- The 12 teams will be divided into a top, middle, and lowest division based on the previous season’s ALL-PLAY record. Though the names of these divisions may change, they will be referred to as the Gold, Silver, and Bronze division in the rules.
- Each team will play their division rivals two times (6 games) and every other team once (8 games) for a 14-game regular season.
- The division winner will receive naming rights for the division the following season.
- Six teams will advance to the playoffs to determine a champion:
- The top 3-teams from the Gold Division will advance to the playoffs.
- The top 2-teams from the Silver Division will advance to the playoffs.
- The top team from the Bronze Division will advance to the playoffs.
- Seeding will occur thusly:
- #1 seed – Gold Division Winner (first round bye)
- #2 seed – Gold Division Runner-Up (first round bye)
- The remaining seeds will be awarded based on records.
- Re-seeding will occur in the 2nd round of the playoffs so that the lowest remaining seeds play the highest remaining seeds.
- The championship game will be held in week 17.
- The remaining six teams will participate in the Most Futile Franchise tournament:
- Teams will advance by losing.
- The two worst teams (3rd and 4th place in the Bronze division) will receive first round byes in the tournament
- The loser of the week 17 “championship” game will become the Most Futile Franchise for that season.
- Each team is allocated 40 roster spots, split between offensive and defensive players.
- Each team is allocated an unlimited number of injured reserve spots. Only players whose status is “IR” or “OUT” or “DOUBTFUL” or “SUSPENDED” can be placed on injured reserve. The salaries of players on IR do count against the team’s salary cap.
- Starting lineups shall consist of 18 players in the following formation:
- QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, K, P, OFF FLEX, OFF FLEX, DT, DE, LB, LB, CB, S, DEF FLEX, DEF FLEX
- Eligible offensive flex positions: RB, WR, TE
- Eligible defensive flex positions: DT, DE, LB, CB, S
- Backup players will be selected during lineup submission to break ties.
- Owners must submit a lineup every week. Failure to submit a lineup results in:
- (1st offense) The use of the previous week’s lineup. Note, the previous week’s lineup will not be used if a lineup was not submitted prior to a Thursday game. Instead, any Thursday players will be removed and only a partial lineup will be used.
- (2nd offense) The commissioner will ask the owner to submit a lineup for each week, all at once. The owner can then go in later and change the lineups on a week to week basis. Should the owner forget, then a lineup has already been set.
- (3rd offense) The commissioner will get super annoyed and submit the same lineup for all of the remaining weeks with no regard to bye weeks or injuries. The owner can then make changes on a week to week basis.
- (4th offense) The owner is removed from the league.
- Each player on a roster must be signed to a contract.
- The league minimum is $1. Player salaries increase by 5 percentage points each year over the course of their contract:
- Players moving from year one to year two earn a 10% raise.
- Players moving from year two to year three earn a 15% raise.
- Players moving from year three to year four earn a 20% raise.
- Etcetera
- Initial contracts will be set by the 2010 auction.
- Drafted players have contracts that are subject to the slotted salary schedule. Free agents will be awarded to the highest bidder…the highest bid becomes that player’s salary.
- If a player is dropped during the season, the dropping team will incur a cap penalty equal to 50% of that player’s salary during the next season. However, the dropped player will demand a salary that is equal to or higher than his current salary for the remainder of the season. So if a team wants to sign a dropped player, he must pay his full salary for him. If cut players remain unsigned for the entire season, their contracts will expire and they will become unrestricted free agents in the offseason.
- The maximum contract that a player can be offered is 10 years.
- When a player’s contract expires, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
- If a drafted player is not signed by the drafting team, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
- All teams will have an opportunity to bid on UFAs. The UFA will sign with the team that offered the most money.
- Free agency will be handled in an auction manner, with free agents being awarded to the highest bidder.
- Once a UFA is awarded, the owner will determine the length of the contract in years.
- There will be an additional free agent signing period after the rookie draft.
- Players acquired through the draft are signed to 3-year contracts.
