They didn't 'create' $44M of cap space as Rappaport says, they pushed it into future years. Eventually that does catch up with you, especially if you sign older players that age out therefore you can't/won't resign them so you can't push the money further out. Examples are our Cam Newton year and the Bucs and the Rams this year. At least the Bucs didn't have to give up draft capital for an aging player, but Brady retired so there's no more pushing his money into the future. This could happen to da Jete as soon as next season if Rodgers comes out of the cave next off season and decides to retire. The Rams have always favored vets over rookies but now those aging players are declining so either they keep overpaying them on the roster or cut them and take the accelerated salary cap hit. IMO Da Jete are setting themselves up for a sharp decline in the future by giving up both cap and draft capital to get an aging QB.
Now, imagine a different world where Da Jete take a competent rookie QB two years ago instead of Milfson. Gee, there was this guy right there on the draft board who had just won the National Championship and was viewed as a NFL-ready QB. Plug him in and you have a starting QB with five years of control at below-market rates. Nope, they swung for the fences and trusted their ability to develop players and took the guy from the small school whose career highlight has been winning the Boca Raton Bowl and sleeping with his mom's best friend. Now they think they're going to plug in the aging ayahusca enthusiast and cave dweller used to the scrutiny of the Milwaukee media into their dysfunctional setup in NYC and it's all going to be fine.
