For the first time, trades will be allowed during our 3-round rookie draft. This is a major update, and we have established some clear rules to keep the draft moving and prevent clock emergencies.
Please read these guidelines carefully before we get underway.
1. Draft Trading Hours & The Overnight Pause
- Monitored Hours: Trades are typically reviewed and processed between 8:00 AM and Midnight ET each day.
- Overnight Pause: There is an 8-hour overnight clock pause. The pick clock does not run during this window — this stops owners from getting timed out and auto-picked while we’re asleep.
- Off-Hours Trading: You can still offer and accept trades during the overnight pause, and we may process them if we’re awake — it’s just not guaranteed the way it is during the regular window.
- Manage Your Pending Offers: If you’re worried about an offer being accepted while you’re asleep — especially with East Coast and West Coast time differences — revoke your open trade offers before you go to bed. If a trade is accepted overnight and you get auto-picked because you weren’t awake to make your selection, that’s on you.
2. The One-Hour Cutoff Rule (No Exceptions)
- The Clock: Each draft pick has its own 6-hour clock.
- The Cutoff: Any trade accepted with one hour or less remaining on that pick’s clock will be rejected immediately.
- The Reason: We cannot verify if the acquiring owner is awake, online, and ready to pick. We will not risk a timeout/auto-pick because of a late-accepted trade.
- No Reset: The pick clock does not reset when a trade is finalized.
3. Future Picks Require Renewal
If a trade includes a future draft pick, the team trading away that pick must already be renewed for the corresponding season(s):
- Trading next year’s pick → must be renewed for next season
- Trading a pick two years out → must be renewed for both next season and the season after that
⚠️ Critical Note: Renewal status is checked when the trade is accepted — not when it’s offered. If you’re proposing or accepting a future-pick trade, renew your team before hitting accept.
If the team trading away the pick isn’t renewed when the trade is accepted, the trade will be rejected. We cannot hold trades in limbo or monitor accounts waiting for a renewal — the draft moves too quickly for that.
4. Watch Your Payment Processor Limits
Some payment processors cap transactions (e.g., a maximum of 3 deposits within an hour, or 5 within a single day). If you need to fund your account for multiple renewals to facilitate multiple trades, make one larger deposit upfront. You can always refund yourself the difference later if you over-deposit.
Quick Summary
- Active Trading: 8:00 AM – Midnight ET (trades allowed overnight, but the pick clock is paused)
- Under 1 Hour Left on a Pick: Trade rejected. No exceptions.
- Future Picks: Renew your team before you offer or accept. Unpaid/unrenewed future-pick trades are auto-rejected.
- Funding: Deposit early and in bulk to avoid payment processor lockouts.
