Colts Franchise Tag Freeney

[solman]

-- So, if Freeney doesn't sign before free agency opens, his total cap charges for 2007 will be $9,612,573 at that point (until either he signs a new contract or until the end of the free-aency period, when his tender amount will be recalculated). His cap charge right now is $1,485,285, so the Colts' cap room would be reduced by a net $8,127,288 (the tender amount of $8,644,000, minus the previously scheduled base salary of $1,001,000, plus the accelerated bonus charge of $484,288).

When does the extra money from the exclusive version of the tag get added to his cap charge?

What happens if, at the time this extra money is added, it forces the team over the hard cap.

(I know it would only happen if a team was in very deep trouble. I'm just curious).

 

[DaBruinz]

That's incorrect. Since Freeney was already counting against the 2007 cap, the net cap hit is the $8.6 million minus his 2007 salary minus the 2007 proration of prior signing bonuses minus the salary of the player that Freeney displaced from the Top 51 list.

Miguel -
Something doesn't sound kosher there. Could you please explain?

If Freeney still had SB money that would have counted against the cap, would that not be moved to DEAD money? So, it would be his 8.6 million minus the 2007 salary, but the 109 million would be reduced by whatever signing bonus pro-ration was still remaining. Also, if Freeney was also counting in the top 51, as you imply, then he would not have displaced anyone.

 

[DaBruinz]

They do make sense. Some day you and DaBruinz will finally realize that I leave it to others to make stuff up.

Miguel - When it comes to the Salary Cap, I've NEVER claimed you made things up. So, for you to say this is just BS on your part and truly unnecessary.

http://www.nflpa.org/Resources/ActivePlayerSearch.aspx?id=32987

What is Freeney's 2007 salary???What is Freeney's 2008 salary??

http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?lname=freeney&player=761

Freeney received a signing bonus in 2002 that was prorated over 7 years, a signing bonus in 2003 that was prorated over 6 years, a $100,000 signing bonus in 2004 that was prorated over 5 years. Dwight Freeney signed a 7-year deal in 2002 that could be voided to 5 years if he reached some playing time incentives.

If you wish to believe that Freeney was not counting a cent against the Colts' 2007 cap, go ahead but please do not say that my posts do not make any sense. IMO, it is you, not I, who should be backing up Colts-related posts with facts.

Miguel -
You are the one contradicting yourself here. You were the one saying that the new 8.6 million would have the previous pro-rations SUBTRACTED from it. Not added. EDIT: Just saw that you acknowledge that the pro-rations would be added, not subtracted.

 

[DaBruinz]

How did you come up with that figure??

He's probably including the previous signing bonus money that would be moved to DEAD MONEY.

Also, lets not forget that the Exclusive tag includes any free agent signing between now and April 14th that could move the top 5 average UP.

 

[DaBruinz]

I ask for the third time - what did the 2006 cap have to be for the Colts to have been in cap hell last year??

I ask for the second time - what is reasonable to presume that the CBA would be extended??

Miguel-
If the CBA hadn't been extended (and up until the final hour no one knew for sure that it would be), the cap would have been 94.5 million and the Colts were scrambling to get under it. I can remember that the Colts attemptede to restructure Manning's and Harrison's contracts only to have them get rejected by the Commissioner's office.

Would the Colts have been in cap hell? Who knows. It really doesn't matter now.

 

[DaBruinz]

All that had to happen was contract talks to break off and the CBA to stand like it was for the Colts to be in minor cap hell. They were over the cap if the league and players decided not to agree with several key free agents to sign. It was a semi-realistic posibility last year that the new CBA wouldn't have gone through and Vinatieri and a few others would be playing for another team.

It was reasonable to assume the CBA would be extended, but the new cap numbers exceeded even most optimistic estimates of the increase. Few people expected that the cap would initially jump as much as it did. Most people felt it would be a more gradual growth. Anyone who believes Polian knew when he signed Manning and Harrison to his deals that the cap in 2007 would be over $100 million is kidding themselves. Very, very few believed the cap would get that big that fast.

