AFC
1. Oakland 14-2
2. Miami 13-3
3. Pittsburgh 10-6
4. Kansas City 11-5
5. New England 10-6
6. LA Chargers 9-7

NFC
1. New Orleans 16-0
2. Dallas 13-3
3. Jacksonville 10-6
4. Atlanta 12-4
5. Washington 11-5
6. Philadelphia 9-7

Wild Card Weekend
#6 LA Chargers 325.4 at #3 Pittsburgh 276.95
#5 New England 214.5 at #4 Kansas City 181.55

#6 Philadelphia 214.9 at #3 Jacksonville 244
#5 Washington 199 at #4 Atlanta 272.4

Divisional Round
#4 Atlanta 281.25 at #1 New Orleans 245.55
#3 Jacksonville 176.05 at #2 Dallas 217.4

#6 LA Chargers 192.9 at #1 Oakland 264.05
#5 New England 239.3 at #2 Miami 272.7

Conference Championships
#4 Atlanta 307.55 at #2 Dallas 241

#2 Miami 161.9 at #1 Oakland 253.6

QFL Bowl II
#4 Atlanta 221.35 vs #1 Oakland 283.25

MVP: Davante Adams OAK

AFC

1. Oakland 15-1
2. Tennessee 12-4
3. Cleveland 11-5
4. Pittsburgh 10-6
5. Buffalo 10-6
6. LA Chargers 9-7

NFC

1. New Orleans 15-1
2. Dallas 14-2
3. Jacksonville 13-3
4. LA Rams 10-6
5. Atlanta 10-6
6. Tampa Bay 10-6

1st Round Matchups (Winners in Bold)
#6 LA Chargers at #3 Cleveland 269.8 - 193.25
#5 Buffalo at #4 Pittsburgh 195.4 - 175.6

#6 Tampa Bay at #3 Jacksonville 279.75 - 187.65
#5 Atlanta at #4 LA Rams 245.35 - 167.5

Byes: OAK, TEN, NOR, DAL

2nd Round Matchups
#6 LA Chargers at #1 Oakland 299.55 - 289.8
#4 Pittsburgh at #2 Tennessee 250.45 - 223.6

#4 LA Rams at #1 New Orleans 268.1 - 170.1
#3 Jacksonville at #2 Dallas 280.3 - 203

Conference Championships
#6 LA Chargers at #2 Tennessee 344 - 252.4

#2 Dallas at #1 New Orleans 305 - 243.9

QFL Bowl I
#2 Tennessee vs #1 New Orleans 296.4 - 239.3

MVP: Todd Gurley NOR (59.4 pts)

6/9/17 - Dry Run

WR Eric Decker - Signed by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $6.8m (2020)
LB David Harris - Signed by Tennessee (Tmurphy3) for $3.1m (2019)

6/12/17

WR Pierre Garcon - Signed by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $7.4m (2020)
LB Ahmad Brooks - Signed by Atlanta (Colibear) for $4.0m (2019)
S Eric Reid - Signed by Atlanta (Colibear) for $4.0m (2019)
S Jaquiski Tartt - Signed by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $1.2m (2019)
CB Keith Reaser - Signed by Washington (kylerap) for $0.4m (2018) 
RB Dejuan Harris - unsigned
K Robbie Gould - Signed by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.0m (2018)
LB Aaron Lynch - Signed by LA Chargers (scallywagner) for $2.5m (2019)
RB Bilal Powell - Signed by Buffalo (kkuster) for $7.0m (2020)
TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins - Signed by Buffalo (kkuster) for $5.0m (2019)


6/13/17


RB Carlos Hyde - Won by Dallas (Slipping_Slou) for $9.2m (2020)

RB Tim Hightower - Won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $2.0m (2019)

TE Vance McDonald - Won by LA Rams (Billy) for $4.0m (2019)

LB Eli Harold - Won by Tennessee (Tmurphy3) for $1.7m (2019)

CB Rashard Robinson - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $1.5m (2019)

DT Arik Armstead - Won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $5.0m (2020)

