Cap room for all 32 teams as of 4/22 per PFT

[Lord_Reginald_III]

steelers $440k is like 20 bucks in nfl currency

does anyone know why the discrepancy is so wide -- i.e. do teams with more cap space spend less on 'big name' contracts, do they have a weaker 'middle class', etc....

 

[jmt57]

The Eagles were extremely close to making the Super Bowl last year, and to the extent they got worse in the off-season, nearly $40 million can make up all of that ground and then much more.

The number that's compelling to me is the Arizona Cardinals' number. They have to do something, and other than trading Boldin I just don't see what their options are. And the Eagles have plenty to sign him to an extension, plus he fills a need that will make them great. I don't see how Arizona can come out of the post-draft period with that little money. One of those interesting little side stories to watch -- but I bet the Cards will ultimately send him to Philly, and, in the process, make another NFC team a major force to be reckoned with. Such is the cap.

The funny thing with Arizona is that at the start of free agency everybody was talking about how they had more money to spend under the cap than any other NFL team. That was a deceiving statistic because they also had the least number of players signed in the NFL at that point in time.

I don't think trading Boldin will do much for their cap number since the whole reason he wants to be traded is his low salary, which results in a low cap number. I found this Cardinal fan forum and they show Boldin's number to be $3.75 million. The name and number that stands out is Edgerrin James, at $6.75 million; for some reason I was under the impression he had already been released.

 

[Blizzzard]

Don't teams get a rookie allocation of extra cap space, to sign their rookies?

As I remember it, more draft picks = more money alloted to you. This is to keep teams with lots of picks from having to cut veterans to afford rookies.

This is handed out after the draft and it also would mean that we can spend all of that cap space left on veterans.

Am I completely remembering this wrong or what?

Miguel.... HELP!

 

[jmt57]

Don't teams get a rookie allocation of extra cap space, to sign their rookies?

As I remember it, more draft picks = more money alloted to you. This is to keep teams with lots of picks from having to cut veterans to afford rookies.

This is handed out after the draft and it also would mean that we can spend all of that cap space left on veterans.

Am I completely remembering this wrong or what?

Miguel.... HELP!

I was under the impression that teams were allocated a certain amount based on the specific slots in the draft as well. However, after reading this (near the bottom) from Miguel's cap page, it reads to me that there is not any additional room under the cap for having those extra draft picks.

From ESPN.Com's Len Pasquarelli: "The rookie pool is, essentially, a cap within a salary cap. It represents the maximum in aggregate salary cap value that a team is permitted to invest in its draft choices and also the undrafted free agents it signs. It is included in, not exclusive of, the team's overall spending limit ... .."Because of the so-called "rule of 51" -- which stipulates that only the 51 highest-paid players on a team's roster count against its salary cap during the offseason -- clubs will not have to carve out the entire difference between their available cap space and rookie pool allocation. For the most part, teams' middle- and low-round draft choices don't rate among the 51 highest-paid players on the roster and make no dent in the salary cap."

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

The key number is Carolina is only under by less than 3 million. How can they possibly afford Peppers' 17 million dollar tag? They have to trade him because he doesn't want a long term deal. This is the only way Carolina can fit him in under the cap by spreading out his salary.

*update* Carolina foolishly throws money at Jake (I throw 5 passes to the other team) Delhomme in order to swallow Peppers' franchise tag. This is something I didn't want to see before the draft.

 

[scout]

If a number of rookies make the team, isn't that a substantial savings due to those players that are cut, or is that already taken into account when we say so much money for the rookies? Or is it too hard to say as it depends on which players are cut?

 

[jmt57]

If a number of rookies make the team, isn't that a substantial savings due to those players that are cut, or is that already taken into account when we say so much money for the rookies? Or is it too hard to say as it depends on which players are cut?

All depends on their cap numbers, or more specifically how much of a signing bonus that is still on the books and gets accelerated on to this year's cap.

Player X and Player Y both sign 2-year $4 million contracts in 2008.
Player X signs for $1 per year, with a $4 million signing bonus. Cut him and he's still going to count $2 million against the '09 cap.
Player Y signs with no signing bonus and a $2 million per year salary. Cut him and $2 million of cap space (minus whatever the rookie who takes his place makes) is cleared.

I know that's extreme, unrealistic, and below minimum salary levels, but you get the idea.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I was under the impression that teams were allocated a certain amount based on the specific slots in the draft as well. However, after reading this (near the bottom) from Miguel's cap page, it reads to me that there is not any additional room under the cap for having those extra draft picks.

The rookie pool is just a cap within the cap. If a team has $10M in cap room the number of draft picks they draft doesn't increase or decrease that. The league assigns a figure to each team POST DRAFT based on the number of picks they made (not had) and adjusted for the rounds in which those picks occurred. That number becomes the most money from your overall cap that can be spent on signing all of your rookies (ergo the cap within a cap). Some teams who draft a top tier player like a QB may have trouble getting all of their picks signed if they expend too much on that top guy...

 

[Miguel]

AdamJT13: The rookie pool and the salary cap

may be helpful

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I really wonder why Philly with all that cap money and with interest in Peppers is not offering Carolina the #21 and #28 picks for a disgruntled player or trading with Arizona for Boldin for the same reason?

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

The name and number that stands out is Edgerrin James, at $6.75 million; for some reason I was under the impression he had already been released.

Oh yeah -- that's right, they still have Boldin. I think his cap number is closer to $5 million, but once he's cut they'll be fine. Forgot all about that.

 

[WhiZa]

Re: Cap Arithmetic

None of those players are getting cut.

I guess we were both right