A Free Football GM Alternative
If you play Football GM (ZenGM) for the front-office side — the draft, the cap, the trades — Offseason Empire gives you that, free, with a modern interface built for exactly that job. Both are free and run in your browser. The difference is focus: ZenGM is a deep, do-everything sim; Offseason Empire is the offseason, polished and quick to jump into on any device. You can start a game right now.
| Offseason Empire Front-Office Pick | Football GM (ZenGM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | Free |
| Platform | Any browser — phone, tablet, desktop | Any browser |
| Setup | None — click and play, no account | None — runs in browser |
| Focus | The offseason — draft, cap, trades, roster | Full sim, incl. on-field play |
| Feel | Modern, polished, focused | Dense, utilitarian, deep |
| League | Fictional 32-team league | Fictional, fully customizable |
| Best for | Loving the front office without the spreadsheet | Tinkerers who want every dial |
Same price, different job
ZenGM's Football GM is a genuinely impressive free sim — it models entire careers, on-field results and endless customization. But all that depth is also the catch: if what you actually love is the offseason — scouting the class, working the board, swinging a trade, fitting it all under the cap — a lot of the sim is scenery. Offseason Empire strips it to that job and makes it feel good on a phone.
What you get in Offseason Empire
You're the GM. Scout the draft class and build your board, run the draft, work the salary cap, make trades and free-agent signings, and set your 53-man roster — then simulate the season and live with your decisions. It's fictional, so there's no real-NFL baggage, and the interface is built to be readable and fast whether you're on a laptop or your phone at 11pm.