Do We Dare Ask?

[Miguel]

3. What other techniques (if any) exist to move cap money from future years to the current year?

A team could release a player who has more than one year left on his contract accelerating future signing bonus prorations into this year. Example, Patriots could release Colvin on 5/15 moving $3.656 million of unamortized signing bonus proration into the 2006 cap year. The Pats could then sign Colvin the very next day to the same deal that he currently has.

 

[PromisedLand]

A team could release a player who has more than one year left on his contract accelerating future signing bonus prorations into this year. Example, Patriots could release Colvin on 5/15 moving $3.656 million of unamortized signing bonus proration into the 2006 cap year. The Pats could then sign Colvin the very next day to the same deal that he currently has.

But couldn't Colvin, after being released, then go out and sell himself to the highest bidder? It seems a little risky to me!

 

[Miguel]

JUST WONDERING

What will Belichick and Pioli do with $12M of free agent money, now unspent. Were there really no players who could have been a one-year contracts as upgrades? or even two year contracts with high first year salaries, instead of bonuses. Will we just shake our heads as we look at the bottom three roster players, and wonder whether our SB chances would have been better with two or three additions who would have cost say $4M a year each, paid out at say $5 and $3M over two years, or even $6M and $2M?

Perhaps we will extend a couple of players, with high first year salaries to use the money this year, or maybe we will sign rookies to high first year salaries and lower bonuses. But that just shifts the money to next year. We're in reasonable shape next year.

Sure, Law could still sign with us, and we could trade. If both those happened, we might use the money, if we front-loaded contracts.

There is a very good chance that fans of a team (be it the Pats, Bengals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bears, Chargers, Jaguars, Eagles) are going to be wondering in February, 2007 why their favorite team did not spend more money during the early part of free agency because all of those teams are still way under the cap.

 

[mgteich]

I'm well aware of that. I hope that we are not in that position. As you might recall, I openly criticized Philly management last year. I still believe that their cap managment last year was instrumental to their failed season.

There is a very good chance that fans of a team (be it the Pats, Bengals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bears, Chargers, Jaguars, Eagles) are going to be wondering in February, 2007 why their favorite team did not spend more money during the early part of free agency because all of those teams are still way under the cap.

 

[VJCPatriot]

They will be treating the fans to beer and hot dogs as a show of appreciation? LOL I wish.

Seriously though they'll spend it. If they forward Seymour's bonus to August of 2006 Won't they clear like 6 Mill or so for 2007?

 

[spacecrime]

There is a very good chance that fans of a team (be it the Pats, Bengals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bears, Chargers, Jaguars, Eagles) are going to be wondering in February, 2007 why their favorite team did not spend more money during the early part of free agency because all of those teams are still way under the cap.

Exactly. Plus we will have the advantage of hindsight, "we" being fans of anyof those teams you mention. By Feb 07, we will know what position was needed, either because of injury or general poor playing at a specific position. Why didn't the (insert team) just spend five mil on a quality (LB-WR-QB-TE-RB-CB). THey have the money.

The ones having the feast will be the ones to complain now. Look for Felger to have a field day by whining about BB's decison making ("I said from day one that the Patriots needed a ....." and "I said from day one that the Patriots never should have signed...") by putting negative spin on everything he can.

I don't believe that it was spending all their money that got the Pats where they are. It was spending it wisely. I don't like the idea of spending money merely to spend money. I would like to see the money spent if the team could be improved. (not by signing name and/or stat-rich players, but by players BB/SP think will improve the team. Team. If they can do that, spend it ALLLLLLL.

Maybe keep a little more than usual in reserve for injuries this year.

Maybe spend a few mil on a one year Ty Law contract. Not that I want to, but BB/Sp might.

 

[Pats726]

There is a very good chance that fans of a team (be it the Pats, Bengals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bears, Chargers, Jaguars, Eagles) are going to be wondering in February, 2007 why their favorite team did not spend more money during the early part of free agency because all of those teams are still way under the cap.

Just more hindsight...pretty easy to look back and be critical of ALL the moves a team makes.

 

[Miguel]

Just more hindsight...pretty easy to look back and be critical of ALL the moves a team makes.

Well, everyone is better with hindsight than they are with foresight

 

[14thDragon]

Given the amount of time between now and the end of the football year when that money can be spent, I am fairly sure we will see it all spent by then.

Thier is the possiblity of maybe 1, or 2 FA or trade pick-ups. I doubt though that that would eat a significant portion of the money left.

I think signing the guys coming off thier rookie deals and getting rid of future cap hits with some creative restructuring is going to in the end take care of this years war chest. I doubt that a large pool will be left for emergency back-ups, during the season you are pretty much pulling guys off the street and it does not cost all that much. It is not like they are going to need much incentive, given what the salary they are making out of football would be compared to in it.

 

[Pats726]

Well, everyone is better with hindsight than they are with foresight

VERY true...!! Monday AM QBing....I am not sure that the Patriots will be in that situation though...meaning I think they may have had some reason or reasons to keep that much at this point. Whether that be to get contracts done early and or to sign/trade for a few vet players or??
I really doubt they will have a ton of cap money left unspent...(over what they normally have kept going into the season).

 

[dryheat44]

For example, add a LTBE clause into Brandon Gorin's contract that if he starts 5 games at WR, and hauls in at least 3TD passes, he will receive a $5MM bonus. Because it's classified as LTBE, the $5M bonus hits in the current year. But at the end of the year, when it turns out he didn't earn that bonus (oh, shucks), then the NFL gives the team that cap space back in the next year.
.

I think you're unclear on what makes an incentive LTBE or NLTBE. If the player achieved that milestone in the previous season, than it's LTBE. If the player did not reach it, than it's NLTBE.

For example, in a contract done this year, a bonus for playing in the Super Bowl would be NLTBE.

In an identical contract done one season ago, the bonus would be considered LTBE.

The example you give of Gorin would be NLTBE, unless he had those statistics last season. In other words, the team can't decide which incentives are going to be LTBE and which are going to be NLTBE.