Dolphins freeing up a total of around 50 million in cap.

[Scotty]

I must admit that I do worry about Tua's health.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I must admit that I do worry about Tua's health.

We all should.

 

[Wozzy]

Why haven’t we reworked any deals reportedly to free cap.
Depending on how this off-season goes we could be cellar dwellers really quick.

Because we currently (2023) have the 10th most total available cap space, with the 8th most available in the top 51 players... and already have the 4th most players under contract with 59 players. They will invite 90 players to camp like everyone else, and only the best 53 will make the roster.

Next offseason (2024) they have the 4th most available cap space with the 5th most players already under contract. Oh yeah, this season they also have 10 draft picks, with another double digit haul of picks slated for next years draft.

They have all the cap space in the world... why do they need more?

In terms of resources, the Pat's are wealthy, they're Elon Musk... the only thing that matters now is this offseason. They can afford to outbid any team or sign whomever they want.

 

[Fubby]

Looks like the Chargers worked some restructure magic to get under the cap with no significant releases.

Having a boat load of cap space is all well and good but if you just use it for depth like the patriots usually do, then who cares. We have so few blue chippers on the team. Just feels like we are playing checkers…

 

[mike_usagisan]

The Pats need to decide on Mac first. No point going in on this year if he doesn’t show he’s got it.

 

[Sciz]

Looks like the Chargers worked some restructure magic to get under the cap with no significant releases.

Having a boat load of cap space is all well and good but if you just use it for depth like the patriots usually do, then who cares. We have so few blue chippers on the team. Just feels like we are playing checkers…

I don’t think “magic” is the word I would use here…

 

[Ross12]

I don’t think “magic” is the word I would use here…

Exactly. And the "darlings" of this thread, the Miami Dolphins, now have a $60 MILLION cap charge for JUST Tyreek Hill in 2026... But yeah, they are geniuses...

 

[Ian]

Why haven’t we reworked any deals reportedly to free cap.
Depending on how this off-season goes we could be cellar dwellers really quick.

Really quick or already??

That's interesting and I thought we were the capologist. The league have definitely caught up and passed us by in many ways.

You guys are killing me. The world isn't ending and nothing has happened yet, patience is key. These are the types of posts you can sort of start to wonder about in early May after the draft and based off of free agency signings, not early March (and even then, it's still a little early. August is a better barometer of where the team might be).

 

[Ring 6]

You guys are killing me. The world isn't ending and nothing has happened yet, patience is key. These are the types of posts you can sort of start to wonder about in early May after the draft and based off of free agency signings, not early March (and even then, it's still a little early. August is a better barometer of where the team might be).

I think the way the Patriots cap is set up right now is very interesting.
It would be a great topic for discusssion.
A couple of points:
The Patriots currently have no players under contract for 2026 or later.
The only players under contract for 2025 are last years draft class.
29 of the 58 players currently under contract have their contract expire this year. And there is 158 million cap room next year.
One unnoticed aspect of the rebuild is that they have kept contracts short term and created flexibility.
The next 2 off seasons are going to be huge.

 

[Ross12]

I think the way the Patriots cap is set up right now is very interesting.
It would be a great topic for discusssion.
A couple of points:
The Patriots currently have no players under contract for 2026 or later.
The only players under contract for 2025 are last years draft class.
29 of the 58 players currently under contract have their contract expire this year. And there is 158 million cap room next year.
One unnoticed aspect of the rebuild is that they have kept contracts short term and created flexibility.
The next 2 off seasons are going to be huge.

I have also noticed this and find it very interesting. Outside of last year's draft class (which is only 10 players), the entire rest of the team does not exist on the roster past 2024. There is a metric ton of cap space in 2024 and obviously almost the entire cap available in 2025 onward. There is definitely flexibility for an enormous shift of the makeup of the roster if they wish to do so.

It is interesting how they kept most of these deals expiring around the same time, and restructures were done without any extra years. Seems like they positioned themselves to roll the dice on a bunch of free agents to try to find a few that are worth keeping around to establish a culture and shedding the rest, reward those few with extensions and then make a splash with new free agents in 2024 when Mac Jones is due for a contract extension as well.

 

[Ring 6]

I have also noticed this and find it very interesting. Outside of last year's draft class (which is only 10 players), the entire rest of the team does not exist on the roster past 2024. There is a metric ton of cap space in 2024 and obviously almost the entire cap available in 2025 onward. There is definitely flexibility for an enormous shift of the makeup of the roster if they wish to do so.

It is interesting how they kept most of these deals expiring around the same time, and restructures were done without any extra years. Seems like they positioned themselves to roll the dice on a bunch of free agents to try to find a few that are worth keeping around to establish a culture and shedding the rest, reward those few with extensions and then make a splash with new free agents in 2024 when Mac Jones is due for a contract extension as well.

It also gives them the ability to resign any player they want to keep.

 

[Ring 6]

I have also noticed this and find it very interesting. Outside of last year's draft class (which is only 10 players), the entire rest of the team does not exist on the roster past 2024. There is a metric ton of cap space in 2024 and obviously almost the entire cap available in 2025 onward. There is definitely flexibility for an enormous shift of the makeup of the roster if they wish to do so.

