Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

From ESPN

Edit: According to Miguel's page we're a tad under 114 million with 76 signed players. Just thought I'd throw that in for discussion's sake.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Thank you for the update, glad to see it's all coming together.

I think this cap number is pretty much where we all expected, in the 120-124/125 range.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Pats seem to be in decent cap shape and will more than likely have even more money available when some cuts are made.....or long term contracts signed as we hope is Mankin's case...

I'll be happy when the Pats finish up the business of football signings/cuts and we can start contemplating the effectiveness of their new Offensive and Defensive players..

Let Camp begin :rocker:

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Pats have done a decent job at cap management, which is good, but leaves them without a player they can cut for huge cap savings. Here are the cutable players and how much their cap number is from patscap.com (thanks, Miguel).

I'm not recommending these guys be cut, especially Crump, but these are the only guys I see cuttable that would result in a cap savings.


$3.5 Kaczur
$2.5 Sanders
$2.0 Crumpler
$2.0 Mankins (if he signs a long-term deal)
$1.9 TBC

(Mankins is estimate based on current cap figure of a little over 10 mil, and figuring that a long-term deal that Mankins would agree to would be a hair over 8 mil. I know it is based on how the deal is laid out - I just averaged it)

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Surprising. This is NOT good news for the alleged SB Champion NY JETS who have lots of players unsigned and lots of cap committed to few players. Admitedly, they are excellent at figuring ways around the restrictions.

I hope that the NFLPA* gets the league to mandate a high minimum so tightwad owners can't run teams on the cheap.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

If the Cap Floor is $108 million and excludes the benefits, then there are going to be teams that will HAVE to spend money. Teams like Tampa Bay. On the flip side, though, that is where you'll see some top free agents going.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

This is great news for a team like the Pats who is fiscally responsible and great at drafting and accruing young, cheap talent. Especially where they are right now.

This is bad news for the Jets, however.

Holley notes in Patriot Reign that the Pats like to allocate 14% of the cap to their starting QB. Guess they hit this one on the head again. I know the cap will rise over the next several years, but 14% comes in at about $17 mill.

Also, with a little bit lower cap, we might see some teams scrambling - and forced to cut ties with good, veteran players. Leaving the Pats to scoop them up for cheaper as they did in the early 2000s.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

The reporting I've seen (most recently from Lacanfora) is that the floor will be a cash floro about 99% of the cap: TB and KC and other teams will have to spend close to 120 million.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Space, if Mankins were "cut" his cap savings would be the tag price of $10M+...

That said, no need to cut anyone because with simple restructures they can likely free up another several million.

For some context on a $120M cap, the Patriots were at roughly $135M last season had it mattered. In 2009 the cap was set at $123M then adjusted up to $127M based on adjustments that had to go into the last uncapped season rather that be spread over the previously remaining 4 years of the agreement. Some sources say there may also be a year one $3M cap exemption available which would make it the 2009 cap less adjustments.

The sad thing is this was basically where the sides were at when the owners made their offer on March 11... So all the lawyers basically got paid a bundle in the interim so this thing could get into court when all that was ever remaining to be decided beyond some incremental details was just how to approach/rework the actual revenue split formula and just how to cap the rookie deals... While now what significantly remains to be settled is how to settle the pending lawsuit and judicial oversight/handling of arbitration grievances going forward and how to mitigate the effects of 100 plus days of a lockout on teams and FA...

Jim Irsay was right back in March...he and Saturday could have probably done this on a ****tail napkin. Worst deal in history rhetoric to the contrary...

And for the record, it's benefits that take it on the chin as usual. The league paid $26M in benefits in 2009, was offering $27M in their March proposal but to get to the cash cap # the players wanted benefits will now be pegged at roughly $20M. Which is probably why they are still haggling over who pays for the "88" plan for destitute pre '93 retirees which I believe until now the league has covered.

Re: Tentative Agreement for 2011 Salary Cap
 

Mo, that's not Florio's take, in fact, Florio states the owners did not do as well as they envisioned:

It Is What It Is » Mike Florio on D&C: ‘I think the owners thought they would do better’