S0m and FNS say they’re stepping down from the active NRG roster

Yesterday two players from the NRG Valorant roster, Sam “s0m” Oh and Pujan “FNS” Mehta, said they have both stepped down from the team. 

The move follows an earlier report from WIN.gg, which stated that s0m, FNS, and European player Ardis Svarenieks would be moved off the team. 

The report noted that the team would continue with Austin “crashies” Roberts and Victor Wong as the only two players on NRG for VCT 2024, with three open slots.

S0m and FNS confirm their benching 

Both players, who are typically seen as a duo in Ranked and on stream, confirmed their benching last night. 

“We’re not on the starting roster anymore and, for now, during this offseason, Pujan [FNS] and I will be streaming,” s0m said. “If there comes an opportunity, we’ll see.” 

FNS said that he’s looking to create his own team from scratch, similar to when he was back on Envy a few years ago. He said that s0m would be a part of the roster, but no further information was disclosed. 

At the time of writing, the transfer window to sign players to Valorant teams is closed. It will open in a few week’s time, around mid-September, to allow partnered organizations to sign and officially release players. 

S0m’s contract is set to expire at the end of the year, while FNS will likely remain on the NRG bench until he is purchased by another organization since his contract expires in 2025, according to the global contract database. 

Both players were integral to the NRG roster this year. But the team failed to reach expectations with a disappointing top 12 finish at Valorant Champions, which saw fellow North American team Evil Geniuses victorious following a victory over Paper Rex in the grand final.

NRG is yet to confirm the benching of both players, so this move remains speculation.