BDML - League Start Up Rules

Best Damn Madden League – League Start Up rules (Madden 24)

1. The new league will be officially created shortly AFTER the final preseason cut roster update AND IF a Title Update is pending involving Connected Madden Franchise, which is still to be determined.  Once the league is created, we’ll be adding back players from FA that have been added to practice squad in real life to appropriate teams.  Invites will be sent out AFTER that occurs.

2. Once the league is created, invites will be sent out.  Owners will take the team they’ve selected during our team selection, or changed to, and will need to Create A Coach.  DO NOT pick up any free agents at this time (see #3 below).  Once everyone is in the league, we can start.  A reasonable amount of time, as determined by commishes, will be given for people to get in the league.  The sooner everyone gets in the sooner we can start.  If there are owners that haven’t gotten in the league in a reasonable time the league may proceed without them.  If commishes don’t hear from owners that are supposed to take teams, they will be replaced. 

3. Once everyone is in the league will begin our initial Free Agency and preseason as follows:

1. Initial free agency (week 1 preseason) - we will commence an orderly priority selection of 1 free agent based on the reverse order of the team selection order from the free agency pool.  In this process, the 32^nd team will have the first free agent choice, next the 31^st, and so on and so forth down to the owner that picked first in team selection.  A reasonable time will be allowed to make a selection however have someone in mind beforehand so this process can go relatively quick.  Players after the 10^th selection will be in groups of 3 until 22^nd pick, then 5 twice to 32^nd.  Your initial free agent selection should be based on team need and to fill a hole on your team, not just selecting a player so you can trade another higher rated player in the same position for a King’s Ransom. 
2. Preseason weeks 2 and 3 – everyone will be allowed 1 additional free agent each of these weeks (in no specific order).  If you arrive to the free agency process in week 2 or 3 and haven’t made your initial selections then you’ll be allowed your 2 or 3 free agents in total at this time, respectively.
3. Preseason Week 4 – Free agency is entirely OPEN.  Cut down to 53 active players on your rosters and assign players to practice squad.  A reasonable time will be given for owners to accomplish this, as determined by commissioners. 

4. At the time the league begins we will be also adding any free agent players in the free agent pool to teams that own that players rights in real life NFL that haven’t been correctly added to the game.  Also, any trades that occurred prior to the league starting that have occurred in real life NFL will be honored and appropriately need to be traded to their respective teams if the trade has not been traded correctly and / or completed entirety by EA.  Draft picks round 1 through 6 will also need to be sent to their respective teams if not correct.  Once the league begins and the first FA is selected in our FA selection process, there will be no future real life NFL free agent pick ups and future trades honored from that date.  Also, if someone has been selected during or after our free agency selection that was picked up by a real life NFL team, the owner who picked up that player will retain that player.  

5. Regular season will begin at a time determined after entire preseason process has commenced. 

6. Practice squad stealing will be turned on Regular Season week 2 each season.