68 million allocated to 7 players - Curran

[Miguel]

I was stunned tonight when Tom Curran stated on "Sports Tonight" that the Patriots have allocated $68 million in cap space to 7 players. He said it twice and made it a point to mention it on the show.

I have the 7 players as
Brady, Tom 14,627,280
Green, Jarvis 5,007,280
Light, Matt 5,508,950
Moss, Randy 10,507,280
Seymour, Richard 9,792,280
Thomas, Adalius 6,407,280
Vrabel, Mike 4,393,280

for a total of $56,243,630.

I freely admit that my numbers are never 100% correct but if Curran is correct then I will be more off than I have been in the recent past. My numbers for Light and Vrabel should be off as I am considering their Pro Bowl incentives to be NTLBE for the 2009 season. They were LTBE for the 2008 season. I am not 100% confident in my number for Ty Warren but I really doubt that it is off by $12 million.

I hope that in the near future that Curran will provide more details.

Disclaimers - I should say that I am a fan of his work. He told me that he has visited my cap pages.

 

[patsox23]

I like Curran, too. Not really worried if he's correct b/c so many of these figures are easily massaged. The Patriots are in perfectly fine cap shape. They run a fiscally sound operation.

 

[billdog3484]

i have an overwhelming sense that curran wants the patriots to perform poorly. everything we hear from this guy about the patriots is negative...no?

 

[ALP]

hmm, interesting...

althhough ill trust miguels numbers more then currans...

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

If he was counting Cassel instead of Vrabel that would explain the 12 million.

 

[lamafist]

I like Curran, too. Not really worried if he's correct b/c so many of these figures are easily massaged. The Patriots are in perfectly fine cap shape. They run a fiscally sound operation.

Well, see, there's a bit of a problem w/ that theory -- unless the league and NFLPA can come to a new CBA agreement, the 2009 season will be the last before an uncapped year, meaning NO money can be converted to bonuses and deferred to later years.

This means that in order to get cap relief on a players' contract, that player would need to take an actual pay-cut, and not just restructure.

 

[BelichickFan]

If he was counting Cassel instead of Vrabel that would explain the 12 million.

Yeah, he might have assumed the Franchise number.

 

[jbb9s]

Yeah, he might have assumed the Franchise number.

Thats what he did - substitute Cassel for Vrabs and it sums up.

By the way, why does Jarvis Green make so much? Nice pass rusher and even a starter on half of NFL team, admittedly, but still, thats a lot of cash not a traditional 3 down lineman

 

[patriot lifer]

If he was counting Cassel instead of Vrabel that would explain the 12 million.

Yeah, he might have assumed the Franchise number.

you're probably right

 

[patriot lifer]

Thats what he did - substitute Cassel for Vrabs and it sums up.

By the way, why does Jarvis Green make so much? Nice pass rusher and even a starter on half of NFL team, admittedly, but still, thats a lot of cash not a traditional 3 down lineman

usually later years of a players contract usually have greater amounts given to players. the players and agents like to see the bigger numbers, while the teams know that by then they can make the decision to cut a guy or not. also, the teams know the cap space grows so it's not as big of a deal to have higher amounts in later years

 

[Rob0729]

Curran's number has to be off. If you take Miguel's number for Brady that has been supported in many places because everyone in the media both locally and nationally is so focused on what the franchise number for QBs, the average salary cap hit of the next six top players on the Patriots roster is $8.9 million. That can't make sense. Not even a team like the Colts that are very top heavy have their top six players minus Manning averaging $8.9 million in cap hits.

Curran might have meant $58 million. That is far more believable. But I just don't see how you can average $8.9 million when only Seymour and Moss would be making over $8.9 million and neither are making more than a million or two more or they would be the highest paid player at their positions which they aren't.

 

[Rob0729]

Yeah, he might have assumed the Franchise number.

Well, that would make much more sense. And the numbers do match up with that.

 

[BelichickFan]

Well, that would make much more sense. And the numbers do match up with that.

