.
Should we change the requirements for option-eligible players?
- Yes, every drafted player should have a 4th year option. (50%, 4 Votes)
- No, only 1st and 2nd rounders should have a 4th year option. (50%, 4 Votes)
Total Voters: 8
Loading ...© 2025, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
So if I’m reading this correctly, all the change does is rewards good drafting with an extra cheap year? And adds to the offseason fun? Seems harmless to me.
Yeah, the tension is rewarding good drafting vs. having a good free agent class. Just depends on what people are looking for.
One thing I like about the current setup is that it encourages trading during the draft. The 2.12 pick is much more valuable than the 3.01 pick because of that 4th year option, so teams jockey to get into position for that if they believe I guy could later warrant the 4th year option.