Arizona Outlaws
| Arizona Outlaws | |||
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 Current season | |||
First season: 2016 Play in and headquartered in Outlaw Stadium Phoenix, Arizona | |||
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| League/conference affiliations | |||
Current uniform
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| Team colors | Red, Black, Silver | ||
| Personnel | |||
| General manager | Victoria Danvers (SwagSloth) | ||
| Head coach | Arbin Asipi | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
League championships (4)
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Conference championships (4)
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Division championships (5)
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| Playoff appearances (9) | |||
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| Home fields | |||
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The Arizona Outlaws are a professional American football franchise based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Outlaw currently compete in the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) as a member club of the league's American Simulation Football Conference (ASFC) which currently only has one division. The franchise was established in 2016 (S1) as one of the six original teams. They have a storied rivalry with the Orange County Otters, who they have faced in multiple ASFC championship games. The Outlaws won the first three NSFL Championships in a sequence of Ultimus Bowls, though the validity of the latter two would come into question in latter years. The Outlaws had one of the longest, if not the longest postseason drought, having missed the playoffs every season since 2023 (S8) till 2030 (S15). They broke the curse with a fourth Ultimus Bowl win in 2031 (S16) their first playoff berth, after 2022 (S7).
Contents
History of the Arizona Outlaws
In the beginning of the National Football Simulation League, Adwyer87 and Bushito were picked to create one of the founding teams. They named this team the Arizona Outlaws. During the inaugural draft the Outlaws were able to pick players that would be key to their upcoming seasons, such as King Bronko, Reg Mackworthy, Harrif Ernston and more. Shortly after the draft Bushito stepped down, and Adam2552 was hired as Co-GM. During the first ever season of the NSFL the Outlaws finished with a record of 9-5, tied with the Orange County Otters for first in the ASFC. Having won 3 out of 4 matchups with the Otters, the Outlaws were given home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which would prove to be a major advantage. The Outlaws blew out the Otters in the ASFC Championship Game, before going to the Ultimus to face the Colorado Yeti. They would blow out the Yeti in the first Ultimus Bowl as well, and were crowned the first ever champions of the NSFL.
In 2017 (S2), the NSFL would see an expansion draft, and while some teams would be hurt from that, the defending Ultimas champs would come out relatively unscathed only losing their 3rd best OT, backup SS, and 3rd string RB. Feeling the need to form an identity, King Bronko would be named the starting quarterback, as Vincent Draxel would be relegated to the practice squad, and Reg Mackworthy would be named starting running back with Jack Durden traded to the San Jose Sabercats along with their 1st round pick for 3 draft picks. With a trio of new wide receivers, C.A. Chess, Dustin Evans, and Mayran Jackson, the offensive identity was officially established to compliment a defense that was already defined. The Outlaws saw little competition during the season as they put together both the number one offense and defense and earned the top ASFC spot. The Orange County Otters would play a tight game in the conference championship game, but Arizona would win and steam roll over the Baltimore Hawks in the Ultimas, routing them 33-6.
the offseason leading into the 2018 (S3) season would be huge for the Outlaws. Seeing as they had three great receivers but lacking a little on defense, they decided to get ahead of the curve and trade Jackson away to Colorado in a deal that would bring in Philippe Carter and Big Bot now giving them two viable corners. They would fill the rest of their holes and add depth in the draft adding players like Charlie Law, Samuel Zhang, and Franklin Harris Jr.. Despite trading away Jackson, Bronko and Mackworthy had the Outlaws offense rolling so hard they managed to improve their points per game over the previous season by over 4. Not only that, but now with the added defense of Carter, Bot, Harris, and others they actually decreased the amount of points given up per game to under 12. Needless to say Arizona was in a league of their own blowing through the NSFL, almost going undefeated with their only blemish being an overtime loss to the Hawks. In the playoffs they would toss aside the Otters and setup a rematch against Baltimore, where they would not only beat them, but down right embarrass them, winning 49-12 and earning their third straight Ultimas Championship.
Riding the high of three straight Ultimas titles, Arizona decided to keep going all in in 2019 (S4) signing Josh Garden to a $33M contract including $23M in the first year. In doing such though, they lost their top cornerback, Carter. Trying to provide added support to their defense, Arizona traded away Bot for Blaster Blade in hopes they could generate enough pass rush to take off pressure from their cornerbacks. Samual Zhang would try and help the transition as he converted to cornerback after the signing of Garden. The defense would fall a bit some from their S3 status, but the new group of players came together enough to still be ranked as the top defense. Bronko would continue to develop into a dynamic leader for Arizona and with Garden leading the way for their receivers, the Outlaws would still win 12 games punching their ticket to the playoffs. After three straight Ultimas titles their run would be over though, as the Orange County Otters would shock the world and beat Arizona 27-9.
