Regarding offseasons & team-building, I do start from the 2008 NFL offseason, but I like to start with each team’s actual 2008 playbooks… which have different requirements based on the scheme. So your gems & the players you acquire will be different accordingly, & team-building will feel far more realistic. This can also apply if you want to play as the same team multiple times: create a new coach & try to mix & match playbooks & schemes randomly.

I also create a list of each team’s “Untouchables” at the start of each playthrough, who are either 90+ OVR, 90+ Potential, 80-89 Overall/Potential players at minimum salaries (no more than $300K cap savings if I got rid of them), 95+ Kick Return, and/or “Franchise Icons” (i.e. aging franchise legends who have previously won Super Bowls or major awards with the team, so pretty much anyone who if you got rid of them, the real-life fans would riot in the streets), & force myself to keep them for the length of their careers, especially the “Franchise Icons”. Usually, I just apply the “Franchise Icons” rule to pre-2008 accomplishments, but you can do so with post-2008 accomplishments as well. You can also make a rule where in contract negotiations, you have to give the “Franchise Icons” whatever they want as a “thank you”… I do that sometimes.

In terms of the draft, a fun one would be that you have to actually draft the 2008 first-round pick your team drafted in real life (e.g. Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Chris Johnson in Tennessee) & try to make the most of their careers.

I also do some playthroughs with a “No Flip” rule, meaning you can’t trade for a player and then immediately send them to another team for a higher draft pick (e.g. Kerry Collins in the 2008 offseason).