WR Quincy Enunwa - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $8.2m (2020)
QB Brian Hoyer - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $5.0m (2019)



6/14/17


WR Jeremy Kerley - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $4.2m (2019)

QB Matt Barkley - Won by Tennessee (Tmurphy3) for $2.1m (2019)

TE Garrett Celek - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $1.2m (2019)

WR Aldrick Robinson - Won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $2.0m (2019)

DT Ronald Blair - Won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) for $1.4m (2019)

WR Aaron Burbridge - Won by Philadelphia (greenie9595) for $1.0m (2018)

RB Kyle Juszczyk - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $3.5m (2019)
RB Matt Forte - Won by Tampa Bay (Horror83) for $6.0m (2019)



6/15/17


LB Malcolm Smith - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $5.5m (2020)

WR Marquise Goodwin - Won by Philadelphia (greenie9595) for $3.4m (2019)

LB NaVorro Bowman - Won by LA Rams (Billy) for $6.0m (2020)

DT Quinton Dial - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $0.8m (2018)

S Jimmie Ward - Won by Tampa Bay (Horror83) for $4.0m (2019)

DE Leonard Williams - Won by Chicago (plessite) for $10.2m (2021)

LB Corey Lemonier - unsigned

LB Jarrad Davis - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $6.0m (2020)

CB Teez Tabor - Won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.8m (2019)

WR Kenny Golladay - Won by Tennessee (TMurphy3) for $3.6m (2019)

LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin - Won by Chicago (plessite) for $2.0m (2019)

TE Michael Roberts - Won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.0m (2018)

CB Jamal Agnew - Won by Tennessee (Tmurphy3) for $1.0m (2018)

DE Jeremiah Ledbetter - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $0.4m (2018)

QB Brad Kaaya - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $2.1m (2019)
DT Pat O'Connor - unsigned



6/16/17


DE Solomon Thomas - Won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $11.0m (2021)

LB Reuben Foster - Won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $7.5m (2020)

CB Ahkello Witherspoon - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $1.6m (2019)

QB C.J. Beathard - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $1.1m (2019)

RB Joe Williams - Won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $6.1m (2020)

TE George Kittle - Won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $3.3m (2019)

WR Trent Taylor - Won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) for $1.0m (2018)

DT DJ Jones - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $0.4m (2018)

LB Pita Taumoepenu - unsigned

S Adrian Colbert - Won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $0.6m (2018)

DT DeForest Buckner - Won by Tennessee (TMurphy3) for $6.6m (2020)
CB JaCorey Sheperd - unsigned



6/19/17 (Monday... but you can submit bids beginning Saturday 6/17)


QB Joe Flacco - Won by Tennessee (TMurphy3) for $12.1m (2021)

S Tony Jefferson - Won by Tampa Bay (Horror83) for $9.0m (2020)

S Lardarius Webb - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $2.5m (2019)

DT Brandon Williams - Won by Chicago (plessite) for $4.7m (2019)

WR Chris Moore - Won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.3m (2019)

WR Michael Campanaro - unsigned

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro - Won by Tennessee (TMurphy3) for $2.3m (2019)
WR Robby Anderson - Won by Tennessee (TMurphy3) for $6.1m (2020)



6/20/17


WR Mike Wallace - Won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) for $6.4m (2020)

K Justin Tucker - Won by Philadelphia (greenie9595) for $4.0m (2019)

RB Kenneth Dixon - Won by Arizona (Benblyth) for $8.3m (2020)

LB Albert McClellan - unsigned

CB Jimmy Smith - Won by Atlanta (Colibear1) for $2.0m (2019)

TE Crockett Gillmore - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $2.0m (2019)

LB Kamalei Correa - Won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $5.0m (2020)
DE Muhammad Wilkerson - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $7.2m (2020)



6/21/17


S Eric Weddle - Won by LA Rams (Billy) for $5.0m (2019)

WR Breshad Perriman - Won by Denver (Natejones908) for $8.8m (2020)

LB Matt Judon - Won by New England (rsinewick) for $3.0m (2019)