Pick Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 (Option) 1.01 $15.00 $16.50 $18.98 $23.73 1.02 $15.00 $16.50 $18.98 $23.73 1.03 $14.00 $15.40 $17.71 $22.14 1.04 $14.00 $15.40 $17.71 $22.14 1.05 $13.00 $14.30 $16.45 $20.56 1.06 $13.00 $14.30 $16.45 $20.56 1.07 $12.00 $13.20 $15.18 $18.98 1.08 $12.00 $13.20 $15.18 $18.98 1.09 $11.00 $12.10 $13.92 $17.40 1.10 $11.00 $12.10 $13.92 $17.40 1.11 $10.00 $11.00 $12.65 $15.81 1.12 $10.00 $11.00 $12.65 $15.81 2.01 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.02 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.03 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.04 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.05 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.06 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.07 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.08 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.09 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.10 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 2.11 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 2.12 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 3.01 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.02 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.03 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.04 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.05 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.06 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.07 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.08 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.09 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.10 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.11 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.12 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 4.01 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.02 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.03 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.04 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.05 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.06 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.07 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.08 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.09 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.10 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.11 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.12 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 5.01 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.02 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.03 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.04 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.05 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.06 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.07 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.08 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.09 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.10 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.11 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.12 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 - Players drafted in the first or second round are eligible for a fourth-year option.
- The fourth year option is a 25% raise over year three.
- Owners can choose not to exercise the fourth year option. Those players become unrestricted free agents at the end of their 3-year rookie deal.
- Players who receive the 4th year option become unrestricted free agents at the end of their 4th season.
- Drafted players cannot hold out before their contracts expire (whether they are 3-year deals or optional 4-year deals.)
- Each team may award a franchise tag to one offensive player and one defensive player (2 franchise tags total).
- If a player receives the franchise tag, he must be paid the average of top 3 salaries at his position. He is signed for one year only.
- If the application of the franchise tag would result in a salary decrease, then that player will receive a 15% raise over his final salary.
- Players can only be franchised once by a team.
- A player with an expiring contract cannot be traded to another team (so that they can franchise tag them) after the trade deadline.
- A player who finishes the season in the top 10 at his position will become a HOLDOUT if his salary is below the top-10 salaries at his position.
- Holdouts who finish in the top-5 at their position will demand the average of the top-5 salaries at that position.
- Holdouts who finish in the top-10 (ranked 6-10), will demand the average of the salaries ranked 6-10 at that position.
- A player cannot hold out until he has completed the second year of his contract, or 50% of his contract, whichever comes first.
- Drafted players cannot hold out during their initial rookie (3-year) contract, regardless of how well they do.
- If a holdout player’s contract demands are met, he will receive the new salary for the remainder of his contract (his contract years will not change). The annual increases will be applied to the new salary.
- Note: Rankings will be based on the Immersion regular season only (weeks 1-14.)
- When a player holds out, the owner has the following options:
- The owner can meet the player’s contract demands. He will begin the season on time with his new salary.
- When meeting a holdout player’s contract demands, an owner can choose to restructure the number of years on the deal:
- Adding years will decrease the initial holdout salary by 5% per year, up to 15% (a max extension of 3 years.)
- Reducing years will increase the initial holdout salary by 5% per year, up to 40% (a max reduction of 8 years.)
- Restructuring can happen anytime during the holdout.
- The owner can trade the player and incur no cap hit (the receiving team will have to deal with the holdout status).
- The owner can cut the player and pay the 50% cap hit (based on the current salary, not the holdout demands) for the upcoming season(s).
- The owner can ignore the player’s demands. In this case the player will hold out for the first 7 games of the season. He will report for duty during the last 6 games and the playoffs so that he can earn his accrued seasons towards becoming a free agent. If this course of action is taken, a player will again resume his holdout at the beginning of the following season until his demands are met or he becomes a free agent.
- An owner may choose to add years to an existing player contract.
- Extensions must be made prior to a player entering the last year of his contract.
- Contract extensions must be at least two years long, meaning a player that would have one year left on his contract would now have three years left on his contract. Players can be extended for more than two years, if the owner wants to do that.
- If a player’s contract is extended, then he is compensated as follows:
- Players who finished outside of the top-10 at their position in the prior season will earn the “top-10” salary figure that contract holdouts ask for when they finish in the top-10.
- Players who finish in positions 6-10 at their position in the prior season will earn the “top-5” figure as a starting salary.
- Players who finish in positions 1-5 at their position in the prior season will earn the top salary (#1) as the starting salary.
- Note: Rankings will be based on the Immersion regular season plus playoffs (weeks 1-18.)
- Restructuring can only be done during the offseason.
- When a deal is restructured, the previous contract is void, and the player begins a new deal, with the new salary as year one. They will receive a 10% increase in year 2 and a 15% increase in year 3 (and more increases, per the salary rules, if they are extended for longer.)
- A player’s contract can only be restructured one time.
- Drafted players who signed rookie contracts are not eligible for restructuring.
- The salary cap is $400.
- A salary floor must also be observed. The salary floor is $200.
- Cutting a player will result in a cap hit of 50% of that player’s contract (current year only) applied to the next season.
