Designations and contract years are due 8/31/18.
Here are the DS rules for reference:
Developmental Squad
Each team is allowed two developmental squad slots. As with players on the practice squad, the salary does not go against the total cap. However, other owners may not place bids on players on the developmental squad. Placing a player on the developmental squad is an off-season activity. Players may not be placed on the developmental squad once the regular season begins. The following stipulations must be met to be eligible for the developmental squad:
1. Player must be drafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the current year rookie draft.
2. A player acquired through trade in the off-season may be placed on the developmental squad as long as they were drafted in either the 2nd or 3rd round of the current year rookie draft.
There is no maximum length of time a player may be assigned to the developmental squad. A player may be moved to the active roster or released at any time but may not be placed back onto the developmental squad. If promoted, a player may be given a contract no longer than 4 years. If released, a cap hit will be charged assuming the player was assigned a contact of 1 year at the league minimum salary.
Players on the developmental squad may be traded, but may not be placed on the new owner’s developmental squad. At completion of the trade the new owner must assign contract years at the new sliding scale salary (see below).
Once a player’s game has started he is not eligible to be promoted from the developmental squad until FCFS opens on Wednesday at 9:00am of the next week. Any promoted player’s salary will be determined by a sliding scale of the player’s position franchise amount and length of time on the developmental squad.
Beginning with the 2015 year, any player put on the DS will be promoted using the following scale.
The sliding salary scale is:
• If drafted in the 2nd rd: First year on the DS, salary is 10% of the player’s position Franchise Tag salary. 2nd year on the DS, salary is 20% of the player’s position FT salary, 3rd year = 30% and so on until the salary reaches the player’s position Franchise Tag level. It’s an increase of 10% of the player’s position FT salary each year.
• If drafted in the 3rd rd: First year on the DS, salary is 5% of the player’s position Franchise Tag salary. 2nd year on the DS, salary is 10% of the player’s position FT salary, 3rd year = 15% and so on until the salary reaches the player’s position Franchise Tag level. It’s an increase of 5% of the player’s position FT salary each year.
Any player put on the DS prior to the 2015 and will be promoted using the following scale.
The sliding salary scale is:
• If drafted in the 2nd rd: First year on the DS, salary is 15% of the player’s position Franchise Tag salary. 2nd year on the DS, salary is 30% of the player’s position FT salary, 3rd year = 45% and so on until the salary reaches the player’s position Franchise Tag level. It’s an increase of 15% of the player’s position FT salary each year.
• If drafted in the 3rd rd: First year on the DS, salary is 10% of the player’s position Franchise Tag salary. 2nd year on the DS, salary is 20% of the player’s position FT salary, 3rd year = 30% and so on until the salary reaches the player’s position Franchise Tag level. It’s an increase of 10% of the player’s position FT salary each year.
If a player is promoted during the first year on the DS - he is given the first year salary. A player does not have to be on the DS for a full year before getting that salary, but rather as soon as they are on it for any portion of that year, that is the salary that counts for them if promoted.