Dead Money

[rookBoston]

Miguel's cap pages report dead money from each previous season. Stacked side by side, I think it tells a good story.

Year      Dead Money      % of Cap    Contributing Factors
2002      $11.1 MM         15.6%       Bledsoe ($2.2M)
2003      $10.0 MM         13.4%       Colvin(IR), Compton(IR), Patten(IR)
2004      $ 9.0 MM         11.4%       Milloy ($4M), Antowain ($2M)
2005      $ 6.8 MM          8.3%       Law ($3.2M), TJ ($1.3M)

To me, this is a sign that the front office has taken firm control of the contract situation, and all the big money contracts from the prior leadership has rolled off the books.

Some amount of Dead Money is inevitable, due to injuries. Also, BB seems to have a very quick trigger finger, sending players to IR to get them off the roster. That practice will always put a dozen players on the Dead Money list for a few 100K apiece.

But more and more, the Pats are signing veterans to 1 and 2 year deals and only their truly elite young players get long term contracts. What's more those deals are NOT backloaded. For example, Brady and Seymour are both affordable for every single year of his monumental six year deal. No fake years, or ballooning salary numbers to force the team and player into a re-negotiation.

Right now, there is only about $4M on the Pats Dead Money list (Willie and Starks, each for $1.3MM). It will be higher by the end of the year but not by much-- unless BB does something drastic like cutting Dillon or Harrison. Even if he does, the days when we have 15-20% of our cap stacked against non-performing players is a thing of the past.

 

[patsox23]

Agreed. They're doing a splendid job of being fiscally wise.

 

[Pats726]

Firstly...as always a BIG thank you to Miguel for his great pages..and having this info at hand!!!
It's a solid post..the dead money being reduced..year after year..I agree SOME is inevitable..but the reduction is a sign of how changes have been made and are conrinuing to be made.

 

[Richter]

I think most people know this was one of the top priorities when BB and co. came on board. The fact that the Pats won it all in 2001 was really an accident, the plan was for the team to come into its own around the time of the back to back championships. Tremendous work by the front office to minimize dead money on the cap, especially with the awful situation they inherited.

 

[Mike the Brit]

We're good -- but we're not great.

Philadelphia have only $2.5m in dead money (that's including $1.5m for a certain talented wide receiver with a socially dysfunctional personality). They appear to be a lot tougher in managing the cap (roster bonus not signing bonus; no phony inflated final years; no early renegotiations for players under contract) than we are. But they seem to be able to re-sign their vets for reasonable money (Jon Runyan).

Thank goodness they're not as good at getting their players to win the big games!

 

[Bostonian1962]

Miguel's cap pages report dead money from each previous season. Stacked side by side, I think it tells a good story.

Year      Dead Money      % of Cap    Contributing Factors
2002      $11.1 MM         15.6%       Bledsoe ($2.2M)
2003      $10.0 MM         13.4%       Colvin(IR), Compton(IR), Patten(IR)
2004      $ 9.0 MM         11.4%       Milloy ($4M), Antowain ($2M)
2005      $ 6.8 MM          8.3%       Law ($3.2M), TJ ($1.3M)

To me, this is a sign that the front office has taken firm control of the contract situation, and all the big money contracts from the prior leadership has rolled off the books.

Some amount of Dead Money is inevitable, due to injuries. Also, BB seems to have a very quick trigger finger, sending players to IR to get them off the roster. That practice will always put a dozen players on the Dead Money list for a few 100K apiece.

But more and more, the Pats are signing veterans to 1 and 2 year deals and only their truly elite young players get long term contracts. What's more those deals are NOT backloaded. For example, Brady and Seymour are both affordable for every single year of his monumental six year deal. No fake years, or ballooning salary numbers to force the team and player into a re-negotiation.

Right now, there is only about $4M on the Pats Dead Money list (Willie and Starks, each for $1.3MM). It will be higher by the end of the year but not by much-- unless BB does something drastic like cutting Dillon or Harrison. Even if he does, the days when we have 15-20% of our cap stacked against non-performing players is a thing of the past.

Good stuff Rook. Thanks.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

ESPN had an article once about Minnesota and Philly being the best cap management franchises in the 2000s.

With some of the craziness in the front office going on in Minnesota, they may drop down a bit.

I'm all for reducing the dead money, but only if the on field product is not compromised.