After four straight playoff appearances and three Ultimas titles, general manager Bogdan Podarok would step down and Adam Ess would be hired in his place starting in the 2020 (S5) season. In a shocking move, Ess would end up trading Garden to the Philadelphia Liberty for Budda Browning, Omar Wright, and 2 future draft picks. If that wasn't enough, Ess would get himself involved in a three-way trading Evans, Gustavsson, and 2 future picks, getting Alex Hayden, Fuego Wozy, and Damian West. The trades would be far from over for Ess as he would trade away 3 more draft picks for Wyatt Fulton and Andreas Waiters and then trade newly acquired Wozy for Jogn Floggity. All of these moves would take a toll on the team and despite putting up impressive offensive numbers once again with Bronko throwing for 5K yards and 44 touchdowns, the defense would fail to come together as a unit and drop from giving up just under 15 points a game to now giving up over 30 points a game. For the first time the Outlaws would fail to be ASFC Division Champions, but they'd still make the playoffs with an 8-6 record, however, the Otters would once again beat them in the conference championship game ending their season.
Following a disappointing season for the Outlaws, Ess would continue to make moves, shipping off Goodson to Baltimore, setting things up for an interesting 2021 (S6). Other than that the Outlaws would remain relatively unchanged. Fulton would end up disappearing only playing in 2 games, but that allowed for Jack Dwyer to step up recording 97 tackles and 5 sacks. Despite having one of the deepest receiving corps in the league and the continued development of King Bronko, the passing game actually took a significant step back, but that allowed Mackworthy to step up reaching the 1K yard mark. Despite the now improved run game the offense would drop to third overall in the NSFL and their record would reflect that as they once again went 8-6. In any other year that would probably be good enough for a playoff spot, but the Sabercats and Otters both would go 11-3, thus marking the first time in NSFL history that the Outlaws would fail to reach the playoffs.
With two firsts for Arizona, first time failing to reach the Ultimas and first time failing to reach the playoffs, ownership decided it was time to move on. Ess was relieved of his duties and in his place Ryan Pace was hired in 2022 (S7). Pace would continue the theme of trades as one of his first orders of business was to trade Law and Zhang to the New Orleans Second Line for Wallace Stone, Fresh Booter, and a 2nd round pick. Following that Arbin Asipi was traded to the Yellowknife Wraiths for Egor Medved and then Rob Anderson was dealt along with three draft picks for [[A.C. Hackett]. With the continuation of moving parts the Outlaws essentially made themselves worse in their secondary and receiving corp, while improving their linebacking corp. The results could be felt across the board as offensive production was down yet again and the defense struggled mightily to keep points off. The result of that would be a 5-9 record, but somehow still the Outlaws made the playoffs; a small victory for a terrible season and they would stand no chance to the 12-2 Otters in the playoffs.
It would be a one and done for Pace as John J. Johnson would be looked to to provide stability to the franchise in 2023 (S8). Despite the recent flurry of trades, Johnson wasn't shy to make his own as he traded away Browning to Baltimore for John Wachter and a 2nd round pick and then picking up Luke Tiernan from Yellowknife for some cap space. Through the draft Johnson picked up Viggo Squanch to add to an already crowded wide receiver room and Balthazar Crindy, giving them a tight end which they haven't had since Law's first couple seasons. The bad thing for Arizona though is that coming into the season everyone could see that Mackworthy and Bronko were starting to slow down a bit. Both would still put up some decent numbers, however, stringing together points was continuing to be hard. The Outlaws would fall to under 25 ppg while their defense was giving up over 27. The Outlaws would pull out some minor victories along the way, but once again would end up with a 5-9 record, this time missing the playoffs.
2024 (S9) would be the passing of the torch so to speak as Kevin Fitzpatrick was drafted and was handed full control of the team, leaving Bronko now a cheerleader of sorts. With basically the entire Outlaws roster remaining unchanged aside from Fitzpatrick and fellow rookie Bucky Barnes, the only noticeable difference was that most of their players were now showing their age, being one of the oldest teams in the NSFL. With a roolie quarterback and aging veterans, Arizona struggled in all phases dropping their offense to barely above 15 points a game while giving up over 30. The growing pains for Fitzpatrick were real as he threw 22 interceptions to 14 touchdowns. Arizona's record would reflect the struggles of their quarterback and they would only manage to win 3 games on the year.