- There will be no cap hits for trading players.
- When players are traded, their contracts are traded as well, and the teams involved must be sure to stay under the salary cap.
- Beginning in 2013, the rookie draft will consist of 5 rounds.
- The draft order will be determined as follows:
- 1.01 – Lottery among Bronze Division 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place
- 1.02 – Lottery among Bronze Division 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place
- 1.03 – Lottery among Bronze Division 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place
- 1.04 – Bronze division winner (conceivably the Immersion Champion)
- 1.05 – Silver division 4th place
- 1.06 – Silver division 3rd place
- 1.07 – Silver division 2nd place (conceivably the Immersion Champion)
- 1.08 – Silver division winner (conceivably the Immersion Champion)
- 1.09 – Gold division 4th place
- 1.10 – 1.12 – Gold division 1st through 3rd in reverse order of playoff finish (same as current system; 1.12 could conceivably be the Immersion Champion)
- Drafted players will be subjected to a slotted salary schedule.
Pick Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 (Option) 1.01 $15.00 $16.50 $18.98 $23.73 1.02 $15.00 $16.50 $18.98 $23.73 1.03 $14.00 $15.40 $17.71 $22.14 1.04 $14.00 $15.40 $17.71 $22.14 1.05 $13.00 $14.30 $16.45 $20.56 1.06 $13.00 $14.30 $16.45 $20.56 1.07 $12.00 $13.20 $15.18 $18.98 1.08 $12.00 $13.20 $15.18 $18.98 1.09 $11.00 $12.10 $13.92 $17.40 1.10 $11.00 $12.10 $13.92 $17.40 1.11 $10.00 $11.00 $12.65 $15.81 1.12 $10.00 $11.00 $12.65 $15.81 2.01 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.02 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.03 $9.00 $9.90 $11.39 $14.24 2.04 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.05 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.06 $8.00 $8.80 $10.12 $12.65 2.07 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.08 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.09 $7.00 $7.70 $8.86 $11.08 2.10 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 2.11 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 2.12 $6.00 $6.60 $7.59 $9.49 3.01 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.02 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.03 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.04 $5.00 $5.50 $6.33 3.05 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.06 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.07 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.08 $4.00 $4.40 $5.06 3.09 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.10 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.11 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 3.12 $3.00 $3.30 $3.80 4.01 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.02 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.03 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.04 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.05 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.06 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.07 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.08 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.09 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.10 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.11 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 4.12 $2.00 $2.20 $2.53 5.01 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.02 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.03 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.04 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.05 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.06 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.07 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.08 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.09 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.10 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.11 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27 5.12 $1.00 $1.10 $1.27
- In-season free agency will be handled through blind bidding.
- From Sunday kickoff through Wednesday evening, owners can bid on free agents by offering a salary.
- These blind bids will be processed automatically on Wednesday night, with players being awarded to the highest bidder.
- When placing blind bids, owners will indicate the number of years that the player should be signed for in the comments section.
- In the case of a tie, the computer will award the player to the team that is worse-off, according to the tiebreakers.
- After blind bidding waivers are processed, free agents can be signed for the league minimum on a first-come, first-serve basis through kickoff Sunday.
- Owners must also inform the commissioner of the contract lengths for FCFS waivers (usually in the comments field.)
- Trades can be made at any time during the offseason. During the season, no trades can be made after the trade deadline of week 10 (kickoff.) Trading will immediately resume after the Immersion Championship Game, though players with expiring contracts cannot be traded.
- Trades must include players or draft picks on both sides. Teams cannot trade for “nothing” (cap or salary considerations.)
- Owners can trade future draft picks for up to 2 years from the current season.
- Any trades that result in illegal rosters or salary cap overages must be rectified through free agency right away.
- Trades will be processed automatically and do not require any approval from either the commissioner or the other league members.
- Lineups must be submitted every week.
- Owners should promptly respond to trade offers. If the owner is contemplating a trade, and wants a few days to mull it over, he should let the other party know that.
- Owners should be available during the offseason to participate in free agency and the draft.
- Owners are expected to vote on league issues and rule changes right away. These votes will usually take place via an online poll on the league website.
- Owners are expected to submit an owner profile page and keep it current.
- Owners are expected to treat one another with courtesy. Though trash-talking is encouraged, personal attacks based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. is discouraged.
- The SCUFFLE Immersion champion will host and maintain the championship trophy. When the next champion is crowned, then the current champion has the responsibility of shipping the trophy to its new home. The current champion is to include a handwritten note welcoming the new champion to the exclusive Immersion Champions club.