Not sure if Polian knew that it would be over 100 million in 2006 and 2007, but I know for a fact that in 2005 that the rumors were out that the cap would go over 100 million in 2006 if an extension was reached. It was one of the carrots that the owners were dangling in front of the players.

 

[DaBruinz]

Unfortunately the heart of your defense and its two key players are the two oldest. Again, do you remember your defense last season without Bruschi and Harrison?

I really hate moron trolls who only paint PART of the picture.

Lets go back to the Play-off game. Not only were the Pats missing Harrison, but they were also missing Wilson and then Seymour was injured. The Pats were having to use street free agents because of the injuries they suffered.

Oh, and lets not forget that Dillon and Faulk, the 2 RBs who were tearing up your defense, were out with injuries in the 2nd half. Makes a huge difference when the Pats are having to rely on Heath Evans (their 4th string rb) to be an all-purpose back.

Yes, the Pats have a hole at ILB. One that many Pats fans hope will be filled. However, if you want to act like a jerk and pretend like the Pats won't get better, go right ahead.

The Colts, while they will be able to keep Freeney, may or may not be able to keep Cato June and Rob Morris. Rob Morris was just as big of a cog for the Colts as McFarland was in shoring up your run defense.

Oh, and one last thing, you may have won 3 in a row against the Pats, but things change. Just remember that.

 

[AdamJT13]

When does the extra money from the exclusive version of the tag get added to his cap charge?

The answer was in the post you quoted -- at the end of the free-agency period. That's when the exclusive tender is calculated.

What happens if, at the time this extra money is added, it forces the team over the hard cap.

Typically, the team would have a certain amount of time (such as 24 hours, or until the close of the next business day) to get under the cap. If they don't, then the NFL begins voiding any recent contracts until the team is under the cap.

 

[DaBruinz]

The flu story is awesome. :rocker: And, it grows by the hour.

Actually, it doesn't. But far be it from you to know what you are talking about.

What happened the previous two games vs. the Colts? Malaria?

Well, Mr.MoronTroll, lets rehash the 1st game of 2007. The Colts had the LUXURY playing the Pats after their BYE week. The Pats had a SHORT week having played Monday Night IN Minnesota. The Pats were without Eugene Wilson and lost Harrison early on, forcing James Sanders into the strong safety role. Seymour was hurting. Gaffney had been with the team for all of a week. Daniel Graham and Stephen Neal were also both out for that game. 2 KEY blockers in the Pats running game.

Going back to the game in 2006, the Pats were missing Harrison again. They were also without Matt Light and Kevin Faulk. Bruschi was playing all of his 3 game back from a stroke. Eugene Wilson was on the IR. So were Chad Scott, Randall Gay and a couple other CBs. Corey Dillon was banged up. So was Patrick Pass.

Now, I am sure that, since you are a troll, you don't understand how all these losses on offense can affect a team's defense. If the offense can't operate effectively because its having to rely on so many alternates, then it puts the defense on the field more. When the defense is on the field more, they get tired. When they get tired, they can't play effectively.

How about the two previous, non-blizzard, games before that?

The previous 2 NON-BLIZZARD games prior to 2005? Hmm... that would have been the 2004 play-offs and the 2004 opener in Foxboro. And the Pats beat you both times..

In the last three games vs. the Colts your defense has on average given up 35 points a game. In 32 possessions in those games, your defense has forced SIX(6) punts, total.

So what's your point? Oh wait, you have none, really. You are just here trolling.

 

[DaBruinz]

To answer a few questions from this thread --

-- The Patriots ended the 2006 season with 76 cents of cap room, not 78 cents.

-- Freeney's prorated bonus charges are $484,285 for 2007 and $484,288 for 2008. If he doesn't sign an extension before his contract voids, the 2008 portion will accelerate into 2007.

-- Freeney's scheduled 2007 base salary of $1,001,000 currently counts against the Colts' cap and will until the contract officially voids.

