Post by Tampa Bay Titans GM (Reid) on Jan 31, 2009 19:40:43 GMT -5
Injured Reserve was created so that GM's may move guys to IR if they so choose. Each team has 2 and only 2 IR slots that they move guys to during the season. Here are the rules regarding this:
1. You may move a guy to IR and his salary will be taken off of your roster so you may sign a replacement if you so choose for his position. If you sign that player who took the place of the injured player a one year deal, then you may release him without penalty. If you sign a player to more then a 1 year deal, then that player is subject to the usual waiver and buy out rules in place. This applies to both options. As, soon as that player is healthy, he must be added back to your roster and his salary will be added back to your cap. You may drop the player you signed to take his place without penalty of any kind if you so choose. Please note this only applies to IR Option 1 and not to Option 2. Please see IR Option 2 for the reasoning behind this rule.The players you signed to take your injured player's place may not be traded while he is on your roster for either option you so chose. The same rules regarding in-season FA's will apply to these special signings as well. This means any team may bid on these players. These rules may not be used for your taxi squad at all. Finally, players while on IR may not be traded, waived, or bought out.
There will be 2 options you may go for IR purposes:
Option 1: A player may be on IR for a maximum of 6 weeks. After that 6 weeks is up, you must make a decision on what to do with that player. Any team that decided to not make a move, penalties will be assessed. Please keep this in mind. The player must be on IR for a minimum of 2 weeks. He may not be taken off of IR if he is not on IR for at least 2 weeks. Once the season ends, the player must be taken off of IR and he will count towards your cap. As the above paragraph states, you may sign a temporary replacement for the period your player is on IR. Remember, the usual in-season rules apply when bidding on a temporary replacement. Once the injured player is healthy and you activate him to your active roster, you may release the player you signed without any penalty from the LO. There are some catches to this loophole as it seems to be. This only applies to this option and this option only as you had that player only for a maximum of six weeks. The other catch is that if a player signs a contract for more then 1 year, then he is subject to the usual rules for buying out or waiving a player. You may only release a player without penalty if he is on a one year deal. The usual in-season FA yearly contract rules apply here as well. No exceptions will be made to this rule. No player may be on IR during the off-season.
Option 2: A player may be placed on season ending IR. For example, the New England Patriots if this rule were in existence last year, could have placed Tom Brady on injured reserve. This would have made Brady unavailable for the rest of the regular season as well as the postseason. This example will go into effect next season. If a franchise chooses option 2, then that player is ineligible for your team's purposes for the regular and postseason games. He will be taken off of your salary cap for the remainder of the season. Once the season is over, you must add him back to your roster and salary cap. No player may be on IR during the off-season. Again, you may sign a replacement, but there is a difference here. Since the player is out for the year, the salary of the injured player will be removed from your salary cap, but the player you sign to take his place, if you choose to drop him, the same rules for waivers and buyouts will apply because you get to have this player for a longer period of time.
Ex: If I move RB Chris Johnson $4/5yrs to my season ending IR. Then, I choose to sign Cedric Benson to a $1/1yr deal and I choose to waive Benson, then I would still be responsible or him unless another team takes him off of my hands and claims him.
* Note: While on the Option 1 IR list, you may release the player you signed without penalty if he is on a 1 year deal only. Players signed to a deal longer then 1 year deal are subject to the waivers and buyout rules that are in place. No exceptions will be made.
While on the Option 2 IR list, you will be subject to all rules when it comes to releasing the player you signed no matter how long his contract is because you had his services for the length of the season. It is highly recommended that you sign a replacement player for either IR list to a 1 year deal only unless you really like that player.
No player may be traded, waived, or bought out while he is on IR no matter which option the franchise chooses.
1. You may move a guy to IR and his salary will be taken off of your roster so you may sign a replacement if you so choose for his position. If you sign that player who took the place of the injured player a one year deal, then you may release him without penalty. If you sign a player to more then a 1 year deal, then that player is subject to the usual waiver and buy out rules in place. This applies to both options. As, soon as that player is healthy, he must be added back to your roster and his salary will be added back to your cap. You may drop the player you signed to take his place without penalty of any kind if you so choose. Please note this only applies to IR Option 1 and not to Option 2. Please see IR Option 2 for the reasoning behind this rule.The players you signed to take your injured player's place may not be traded while he is on your roster for either option you so chose. The same rules regarding in-season FA's will apply to these special signings as well. This means any team may bid on these players. These rules may not be used for your taxi squad at all. Finally, players while on IR may not be traded, waived, or bought out.
There will be 2 options you may go for IR purposes:
Option 1: A player may be on IR for a maximum of 6 weeks. After that 6 weeks is up, you must make a decision on what to do with that player. Any team that decided to not make a move, penalties will be assessed. Please keep this in mind. The player must be on IR for a minimum of 2 weeks. He may not be taken off of IR if he is not on IR for at least 2 weeks. Once the season ends, the player must be taken off of IR and he will count towards your cap. As the above paragraph states, you may sign a temporary replacement for the period your player is on IR. Remember, the usual in-season rules apply when bidding on a temporary replacement. Once the injured player is healthy and you activate him to your active roster, you may release the player you signed without any penalty from the LO. There are some catches to this loophole as it seems to be. This only applies to this option and this option only as you had that player only for a maximum of six weeks. The other catch is that if a player signs a contract for more then 1 year, then he is subject to the usual rules for buying out or waiving a player. You may only release a player without penalty if he is on a one year deal. The usual in-season FA yearly contract rules apply here as well. No exceptions will be made to this rule. No player may be on IR during the off-season.
Option 2: A player may be placed on season ending IR. For example, the New England Patriots if this rule were in existence last year, could have placed Tom Brady on injured reserve. This would have made Brady unavailable for the rest of the regular season as well as the postseason. This example will go into effect next season. If a franchise chooses option 2, then that player is ineligible for your team's purposes for the regular and postseason games. He will be taken off of your salary cap for the remainder of the season. Once the season is over, you must add him back to your roster and salary cap. No player may be on IR during the off-season. Again, you may sign a replacement, but there is a difference here. Since the player is out for the year, the salary of the injured player will be removed from your salary cap, but the player you sign to take his place, if you choose to drop him, the same rules for waivers and buyouts will apply because you get to have this player for a longer period of time.
Ex: If I move RB Chris Johnson $4/5yrs to my season ending IR. Then, I choose to sign Cedric Benson to a $1/1yr deal and I choose to waive Benson, then I would still be responsible or him unless another team takes him off of my hands and claims him.
* Note: While on the Option 1 IR list, you may release the player you signed without penalty if he is on a 1 year deal only. Players signed to a deal longer then 1 year deal are subject to the waivers and buyout rules that are in place. No exceptions will be made.
While on the Option 2 IR list, you will be subject to all rules when it comes to releasing the player you signed no matter how long his contract is because you had his services for the length of the season. It is highly recommended that you sign a replacement player for either IR list to a 1 year deal only unless you really like that player.
No player may be traded, waived, or bought out while he is on IR no matter which option the franchise chooses.
