Any idea why a starting QB would have played the entire game in the preseason when I had two QBs active and had the gameplan set to pull starters after two quarters? Was trying to evaluate a rookie QB and didn't get to see him at all.

FYI, my team did play two different QBs in the first preseason game with identical settings. Thanks for any help.

Maybe slot them at #1 and #2 for qb and kick holder. Perhaps the code got a little confused by having the #1 inactive and your #2 slotted at the #4.

It's because your rookie QB isn't ready. I had a rookie start a preseason game in my depth at QB1 for an entire game. I even checked after the game. However, it gave me the veteran QB (QB2) for an whole game and thus losing valuable experience for my rookie

Interesting, I never considered that. I just assumed the game would pick from whichever players were actually active, regardless of slot on the depth chart. I'll try swapping them around and see if that works. With only 3 or 4 preseason games you don't have much time to see if rookies are actually good, especially at QB, so losing a game to evaluate them is really annoying. Thanks for the comments.

I think this is the problem. AI sees QB1 inactive so it subs in qb2 first half. Then when 2nd half starts, #2 stays in. Pretty sure this happened to me awhile ago, and sliding the inactives to the bottom should fix it.

Cool. I had the actives as #3 and #4, so I moved them to #1 and #2. Hopefully it will solve the problem. Have to see if any of these guys can be legit backups.

Separate question: when do owners start worrying about potential retirements? At 10% chance? 20? Established QB is at 10% chance now, so that's why I really need to gauge the other options. I've got some players on other teams at 20% chance, and I'm worried about re-signing them and they immediately retire and leave me stuck with dead cap bonus $. Just wondering when to cut the cord on a guy even if he's still playing well. Thanks.

Other than QB, OL and DL, I usually don't resign guys that close to retirement. If I draft a skill guy or LB/DB, I'll give them a 6 year extension after rookie contract expires, then that's it. Sometimes I'll sign a FA in their 5th year and the contract takes them into year 10, and that's OK.

If it's a player already on your team in the last year of a contract, let them hit the free agent market next season, then try to resign them. Sometimes you may lose out on the guy, but you also don't have to get stuck with a massive dead cap hit. If you do resign your guy, it will often be for less years and less bonus than if you renegotiated the season prior.

Once a player hits 10% it goes up 10% every season thereafter. So there's about a 50/50 chance they retire after 3 seasons (90% * 80% * 70% = 50.4% chance they don't retire after 3 seasons). So a contract more than 3 years is super-risky. Even a 3-year deal has a 28% chance of the player retiring within 2 seasons.

Got it. I generally avoid signing any player, regardless of position, after age 31. I got surprised by a QB retiring with just a 10% chance and didn't want to have to scramble for a replacement.

With "speed" positions like CB, WR or RB that decline quickly I don't want to get burned. It does seem like o linemen play forever, but I figure a younger, stronger player would still be preferable.

I agree that long-term contracts aren't worthwhile past 30 -- to me, past 29. But I've found a few good older players for one-year and two-year deals can give a big cheap boost.