How to deal with an uncapped year

[BradfordPatsFan]

Mike Lombardi of SI.com has a great article on how he would deal with an ucapped year.

It is clear that he has worked with Belichick by some of his thoughts...

My first priority will be to develop a list of players that I would call irreplaceable players.

A certain, precious few players are untouchable.

Our team will need young players who love the game and are willing to work on and off the field. We are going to invest time and money into these players and need a commitment back from our investment.

The term "football-lifer" comes to mind.

Each day, the personnel department would evaluate the waiver wire looking for ways to improve our roster, from our 45th player to our 53rd player until the right combination of young players were collected.

BB's blueprint, be the best 1-53 in the league, not just 1-20.

Offensive and defensive linemen will be a huge part of the core. The practice squad and final 10 spots of the roster would be devoted to developing these two positions.

Uh huh. I think we've seen this before.

Because of the threat of no draft, we have to know every player inside and out. We cannot control how the new system will operate, but we can control how we prepare.

True BB, only control what you can, do your best otherwise.



In short, if this is the best way to go, BB will have this team very competitive as he is likely already laying the groundwork for dealing with an uncapped situation.


I didn't see this posted already. If need be, please merge.

 

[JoePats]

Excellent article...Was unaware that there is a possiblity (however remote) that they lose the draft. That would be further idiocy, but is probably just another poison pill. Actually the lack of a draft would favor good teams. But either way, worth the read.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Excellent article...Was unaware that there is a possiblity (however remote) that they lose the draft. That would be further idiocy, but is probably just another poison pill. Actually the lack of a draft would favor good teams. But either way, worth the read.

Maybee we should ask booger head john clayton since he has all the awnsers on his column and how we will be not good in 2010

 

[jbb9s]

where is this notion of no draft coming from? I don't see how that is connected to the salary structure. In many ways, the draft and the salaries of Reggie Bush, Matt Ryan and the Longs make the draft more of how it should be: draft the best player available in reverse order of how good you are without hamstringing the salary cap of your team for the next 5 years.

 

[Pats726]

That is lost as well in another year...NOT sure exactly when, but there are many poison pills in it all..which is WHY it will be solved way before that...

 

[LuthierJr]

Couldn't we be just like the sox/yankees/tigers and outspend other teams to get our guys?

 

[Vern]

The owners already have figured out the best way to deal with an uncapped year - lock the players out. The owners can't let the "cap out of the bag" or it would risk being gone for good. To keep the cap, they'll either work out a new deal, or institute a lock out.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

where is this notion of no draft coming from? I don't see how that is connected to the salary structure. In many ways, the draft and the salaries of Reggie Bush, Matt Ryan and the Longs make the draft more of how it should be: draft the best player available in reverse order of how good you are without hamstringing the salary cap of your team for the next 5 years.

The draft, like pooled revenue and revenue sharing and a salary cap, is only permissible under a league's anti-trust exemption because it is collectively bargained. The last scheduled draft is therefore 2011 under the expiring CBA. So unless they enter a new CBA that includes provisions for a college draft there would not be one. Obviously there will be a new CBA with some union at some point. The alternative would be the league no longer functioning as a collective and all teams on their own to sign any player not under contract to another team (which is what all college players would be - FA).

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The owners already have figured out the best way to deal with an uncapped year - lock the players out. The owners can't let the "cap out of the bag" or it would risk being gone for good. To keep the cap, they'll either work out a new deal, or institute a lock out.

While I had heard some pundits elude to that a while back, the CBA appears to preclude a work stoppage by either side prior to 2011.

 

[jmt57]

Maybee we should ask booger head john clayton since he has all the awnsers on his column and how we will be not good in 2010

You called it!
tWWL has become so predictable, it's pathetic.
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=83252

 

[NEPatriot]

I'll keep my eyes on Pats draft next year because it'll be a good indication how BB approaches 2010.

 

[Rob0729]

Well, there are a couple of issues that I have heard which teams will have to prepare for that will affect uncapped year strategies.

First, Mike Florio (ok, not the best source) reported a few weeks back that the top 5 or 10 teams from 2009 will have a hard cap in 2010. That goes against the whole uncapped year thing, but I guess was implemented to avoid the CBA to not be worked out. Basically, whatever money you have tied to players going into the new football year is all the money you have to spend if you fit into those top teams. So if the Pats win the Super Bowl and they have $100 million in salary, that is all they can spend. To add free agents, the Pats would need to cut players and still stay under $100 million.

Which brings me to the second issue, I hear that by opting out of the CBA, the 30% rule has been nulified (verification anyone?). The 30% rule means that a player's salary cannot increase more than 30% from year to year.

This would be huge for teams who expect to be top teams. Because expect in 2009 for a lot of players who would typically get one year deals (Fernando Bryant and Victor Hobson for example) to get two year deals with huge numbers in the second year. It would be the only way to circumvent the hard cap for the top teams in the league. Without the 30% rule, teams could give these players ridiculous salaries in the second year like $20 million and then cut them after the start of the calendar year to get that cap space.

Now I am not 100% sure if this is the case for either of these rules, but if they are you can expect a lot of teams to do something like this. At least the smart ones will.

 

[Miguel]

First, Mike Florio (ok, not the best source) reported a few weeks back that the top 5 or 10 teams from 2009 will have a hard cap in 2010.

I read ProFootballTalk.Com every day and Mike Florio never said such a thing.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Florio posted some information that was sent to the media yesterday detailing some of the changes that will result from the opt out. The 30% rule is in effect under an expiring CBA so there would be no rationale to nullify it. Amortization remains at 6 years for 2008 and drops to 5 years in 2009. That is good news for those of us who did not extend players prior to the opt out. There are enough other restrictions to deal with.