-- So, if Freeney doesn't sign before free agency opens, his total cap charges for 2007 will be $9,612,573 at that point (until either he signs a new contract or until the end of the free-aency period, when his tender amount will be recalculated). His cap charge right now is $1,485,285, so the Colts' cap room would be reduced by a net $8,127,288 (the tender amount of $8,644,000, minus the previously scheduled base salary of $1,001,000, plus the accelerated bonus charge of $484,288).

If the Colts have placed the Exclusive Franchise tag on Freeney, isn't it safe to say that his contract was voided and the 484K would be accelerated into 2007? So, he counts 978K in dead money?

Thanks for the other great info.

 

[pats1]

Unfortunately the heart of your defense and its two key players are the two oldest. Again, do you remember your defense last season without Bruschi and Harrison?

Yes. The Pats went a "dismal" 3-3 during those two stretches. (Weeks 3-6, 17-18)

The San Diego loss? Meet Duane Starks. In fact, you're lucky if you did because he wasn't here long.

The Denver loss?

Chad Scott Out/IR
Kevin Faulk Out
Matt Light Out
Monty Beisel Questionable
Tully Banta-Cain Questionable
Troy Brown Questionable
Matt Chatham Questionable
Corey Dillon Questionable
Randall Gay Questionable
Jarvis Green Questionable
Marquise Hill Questionable
Larry Izzo Questionable
Willie McGinest Questionable
Tyrone Poole Questionable
James Sanders Questionable
Guss Scott Questionable
Richard Seymour Questionable
Duane Starks Questionable
Tom Brady Probable

The Miami loss? Matt Cassel anyone?

And last time I checked, I'd consider Bruschi and Harrison the spiritual heart of the Pats' defenses, but performance-wise, in no way were they the best players out there on the field. Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin, and Asante Samuel all had better years.

 

[Rob0729]

Not sure if Polian knew that it would be over 100 million in 2006 and 2007, but I know for a fact that in 2005 that the rumors were out that the cap would go over 100 million in 2006 if an extension was reached. It was one of the carrots that the owners were dangling in front of the players.

Maybe they did know that in 2005. Both Harrison and Manning signed contract extensions before the 2004 season. That was before there was an inkling that NBC would be the big bidder for the marque primetime games. I think that was before DirecTV reupped for a huge amount. That was before the NFL Network was on most cable services.

Polian really didn't have a clue how much the CBA would raise the cap by then or even if the new CBA would have a significant affect on the cap when he reupped with Harrison and Manning. Without the new CBA, Manning and Harrison contract probably would have eventually choked the Colts cap as long as they did business as usual especially with Harrison getting up there in age.

Polian did Reggie Wayne's contract with the expectation that either the cap would approach $100 million by the time Wayne's contract hit the big amounts or there would be an uncapped year. Other big contracts they got lucky about the CBA. But so did a lot of teams including the Pats to a certain extent with Brady (although the Pats aren't as liberal with throwing around big contracts to keep their players as the Colts are).

I think anyone saying that Polian signed some of these deals with foresight of knowing he would be saved by the new CBA may be dealing in a bit of revisionist history.

 

[pats1]

To answer a few questions from this thread --

-- The Patriots ended the 2006 season with 76 cents of cap room, not 78 cents.

Heh heh...

-- Freeney's prorated bonus charges are $484,285 for 2007 and $484,288 for 2008. If he doesn't sign an extension before his contract voids, the 2008 portion will accelerate into 2007.

As DaBruinz just mentioned, the Colts couldn't give Freeney the franchise tag if his contract hadn't voided yet.

So assuming that much, if Freeney doesn't get a multi-year extension by April 14th, his 2007 bonus proration number will be $968,573?

-- Freeney's scheduled 2007 base salary of $1,001,000 currently counts against the Colts' cap and will until the contract officially voids.

Again, I think we have to assume at this point that it has officially voided, if the league has approved the franchise tender.

-- So, if Freeney doesn't sign before free agency opens,

By sign, do you mean sign his tender or sign a separate multi-year extension?

His cap charge right now is $1,485,285, so the Colts' cap room would be reduced by a net $8,127,288 (the tender amount of $8,644,000, minus the previously scheduled base salary of $1,001,000, plus the accelerated bonus charge of $484,288).

