We seem to disagree on two basic issues.
ISSUE ONE
How much can we afford to push into the future. As I said, we have $37M pushed into 2015, and much less into 2016 at the moment. This issue is about long-term cap planning. Every year, we'e told that this contender or that will be in cap hell because of their actions. It almost never happens. The team will push lots of money into 2016 and 2017. This is standard operating procedure. And, yes, the team will pay more attention to 2016 than to other years. For me, it is likely that the new contracts for Hightower and Jones might TOTAL $10M is first year cap costs ($12M at the outside). This is high, but manageable. This are the major contracts to deal with in 2016.
ISSUE TWO
How much are the players worth. This is the real issue. It is not whether we can afford Wilfork or Mayo or Amendola or Browner or Solder or Revis or McCourty or Gostkowski. We can afford almost all of them if we really must, and deal can be reached at agreed upon values.
And value must include what hole will be left if a player leaves and the cost of replacement.
Let's use Wilfork as an example. His cost is $8.5M of new money. We might pay Branch $2.5M at most in 2015 cap money. Without Wilfork the DT's are Branch, Siliga, Jones, Easley and a high draft choice. Is the addition of Wilfork worth $6M? or $4M? or what? Alternatively, a better free agents could be signed at a first year cost of 4.5M. Would Wilfork be worth $4M more than that set of DT's.
We could go through this analysis with each decision to be made. There are occasional complications like the fact that Mayo has $4.5M of his slaty guaranteed against injury. In any case, decisions about Mayo can wait.
BEFORE MARCH 10th, decisions will need to be made about the free agents and those players who will get bonuses or contract guaranteed. Some decisions are easy, although extensions are possible. Vollmer, Gronkowski, Browner, and Ninkovich will get their money.
Decisions about Solder, Wilfork and Revis are much less certain. These are truly the big three. We have $16M with Solder at $7.45M, Wilfork at $8.5M and Revis at zero. We might say that we have $32M without any of the three or the nine free agents. That is the default before decisions are made on the 12 (9 free agents plus the key 3 bonuses).
SO WE HAVE $32M. WHO WOULD YOU PAY? AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?
Revis
Wilfork
Solder
McCourty
Casillas
Branch
Ayers
White
Gostkowski
Vereen
Ridley
Connolly
Yes, I understand that restructures or cuts could be made with regard to other players. Many are possible and some will be needed for later costs.