Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct an error regarding the status of two players’ contracts. The Minnesota ROKKR have the choice of extending players Colt “Havok” McLendon and Kevin “Fame” Bonanno through the Modern Warfare II season of the Call of Duty League but have not announced whether they will do so yet. Upcomer regrets the error.
On Friday, the Minnesota ROKKR held a press conference to discuss their 2022 season and some plans for next year. While there were no roster announcements, there was some valuable information that ROKKR and Call of Duty League fans can take heading into the 2023 season.
Minnesota executives Brett Diamond and Jacob Trobaugh have the option of extending two players from their 2022 roster. Colt “Havok” McLendon and Kevin “Fame” Bonanno were signed during the Vanguard season, so the ROKKR can choose to keep them under contract for the 2023 Modern Warfare II season. However, the other three starters alongside Havok are free agents once CDL Champs concludes in August. This includes Dillon “Attach” Price, Eli “Standy” Bentz, and Preston “Priestahh” Greiner.
Minnesota wouldn’t discuss roster construction during this press conference, so fans will have to wait and see what fate holds for those starters and whether or not ROKKR will choose to re-sign them.
Speaking of roster construction, Minnesota coaches Brian “Saintt” Baroska and Daniel “Loony” Loza said the upcoming Call of Duty title, Modern Warfare II, wouldn’t play much of a role in how the team builds their 2023 roster. Loony said “some players’ stocks might go up” based on how they played in Modern Warfare 2019, which reportedly features similar gameplay to MWII. However, it was reiterated that the roster would not be built with MWII’s gameplay in mind.
End-of-Season Press Conference thread ⬇️
— Minnesota RØKKR (@ROKKR) July 22, 2022
The last bit of roster news came in regards to Kevin “Fame” Bonanno, who was brought on as a substitute player prior to CDL Major IV. At this point, it seems Fame will continue to fill the sub role for ROKKR heading into next season.
That could change depending on how free agency plays out for Minnesota, though. Coaches Saintt and Loony expressed how valuable it is to have a player like Fame, who can fill any role on the team. Fame began this season as an AR player but transitioned into an SMG. That versatility was one of the main reasons why Fame was signed in the first place.
In non-related roster news, Brett Diamond said Minnesota will attempt to shake up how next season plays out in regards to qualifier matches. Diamond said if qualifiers are back online, ROKKR will attempt to get teams to come to Minnesota and play qualifiers in a venue. While this won’t be the same as LAN, it could be a neat experience that adds some tension and personality to the qualifiers. Diamond said the CDL had not announced whether or not 2023’s qualifiers would be on LAN or online.
Overall, it seems like Minnesota is waiting for Champs to conclude before getting into rostermania discussions. The team expressed they will try and be as vocal as possible with fans about their roster for next season without giving up too much of a competitive advantage.
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