I know a lot of people love Curran but he's starting to be more like Felger these days. Taking some basis in fact that's not quite right and using it to make a dramatic point. He's going for attention with this $68M number when it's simply not true; it may become true but it's not. Same with his scare tactics on Brady IMO.

 

[amazinPats]

Seymour's contract might be extended and reworked to reduce the cap hit in '09. Don't know what they will do with Green's contract. Maybe he'll be let go. I believe they will use the savings generated from a reworked Seymour contract to extend Wilfork.

 

[Jackson 2]

I know a lot of people love Curran but he's starting to be more like Felger these days. Taking some basis in fact that's not quite right and using it to make a dramatic point. He's going for attention with this $68M number when it's simply not true; it may become true but it's not. Same with his scare tactics on Brady IMO.

There has been a not-so-subtle change in his (Curran's) viewpoint of all things New England. Perhaps it's just the way he genuinely sees things, but since the Brady knee story his attitude and demeanor toward the Patriots has clearly been different than in the past. I think he's afraid he was "played" by someone on the knee story and is now scrambling for exclusives.

 

[BelichickFan]

Seymour's contract might be extended and reworked to reduce the cap hit in '09. Don't know what they will do with Green's contract. Maybe he'll be let go. I believe they will use the savings generated from a reworked Seymour contract to extend Wilfork.

That's the point, right now the $68M isn't true and even if Cassel ends up being Franchised and kept, some of these other big contracts could be re-done. It's just a silly number being put out there right now for dramatic effect. And we used to called Felger the Drama Queen.

 

[alamo]

hmm, interesting...

althhough ill trust miguels numbers more then currans...

That's a smart thing when it's just a guy throwing out a number in passing. I remember months ago reading Miguel here saying the franchise number would be over 14M (and justifying his computation with citations), then time and again hearing 10M or 11M thrown out as the expected franchise number by TV talking heads. Their entire research process was thinking something like "it was 10M last year so it'll be about the same or maybe up a million or so, I guess."

But this is different. When reporters claim specific number like this, it almost certainly means they have gotten it from someone in the know. Agents can get all salary cap information from the NFLPA website, and it sometimes seems some journalists have been been given access too. There is a famous net salary cap guy, AdamJT13, who clearly has access (perhaps through a friend who is an agent). So it is unlikely Curran is guessing, and his numbers should probably be believed. Miguel does great work but does not have that inside access.

 

[BPF]

I was stunned tonight when Tom Curran stated on "Sports Tonight" that the Patriots have allocated $68 million in cap space to 7 players. He said it twice and made it a point to mention it on the show.

I have the 7 players as
Brady, Tom 14,627,280
Green, Jarvis 5,007,280
Light, Matt 5,508,950
Moss, Randy 10,507,280
Seymour, Richard 9,792,280
Thomas, Adalius 6,407,280
Vrabel, Mike 4,393,280

for a total of $56,243,630.

I freely admit that my numbers are never 100% correct but if Curran is correct then I will be more off than I have been in the recent past. My numbers for Light and Vrabel should be off as I am considering their Pro Bowl incentives to be NTLBE for the 2009 season. They were LTBE for the 2008 season. I am not 100% confident in my number for Ty Warren but I really doubt that it is off by $12 million.

I hope that in the near future that Curran will provide more details.

Disclaimers - I should say that I am a fan of his work. He told me that he has visited my cap pages.

They've got to get those Jarvis and Vrabs totals to half the current cap hit.

 

[Miguel]

If he was counting Cassel instead of Vrabel that would explain the 12 million.

He was not counting Cassel because he said that the Pats have 44 players signed for the 2009 season and Cassel would be the 45th.

 

[Miguel]

He was not counting Cassel because he said that the Pats have 44 players signed for the 2009 season and Cassel would be the 45th.

Plus, Curran stated that the decision to tag Cassel has not been made yet so it would be misleading to include that number now.