It is interesting how they kept most of these deals expiring around the same time, and restructures were done without any extra years. Seems like they positioned themselves to roll the dice on a bunch of free agents to try to find a few that are worth keeping around to establish a culture and shedding the rest, reward those few with extensions and then make a splash with new free agents in 2024 when Mac Jones is due for a contract extension as well.

If you think about, people talk about teams allotting %s of the cap by position group. By 2025 and largely by 2024 the patriots will have entirely reset. In the Free agent frenzied, top heavy pay, current NFL that seems like a good opportunity to separate themselves if they do it right.

 

[Wozzy]

Looks like the Chargers worked some restructure magic to get under the cap with no significant releases.

Having a boat load of cap space is all well and good but if you just use it for depth like the patriots usually do, then who cares. We have so few blue chippers on the team. Just feels like we are playing checkers…

Yeah, there's not a lot of magic in pushing debt into the future. Someone else looks at the Chargers and sees blue chippers, I look at the Chargers and think "boy, those fools absolutely wasted Herbert's rookie contract and the massive advantage that brings."

Pretty soon that kid is going to want to get paid, when that day comes they're going to need cap space. They need to sign him either this season or the beginning of next season. The Chargers aren't a particularly good team, once they pay Herbert getting better around him gets substantially harder as free agent money will be harder to scrape together.

 

[Ross12]

Yeah, there's not a lot of magic in pushing debt into the future. Someone else looks at the Chargers and sees blue chippers, I look at the Chargers and think "boy, those fools absolutely wasted Herbert's rookie contract and the massive advantage that brings."

Pretty soon that kid is going to want to get paid, when that day comes they're going to need cap space. They need to sign him either this season or the beginning of next season. The Chargers aren't a particularly good team, once they pay Herbert getting better around him gets substantially harder as free agent money will be harder to scrape together.

Yeah that is what I was thinking about. It feels weird to push so much debt into the future to keep together a core that isn’t actually that good? Like I would get it if they were winning division titles and reaching AFCCGs, but they are either barely making the postseason and immediately getting bounced out, or just not making it at all. And now they will need to pay their rookie QB and won’t have any room left to make any other moves because they’ve already spent the rest of their money to keep guys that are already there who they aren’t winning with.

 

[Ross12]

If you think about, people talk about teams allotting %s of the cap by position group. By 2025 and largely by 2024 the patriots will have entirely reset. In the Free agent frenzied, top heavy pay, current NFL that seems like a good opportunity to separate themselves if they do it right.

Yep. Worth mentioning that the Patriots currently have:

#8 most cap space in 2023 (this year)
#4 most cap space in 2024
#1 most cap space in 2025
#1 most cap space in 2026

 

[Fubby]

I don’t think “magic” is the word I would use here…

I just don’t understand the obsession with cap space in future years. Like I’m sorry, is the plan to win this coming season (year 4 of the rebuild by the way) or is the plan to win in 2024 or 25 or 26…2030 is looking great from a cap perspective! You can question if the Chargers have enough to win it all to make it worth it but they do have actual blue chippers that gives them a fighting chance and it’s been shown that getting out of cap hell isn’t some decade long endeavor. 1-2 seasons and you can be back to competing again.

 

[Pape]

So people are upset that the Dolphins made a bunch of moves to create cap space, but they still have less total cap space than New England already has, and since New England hasn’t randomly created even more cap space than they have and don’t yet need, Miami is ultra smart and New England is very dumb?

 

[Triumph]

They don't make this move if they're going after Lamar Jackson or Thomas Brady.

Brady

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I just don’t understand the obsession with cap space in future years. Like I’m sorry, is the plan to win this coming season (year 4 of the rebuild by the way) or is the plan to win in 2024 or 25 or 26…2030 is looking great from a cap perspective! You can question if the Chargers have enough to win it all to make it worth it but they do have actual blue chippers that gives them a fighting chance and it’s been shown that getting out of cap hell isn’t some decade long endeavor. 1-2 seasons and you can be back to competing again.

There is a valid business approach to "win now". Some people support that approach. It usually leads to sucking in a year or two, but some people don't care (doesnt seem like you care). It is Iike living a full life this year charging up credit cards. Some people like that, others don't.

Actual blue chippers? Kalil Mack? JC Jackson? Keenan Allen is 31. That means the Chargers have Joey Bosa, Justin Herbert and Mike Williams. Not really a "Blue Chipper" wrecking crew. But again, it is a valid business strategy to sign older, bigger name players and hope they flash.

In the last 5 years the Chargers made the playoffs once, and lost their only playoff game. How successful will they be this year? Then in 2024 the credit card payments with interest come due and they will suck for a few years like you note. But they have Blue Chippers, you are right.

 

[Patsgofor4]

I just don’t understand the obsession with cap space in future years. Like I’m sorry, is the plan to win this coming season (year 4 of the rebuild by the way) or is the plan to win in 2024 or 25 or 26…2030 is looking great from a cap perspective! You can question if the Chargers have enough to win it all to make it worth it but they do have actual blue chippers that gives them a fighting chance and it’s been shown that getting out of cap hell isn’t some decade long endeavor. 1-2 seasons and you can be back to competing again.

Like, I’m glad that you aren’t the GM of the Pats.