Mikman
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I have a question regarding the cap. In a very weak FA market like this years would it be possible for the Pats to sign Moss to a contract like 5 mill bonus, 15 mill 1st year, then 5 & 5?
In other words structure the contract so the cap hit is much worse the 1st year ( using up excess cap space we werent going to use anyways ) & have lower cap hits going forward?
Yes, they could give him a big roster bonus. I found an interesting read about that last week on Instant 49'ers. It's about last year's Nate Clements' deal:
The 49ers can definitely sign at least one big-ticket guy, and they can structure a contract in a way that won't kill them for the future. They did that last year with Nate Clements. The 49ers had plenty of cap room, so they gave him a $10 million roster bonus, which counts immediately against the cap. Therefore, Clements had a $11.1 million cap figure in his first season. The next three years, he will count $5.55 million (2008), $5.68 ('09) and $8.17 million ('10) against the cap. The 49ers can get out of that deal prior to the 2011 season and they'll be just fine, as far as the cap goes.
BTW restructuring Brady's contract would push more (cap)money into the future. Don't forget the Patriots need some cap space next year to re-sign Wilfork and Mankins. Wilfork and Mankins are more valuable to the Pats than any free agent on the market.