TE Darren Waller - Won by Chicago (plessite) for $1.7m (2019)

RB Javorius Allen - Won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $2.2m (2019)

RB Terrance West - Won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $8.5m (2020)

TE Maxx Williams - Won by Chicago (plessite) for $4.7m (2019)

QB Ryan Mallett - unsigned

DE Sheldon Richardson - Won by Denver (Natejones908) for $7.5m (2020)
QB Bryce Petty - Won by Washington (kylerap) for $1.0m (2018)



6/22/17


LB Terrell Suggs - Won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $2.0m (2019)

CB Brandon Carr - Won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $3.7m (2019)

LB Za'Darius Smith - unsigned

DE Brent Urban - unsigned

TE Nick Boyle - Won by Green Bay (Montanacub) for $1.3m (2019)

LB C.J. Mosley - Won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $10.2m (2020)
LB Darron Lee - Won by Denver (Natejones908) for $5.0m (2019)



6/23/17


CB Marlon Humphrey - Won by Buffalo (kkuster) for $4.5m (2019)

LB Tyus Bowser - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $5.2m (2020)

DT Chris Wormley - Won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $2.0m (2019)

LB Tim Williams - Won by Buffalo (kkuster) for $6.1m (2019)

S Chuck Clark - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $1.0m (2018)

CB Tavon Young - Won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $1.0m (2018)

DT Michael Pierce - Won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $0.4m (2018)

RB Danny Woodhead - Won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $6.4m (2020)

LB Jordan Jenkins - Won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $4.0m (2019)
WR Charone Peake - Won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $2.0m (2019)



6/26/17


QB Matthew Stafford - won by Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) for $15.3m (2022)

TE Eric Ebron - won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $6.6m (2021)

S Glover Quin - won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.6m (2019)

CB Quandre Diggs - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $1.7m (2019)

DT Haloti Ngata - won by LA Chargers (Scallywagner) for $0.5m (2018)

LB Paul Worrilow - won by New England (rsinewick) for $3.5m (2019)

S Don Carey - unsigned

S Calvin Pryor - won by New England (rsinewick) for $2.5m (2019)
LB Lorenzo Mauldin - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $3.0m (2019)



6/27/17


WR Golden Tate - won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) for $13.2m (2021)

S Tavon Wilson - won by Philadelphia (green9595) for $5.3m (2020)

RB Zach Zenner - won by Washington (kylerap) for $2.6m (2019)

CB DJ Hayden - won by Philadelphia (greenie9595) for $1.1m (2019)

S Miles Killebrew - won by Chicago (plessite) for $4.0m (2019)

LB Antwione Williams - won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $1.0m (2018)

WR TJ Jones - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $2.3m (2019)

WR Quinton Patton - unsigned

CB Morris Claiborne - won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $1.8m (2019)
QB Christian Hackenberg - won by LA Chargers (scallywagner) for $1.8m (2019)



6/28/17


WR Marvin Jones Jr. - won by Atlanta (Colibear1) for $10.5m (2021)

LB Nick Bellore - won by Philadelphia (green9595) for $4.0m (2019)

CB Darius Slay - won by New England (rsinewick) for $4.0m (2019)

DT A'Shawn Robinson - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $2.4m (2019)

CB Johnson Bademosi - unsigned

DE Armonty Bryant - won by Washington (kylerap) for $0.4m (2018)

RB Dwayne Washington - won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $2.8m (2019)

CB Buster Skrine - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $0.9m (2018)
K Chandler Catanzaro - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $1.7m (2019)



6/29/17


RB Theo Riddick - won by Dallas (Slippin_Slou) for $5.0m (2020)

K Matt Prater - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $3.0m (2019)

CB Nevin Lawson - won by Washington (kylerap) for $1.1m (2019)

DE Cornelius Washington - fittingly won by Washington (kylerap) for $1.2m (2019)

TE Darren Fells - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $1.4m (2019)

RB Ameer Abdullah - won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) for $10.7m (2021)

DE Ziggy Ansah - won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $8.7m (2020)