The 2025 (S10) season would be another rather dormant year for the Outlaws in terms of player movement. Again most of the players remained the same and most looked ready to activate their AARP memberships. It would be yet a third straight year that Arizona opted to have no true cornerbacks on the team, instead drafting yet another young safety in Shannon Hobbs, giving them now four decent safeties. Fitzpatrick would step up his game only throwing 6 interceptions to 17 touchdowns in a limited role, and the Outlaws decided to heavily lean on Mackworthy's legs as he rushed for almost 1500 yards. The shift in offensive focus more towards the run game paid off a little as they were able to put more points on the board and their defense showed a little more capable in stopping other teams. Despite the improvements, they were minimal at most and they would only earn one more win, tying the Sabercats as the worst team in the ASFC.
Looking to help out Fitzpatrick, Johnson would dust off his trade machine and fire it up for the 2026 (S11) offseason as he made a trade with the Baltimore Hawks to bring back Browning to Arizona. In the draft Johnson decided to continue to neglect the corner position instead deciding to beef up the defensive line with Footballer Sackerman and Andrew Reese and also picking up linebacker Alexander Selich. Through the addition of Browning and development of Crindy and Squanch, the Outlaws actually put up impressive numbers, however, not having any true corners continued to hurt their defense as they gave up huge passing numbers and points. Selich would be a revelation putting up one of the best defensive years for a rookie ever, easily earning defensive rookie of the year and also earning some player of the year votes. The continued improvement would be felt as the Outlaws would improve to a 6-8 record coming in third place yet again in the ASFC.
As the Reg Mackworthy era in Arizona came to a close, 2027 (S12) was the start of a new time for the Outlaws. They didn't do a ton of flashy moves as they mostly opted to swap out some of their veteran depth for other veteran depth, but the one big move they did make was signing Trey Willie to give Fitzpatrick a new weapon to throw to. Aside from that, Slim Shady looked to be the lead back heading into preseason and Arbin Asipi Jr. would be taking on a flex back role taking the handoff sometimes, but primarily catching the ball. Still, despite not a lot of big roster changes there was a ton of questions needing to be answered. In preseason the team looked rather shaky, barely squeaking out the couple wins they did get and getting destroyed in the ones they lost. The Outlaws would go on to start the year with a 2-5 record and nobody really having any kind of idea what they Outlaws were on paper. The one big thing to note was that Andrew Reese was serving a four game suspension to start the year so the Outlaws were definitely out a big defensive cog in those games. Nevertheless the Outlaws were able to flip the script on the second half of the season though and would go on to win 5 of their last 7 games to finish an even 7-7. Despite missing the playoffs the team showed it was moving in the right direction.
2028 (S13) started with Arbin Asipi as the head coach. Arbin Asipi III switched from Fullback to Cornerback in the offseason, providing some sort of a boost in the Outlaws' defence. Other than that, the Outlaws entered the 2028 (S13) season with the same roster as they ended 2027 (S12). Their preseason was shaky once again, only winning one of the 4 games. But the first 8 weeks of the season told another story, showing that the Outlaws were here to challenge the Orange County Otters for the ASFC title and the Ultimus, having a 5-3 record. But they flopped in the last 6 weeks of the season, losing all games, by an average of 19.5 points, including a 58-13 blowout against the Liberty. They finished the season with a 5-9 record, last in the ASFC, but on the good side, they had the third pick in the 2029 (S14) draft.
2029 (S14) was the end of the Fitzpatrick era, and the time of the great exodus from Arizona, as most of last season's roster left. Selich, Crindy, Squanch, Asipi III, A.J. Robertson, Sackerman, and, as mentioned earlier, Fitzpatrick himself. However, Andrew Reese switched to Quarterback, and they brought in Emilia Rudd, Felix Hasselhoff, and Cooper Christmas. But they were awful. They started the season 0-10, only winning 2 games in Week 11 and Week 14, finishing with a 2-12 record, landing the #1 overall pick at the 2030 (S15) draft. They only managed to score more than 20 points three times, winning two games out of these three, and were held at or below 10 points 6 times. They also allowed more than 20 points in 13 of their 14 games, allowing 37.4 points on average.