Most notably this seems to confirm that players will have to have 6 years of service for FA in 2010. The June 1 rule is out in 2009 so any player cut will have his entire dead cap hit the 2009 cap. NLTBE and LTBE will be recalculated in season and not pushed forward or credited in advance. There will be restrictions on the use of guaranteed salary (so you can't guarantee a salary windfall in 2010 or beyond to circumvent the remaining capped seasons) and limits on the number (from 8 down to 3) of veteran incentives and all incentives which must be tied to playing time.

CBA Q&A

1. The current CBA is in effect through the 2011 draft.

2. There will be no salary cap in 2010, but there will be additional restrictions on free agency, including the requirement that players have six years of service to become unrestricted free agents, not four, and limitations on the ability of the “final eight” teams from 2009 to sign new players at will.

3. In the uncapped year, player benefits likely will decline. The union agreed that in the uncapped year, clubs would be relieved of their obligation to fund numerous benefit programs, such as the 401K, player annuity, severance pay, and tuition assistance. The total league-wide contributions to such plans in 2009, the last capped year, are expected to be in excess of $225 million, or more than $7 million per club.

4. There might be a rookie pool in the uncapped year; the CBA gives the league the right to use one, if it so chooses.

5. In the uncapped year, there is no salary cap and no salary floor, meaning that teams can spend as much — and as little — as they want on players.

6. After the last game of the 2008 regular season, maximum signing bonus proration reduces from six years to five. (Last time around, the maximum proration entering the final capped season was four.)

7. In 2009, there is no June 1 rule. If a player is removed from the roster or his contract is assigned via waivers or trade at any time in the 2009 League Year, all remaining future signing bonus money will hit the 2009 salary cap.

8. In 2009, not-likely-to-be-earned incentives will hit the salary cap when earned, and won’t be pushed into 2010, the uncapped year.

9. In 2009, likely-to-be-earned incentives will be deducted from the team’s salary cap when they are no longer possible to earn. (This will be the subject of a separate item here regarding the 30-percent rule.)

10. Guaranteed salary from 2010 and beyond will be reallocated to capped years unless the entire 2009 salary is guaranteed.

11. Half of all guaranteed salary beyond 2012 will be reallocated to capped years. (We’ll be writing more about this one, too.)

12. The 30-percent rule restricts salary increases from 2009 to 2010. If a player has a $1 million salary in 2009, his maximum increase for 2010 will be $300,000.

13. A team can include only three veteran team incentives in a player contract covering 2009 and beyond. These incentives must also be coupled with a playtime requirement. Previously, clubs were limited to eight team incentives and no playtime requirement.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

 

[castlelong1]

I read ProFootballTalk.Com every day and Mike Florio never said such a thing.

Maybe he's thinking of Peter F'ing King. Not a cap, but FA restrictions.

 

[jmt57]

I believe this is the question being alluded to previously, and the answer.



Q. What is the Final Eight Plan?

A. During the uncapped year, the eight clubs that make the divisional playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign Unrestricted Free Agents from other clubs. In general, the four clubs participating in the Championship Games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. For the four clubs that lose in the Divisional playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters.

 

[Rob0729]

I read ProFootballTalk.Com every day and Mike Florio never said such a thing.

Sorry, it was Peter King who said that and it was the top eight teams that will have a hard cap (at least the NFL's version):

RESTRICTIONS FOR THE TOP EIGHT TEAMS IN FOOTBALL: If the uncapped year is reached, the teams with the best eight records in football in 2009 will be severely restricted from jumping into the pool. It's still not precisely determined how the system would work, but let's say the Patriots are one of the top eight and want to sign a free-agent to a five-year, $20-million contract. They'd have to lose their own player or players to contracts totaling $20 million before they could sign the free agent they want. Conceptually, that's how this clause in the deal is going to work, but the exact mechanics of it are not clear yet. The purpose is very clear: The best teams are going to have tight leashes in free agency.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/20/react/index.html

 

[Rob0729]

Florio posted some information that was sent to the media yesterday detailing some of the changes that will result from the opt out. The 30% rule is in effect under an expiring CBA so there would be no rationale to nullify it. Amortization remains at 6 years for 2008 and drops to 5 years in 2009. That is good news for those of us who did not extend players prior to the opt out. There are enough other restrictions to deal with.

Most notably this seems to confirm that players will have to have 6 years of service for FA in 2010. The June 1 rule is out in 2009 so any player cut will have his entire dead cap hit the 2009 cap. NLTBE and LTBE will be recalculated in season and not pushed forward or credited in advance. There will be restrictions on the use of guaranteed salary (so you can't guarantee a salary windfall in 2010 or beyond to circumvent the remaining capped seasons) and limits on the number (from 8 down to 3) of veteran incentives and all incentives which must be tied to playing time.



http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

I heard the 30% rule being revoked on the radio and can't remember who said it. Obviously they were misinformed. Good to know though.

 

[jmt57]

I heard the 30% rule being revoked on the radio and can't remember who said it. Obviously they were misinformed. Good to know though.

They were probably thinking about Matt Ryan and his contract. Arthur Blank got blankety-blanked when he felt compelled to sign Ryan before the opt-out, as the rule applies to current players and not rookies. What should have been obvious to him was 8th grade math; 30% of zero is zero. A percentage increase applies only to current players, and not rookies - they don't have a contract yet!

 

[Miguel]

Sorry, it was Peter King who said that and it was the top eight teams that will have a hard cap (at least the NFL's version):




http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/20/react/index.html

King is talking about the Final Eight Plan

http://www.nflplayers.com/user/template.aspx?fmid=181&lmid=231&pid=549&type=c