S Marcus Gilchrist - won by New England (rsinewick) for $4.1m (2019)

QB Josh McCown - won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $1.1m (2019)
DT Steve McLendon - won by Jacksonville (OUDAN) for $0.6m (2018)



6/30/17


S Jamal Adams - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $8.8m (2020)

S Marcus Maye - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $5.0m (2019)

WR ArDarius Stewart - won by Miami (BadAssBamaBoys for $6.4m (2020) - not a typo

WR Chad Hansen - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $6.0m (2020) - not a typo

TE Jordan Leggett - won by Oakland (jbcoffey) for $3.4m (2019)

LB Dylan Donahue - won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $0.7m (2018) -- invalid, over the cap

RB Elijah McGuire - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $2.6m (2019)

CB Jeremy Clark - unsigned

CB Derrick Jones - won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $0.7m (2018) -- invalid, over the cap

LB Tahir Whitehead - won by Green Bay (montanacub) for $5.1m (2020)

DE Kerry Hyder - won by New Orleans (Laimbeer40) for $2.6m (2019)

DT Khyri Thornton - unsigned

WR Jalin Marshall - won by NY Giants (sean86m) for $2.3m (2019)

CB Marcus Williams - won by Pittsburgh (Andrewmott) for $1.1m (2019) -- invalid, over the cap
S Rontez Miles - won by Cleveland (Vanadio) for $4.7m (2019)

** Remember that you may not re-draft a player that you amnestied (Like Miami could not pick Ndamukong Suh for example)**
** Please make sure to PM the next owner after you make your selection**

June 5th

1. Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) - WR Tyler Lockett $0.5m (2018)
2. Denver (Natejones908) - RB Doug Martin $3.6m (2020)
3. LA Rams (Billy) - LB Bruce Irvin $4.7m (2019)
4. Buffalo (kkuster) - LB Von Miller $9.6m (2021)

June 6th

5. Chicago (plessite) - DE Frank Clark $0.5m (2018)
6. Washington (kylerap) - WR Tavon Austin $5.3m (2021)
7. Arizona (BenBlyth) - DE Derek Wolfe $4.6m (2019)
8. Minnesota (Bruskie10) - WR Jeremy Maclin $5.5m (2019)

June 7th

9. LA Chargers (Scallywagner) - LB Jerry Hughes $4.5m (2019)
10. Indianapolis (Silverfalco8) - CB Patrick Peterson $7.0m (2020)
11. NY Giants (sean86m) - LB K.J. Wright $3.4m (2018)
12. Cleveland (Vanadio) - WR Chris Hogan $2.0m (2018)

June 8th

13. Miami (BadAssBamaBoys) - DB Eric Berry $6.5m (2022)
14. Seattle (CLTFantasyBros) - WR Sammie Coates $0.5m (2018)
15. New Orleans (Laimbeer40) - TE Tyler Higbee $0.5m (2019)
16. Houston (Jeff) - CB Janoris Jenkins $6.3m (2020)

June 9th

17. Cincinnati (Grubadub33) - LB Jamie Collins $6.3m (2020)
18. Philadelphia (greenie9595) - CB David Amerson $4.3m (2020)
19. Kansas City (Soonerorlitigator) - LB Derrick Morgan $3.4m (2019)
20. Denver (Natejones908) - LB Justin Houston $8.4m (2020)

June 10th

21. LA Rams (Billy) - CB Logan Ryan $5.0m (2019)
22. Buffalo (kkuster) - DE Carl Lawson $0.5m (2020)
23. Chicago (plessite) - WR Carlos Henderson $0.5m (2020)
24. Washington (kylerap) - LB Duke Riley $0.5m (2020)

June 11th

25. Arizona (BenBlyth) - DE Jurrell Casey $4.5m (2018)
26. Minnesota (Bruskie10) - LB Donta Hightower $4.5m (2020)
27. LA Chargers (Scallywagner) - RB Benny Cunningham $0.5m (2017)