But when we hear Clayton say the Colts are $XX under the cap at this point, do you believe he is getting a number that includes Freeney's 2007 salary that is now off the books?

What would be the difference if Freeney signed a multi-year extension before March 2 as apposed to before April 14?

 

[AdamJT13]

As DaBruinz just mentioned, the Colts couldn't give Freeney the franchise tag if his contract hadn't voided yet.

Of course they could. Contracts that run through 2006 don't expire until the day free agency begins, so Asante Samuel is still under contract, yet he was tagged -- correct? It's the same for Freeney. His contract will void the same day Samuel's contract expires. There is no difference.

 

[pats1]

Of course they could. Contracts that run through 2006 don't expire until the day free agency begins, so Asante Samuel is still under contract, yet he was tagged -- correct? It's the same for Freeney. His contract will void the same day Samuel's contract expires. There is no difference.

I think we're getting a bit technical here.

If Freeney's contract for 2007 hadn't voided yet, it would be tough for the Colts to give him a franchise tender for that same year.

 

[DaBruinz]

Of course they could. Contracts that run through 2006 don't expire until the day free agency begins, so Asante Samuel is still under contract, yet he was tagged -- correct? It's the same for Freeney. His contract will void the same day Samuel's contract expires. There is no difference.

Actually, the 2006 contracts are already expired. They ended the last day of the season (SuperBowl). The wait is because they need to get all their ducks in a row.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

For the record professor Clayton said this AM in his insiders blog that the Colts were "right at the cap" before they restructured Mannings and Mathis contracts thus freeing up $14.8M in cap space. Since Freeney wasn't tagged until later in the day I for my own purposes will assume his $8.6M tag price will now come off of that figure leaving them effectively with $6.2M for the time being irrespective of the rule of 51. Miguel's comments not to the contrary because they don't make sense. And because I want to know what they really have, not just what they can temporarily appear to have.

BTW Manning's restructure just lowered his cap hit from $16M+ to $8M+. That money doesn't just disappear. It is all falling into the next 3-5 years depanding on whether his contract actually voided to 7 years as widely reported for some time now or not. Years when bonuses dry up replaced by double digit salaries. You can guarantee and prorate those too, but eventually you run out of years to dump them into without starting over, which means a big new signing bonus to prorate into years already loaded down with prior amortization - so it's not nearly as palatable as the first time around when you started with a clean slate.

$8.6 million comes to roughly $1.72 million per sack. Not a bad deal for Freeney.

 

[AdamJT13]

Actually, the 2006 contracts are already expired. They ended the last day of the season (SuperBowl).

That's not correct. Contract expire at the end of the league year, not the day after the Super Bowl.

 

[DaBruinz]

That's not correct. Contract expire at the end of the league year, not the day after the Super Bowl.

I do stand corrected, though it really is semantics.


Now, how about figuring out what Freeney's cap hit became now that Grant has been franchised. THAT is a more important number.

 

[Ring 6]

I think we're getting a bit technical here.

If Freeney's contract for 2007 hadn't voided yet, it would be tough for the Colts to give him a franchise tender for that same year.

I am extremely confused by this, and it has nothing to do with contracts ending after the SB or in March.
Franchise tags are for unrestricted FAs. The Patriots couldnt for example, choose to franchise Richard Seymour while he is still under contract.
Regardless of the date the contract ends, you must either be an UFA, or you are certainly GOING TO BE in the new contract year.
If Freeney is under contract, with the option to void, you cannot franchise him unless the contract is voided, otherwise you'd be franchsiing a guy under contract. The void is either automatic, a club option, or a player option.
If it is automatic, there is no debate, it is voided.
If it is a club option, they would have to void it in order to franchise him, because they couldn't franchise him without him being (or ready to be) an UFA. They couldn't franchise him then decide not to void.
If it is a player option, if he hasn't exercised the void, the contract is valid. There is no way a team can franchsie a player because he might choose to void his contract. It is his choice.

If I am mistaken someone please educate me.