2030 (S15) was more of the same, but it showed that the team was finally getting back on track. Aware of the imminent retirements of Borro Gore, Fonz Nuno, Hammer Jack, and Roman Stakowski, they hit the nail on the head in the draft, getting Brock Landers, Ricardo Morris, and Lucas Knight, investing in the future. They didn't make playoffs once again, despite having the best offence in their conference, and the third best offence in the league, but were in the hunt after 11 weeks, with a 6-5 record, showing promise for the future, but a 3-game losing streak to end the season eliminated them from playoff contention for another season. They were tough to beat at home, winning 4 of their 7 home games, and never losing by more than 10 points, apart from the 37-14 loss to the SaberCats in Week 14, but it was all said and done for the Outlaws. Arizona finished 3rd in the ASFC, with a 6-8 record.
2031 (S16) was the year the Outlaws finally broke through. Despite only having a 3rd round draft pick, and the retirements of Gore, Jack, Stakowski, and Nuno, the Outlaws were looking like a serious contender. Jammerson Irving was called up from his DSFL ventures, and the rest of last season's roster was still there. They were pretty much as mediocre as a team can be, finishing the regular season with a 7-6 record, 2nd in the ASFC, making a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 (S7), mostly due to their amazing home record, 6 wins in 7 home games. All home games they won were by double-digit margins. But as mediocre as their regular season were, the Owtlaws were too much for their opposition in playoffs. 41-21 beatdown of the San Jose SaberCats at home, trip to California and 31-3 dismantling of the Orange County Otters, and then back home for a very close Ultimus Trophy win over the Philadelphia Liberty. beating them with a Andrew Reese TD pass to jeffrey Murphy, with only 90 seconds on the clock, putting them up 34-30. Philly didn't have time, and the Outlaws finished their Cinderella run with an Ultimus win.
The Outlaws entered the 2032 (S17) as the defending champions, with a mostly intact roster, apart from the massive addition of WR Vinny Valentine. A 6-win game streak from Week 3 till Week 8 was enough for the Outlaws to secure the first place in ASFC, with a 9-4 record, earning them a bye for the first round of the playoffs, and home field advantage through Ultimus. They had the best offence and the third best defence in the league, scoring 30.3 and allowing 20.6 points per game. They had the homefield advantage, and again winning 6 of their 7 regular season games, but they couldn't utilize it. They were upset by the Otters in the ASFC Championship Game, despite Reese throwing two touchdown passes. The final score was 37-20, and the dream of a repeat Ultimus win was no more. But the Outlaws were looking like perennial contenders now, instead of the joke they were a few seasons ago.
In 2033 (S18), they wanted to bounce back and win another Ultimus. The roster was left intact once again, but they were all poised. Another 9-4 season, but it was only enough for the 2nd place in ASFC, behind the reigning dynasty, who also were the defending champions, the Otters. Their averages were in the middle of the pack, but that mostly showed the higher level of the league. The Outlaws were as good as they were in their Ultimus winning season. They made the playoffs again, beating the Austin Copperheads in the ASFC Wildcard Game, setting up another Outlaws-Otters ASFC Championship Game, the third in three seasons, this time in Orange County. The game was close, but the Outlaws were outlasted, losing 21-16, missing out on the Ultimus once again.
"From perennial contenders to disappointment" is how you could describe the Outlaws' downfall in 2034 (S19). RB Slim Shady and WR Vinny Valentine left the team, and the Arizona offence was seriously downgraded. But they were on top form to begin the season. They swept the preseason and started the season with high hopes, after beating San Jose Sabercats 62-0 in week 1. But it was not to be. Six losses in the next seven games had the Outlaws with the abysmal 2-6 record, with playoff hopes looking good however, with how Austin was struggling. A three game winstreak from week 9 to week 11 only meant Arizona had to win one of the remaining two games to secure a playoff spot over the Snakes, whom Zona had already lost twice to. But the Outlaws collapsed. Two straight losses to end the season and a tie at 5-8 for the last playoff birth with Austin Copperheads. But, as mentioned earlier, Austin had beaten Zona twice, owning the tiebreaker and eliminating the once champs from playoff contention.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | ||||||
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| W | L | T | PCT | W | L | |||
| 2016 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2027 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2028 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2029 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2030 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2031 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2032 | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2033 | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2034 | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2035 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2036 | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2037 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .346 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2038 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2039 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 166 | 166 | 0 | .500 | 11 | 9 | ||
Current roster
Arizona Outlaws roster
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| Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams |
Reserve lists
DSFL Send-downs
Rookies in italics
Roster updated December 9th 2023 | ||||||
Current staff
Arizona Outlaw staff
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References