Monday 4/10 (All times are Eastern Standard Time)
1 - rsinewick 8am-12pm - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
2 - Slippin_Slou 12pm-4pm - DALLAS COWBOYS
3 - ThatsAHellofAnElk 4pm-8pm - CAROLINA PANTHERS
4 - jbcoffey 8pm-12am - OAKLAND RAIDERS
Tuesday 4/11
5 - TMurphy3 8am-12pm - TENNESSEE TITANS
6 - Colibear1 12p-4p - ATLANTA FALCONS
7 - Corey 4p-8p - PITTSBURGH STEELERS
8 - Horror83 8p-12a - TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Wednesday 4/12
9 -  montanacub 8a-12p - GREEN BAY PACKERS
10 - OUDAN 12p-4p - JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
11 - greenie9595 4p-8p - PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
12 - Grubadub33 8p-12a - CINCINNATI BENGALS
Thursday 4/13
13 - Jeff 8a-12p - HOUSTON TEXANS
14 - Laimbeer40 12p-4p - NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
15 - CLTFantasyBros 4p-8p - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
16 - BadAssBamaBoys 8p-12a - MIAMI DOLPHINS
Friday 4/14
17 - Vanadio 8a-12p - CLEVELAND BROWNS
18 - sean86m 12p-4p - NEW YORK GIANTS
19 - Silverfalco8 4p-8p - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
20 - Scallywagner 8p-12a - LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Saturday 4/15
21 - Bruskie10 8a-12p - MINNESOTA VIKINGS
22 - Benblyth 12p-4p - ARIZONA CARDINALS
23 - kylerap 4p-8p - WASHINGTON REDSKINS
24 - plessite 8p-12a - CHICAGO BEARS
Sunday 4/16
25 - kkuster 8a-12p - BUFFALO BILLS
26 - Billy 12p-4p - LOS ANGELES RAMS
27 - Natejones908 4p-8p - DENVER BRONCOS
28 - Soonerorlitigator 8p-12a - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Teams Remaining:
BAL
DET
NYJ
SF

Any completed signings from the old site have been processed. 

If you nominated someone and the signing has not been processed, then I did not deem it to be completed before the site went down and you will need to nominate them again.


Hold off on any new nominations until the remaining owners have a chance to sign up here. I will advise when we can re-start.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...1317015425

Trades

The trade deadline will be Tuesday Morning 12:01 EST that completes week 11.

- All players can be traded. 

- Cash can be exchanged on a contract as long as the cash is equal to or less than the contract of the player/players being traded.

- Draft picks can be traded, but only in the upcoming draft. This is due to the league being a money league and will discourage owners/GMs from depleting a team and then not returning.  If a team is deemed to be depleted and abandoned, league management reserves the right to award compensation picks to the depleted team in the new owner process.



Playoffs


Playoffs in the inaugural season will be 3 conference champions and 3 wildcard teams from each conference. Each week the lowest seeded plays the highest seeded with week 13 as a bye to the top 2 teams in each division. Super Bowl is week 16.



Playoff Rankings



Division winners determined:

1.  Best record overall.

2.  Total season points

3.  Third by head to head competition

4.  Coin toss. 



Wild cards determined:

1.  Overall record.

2.  Total season points.

3.  Third by head to head competition. 

4.  Coin toss. 









Week 13:



AFC Wildcard 1

vs

AFC Wildcard 2



AFC Wildcard 3

vs

AFC Division Winner 3



NFC Wildcard 3

vs

NFC Division Winner 3



NFC Wildcard 2

vs

NFC Wildcard 1



Bye Weeks: Division Winners 1 and 2



Week 14:



AFC Worst of the 4/5 or 6 seed

vs

AFC Division Winner 1



AFC Best of the 3, 4, or 5 seed

vs

AFC Division Winner 2



Same format for NFC



Week 15:



AFC Championship Game



NFC Championship Game



Week 16:


Super Bowl

Initial Roster
Each owner must select at 20 and up to 30 players from their team's real life NFL roster. Roster dates are as of 5/20/2017.  Each player you choose will inherit their real life contract.  Contracts can be found here: http://www.spotrac.com/cap-tracker/nfl/ and we will be using Annual Average Salary. We will provide a spreadsheet with your initial roster to avoid confusion. (Some draft picks may still be unsigned at this time. If this happens we will use our best estimate)

Salary Cap
Salary cap is $115m for every team.

