Free agency

In football, free agency works in two ways. The rules depend on the season phase. For the general idea, see Waivers and free agents.

Regular season: the open market

In season, free agents sign first-come. There are no sealed rounds. Move fast on a fit.

1. Open Players and filter the list to Free agent.
2. Open the player you want.
3. Select Offer, then Make offer in the dialog.
4. The game shows a "signed" message when the deal goes through, and the player joins your active roster.
5. Set your starters on the depth chart. See Your team.

Check your roster for thin spots first.

Playoffs

Rosters are frozen in the playoffs. See Run your season.

Offseason: sealed bids

In the offseason, free agents sign through sealed bids. Bidding runs in rounds.

1. Advance the offseason to the free agency step. See Run your season.
2. Open Free agency.
3. Put in your best offer on each player you want. You will not see the other offers.
4. Advance to resolve the round. The game repeats the round until the step is done.

Before the market opens, the contract window lets you re-sign or extend your own players. A player you leave unsigned goes to the market when contracts expire.