Roster Guidelines
Each team’s roster must have at 28 players on the team from Week 1 till the end of the season. No roster may ever have more than 45 active players.  

Active Roster: 
Offense
1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 WR/TE, 2 RB/WR/TE, 1 K 
Defense
2 DE, 1 DT, 3 LB, 2 S, 2 CB, 1 Flex




Injured Reserve/Suspended Players
There are 5 IR spots.  Suspended players may also be placed on the IR.  Both are out of the control of the fantasy GM and a fantasy GM should not be penalized by the actions of a player or rogue commissioner and his agenda.  IR players DO count against a team’s cap.

Practice Squad (Minor League) Roster:

There is no Practice Squad. This league is already deep and it’s a pain in the butt to track.

Contracts
Contracts are always listed in terms of flat salary and the last season of such contract.  For example, $10m (2020) is a contract the pays $10m each season through the 2020 season.

All contracts must be no longer than five years.  Also, for a given salary, all contacts have term limits (max years contract can be per the salary) as provided below.

Salary range, Maximum Years
$1m or less = 2 years
$1.1m - $4.9m = 3 years
$5.0m - $9.9mm = 4 years
$10m or higher = 5 years (max years is 5) 

Releasing Players Under Contract (New for 2022)
You may release a player at any time. However releasing a player under contract does come with a penalty as outlined below...

Player's yearly salary/Cap penalty
$1.0m or less = free drop!!
$1.1m - $2.0m = 50% penalty each season
$2.1m and higher = 75/50/25 penalty (1st season = 75% cap hit, 2nd season = 50% cap hit, All additional seasons = 25% cap hit)


Example - Jakeem Grant is making $12.0m for 4 years and the owner decides to release him.
Yr 1 = $9.0m cap hit
Yr 2 = $6.0m cap hit
Yr 3 = $3.0m cap hit
Yr 4 = $3.0m cap hit

-If a team releases a player, that team may not re-sign said player for 30 days.


Contract Buyout
For a contract buyout, a GM can accelerate any cap penalties to the current season.  This will allow a GM to not accrue any cap hits for any future years of a forfeited contract. No buyouts allowed once playoffs start. The buyout can only be done at the time of the initial release thus you can't decide to accelerate the penalties a month later.

Example: Using the Jakeem Grant example above. The total amount of cap penalties would be $21.0m. If the owner has enough cap space to afford to pay that $21.0m in the current season, then they could choose to buyout this contract.

If money has been paid on a player's salary via a cash exchange in a trade, then that salary adjustment would be included for each season. So if Jakeem had $10m paid on his 4th year by another team, then that amount could only cover the $3.0m cap hit for the 4th year. This would reduce the buyout from $21.0m to $18.0m.

Restructuring Contracts
Restructuring allows annual salary to be reduced if player's market value (extension price) is less than or equal to half that of what he is paid.  Total reduction in salary is converted into a guaranteed signing bonus during the current (or upcoming for off-season) year.  Annual salary after such restructuring must be over $4m.  Restructuring of contracts is not allowed during the period after the trade deadline and before the off-season.  Here is an example using hypothetical rankings and market values with a real contract.
Andre Johnson, $14.6m (2020)

Let's say his market value is $5.5m, and the team owning him at the time has plenty of cap space. The restructuring says that his new annual salary is $5.5m. However, the leftover money now front-loaded to him in the form of a bonus (100% guaranteed). The signing bonus is then a whopping $36.4m.

Now, let's say the team doesn't have that cap room, but they want to restructure the contract a little bit. Well, that example is the extreme... the team can play the middle ground and reduce the annual salary to $10.5m per say for a signing bonus of $15m.
Such restructuring of contracts is not allowed from August 1st to the end of the playoffs to prevent teams from abusing the restructuring to make it count for an additional season.