Question for Miguel or other capologists...

[Va_Pats_Fan]

The structure of Stallworths contract state bonus payments in Feb and march of this year. Since we have 5 or 6 mil free this year, can those payments be accelerated into this years cap space?
What defines a "cap year"?

thanks!!!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Since nobody has responded, I'll take a shot knowing Miguel will correct me if I'm wrong...

Because of the 12 month rule I don't believe we could do so as it would change his cap hit on a long term deal he only signed this season. So you'd be committing the cash early without cap benefit.

And there is no need to. That excess cap space can and will be rolled over into 2008. He's signed and not going anywhere unless they decide they don't want him. No need to make that decision until they have to and potentially know who else they are retaining or losing from the 2007 team. Not to mention how well he performs over potentially 19 total games and does he complete the season injury free. Maybe if Moss stays, Stallworth goes - although I really think they can and will keep both.

If Moss goes they certainly retain Stallworth to be the #1 pending identifying a better option. His deal is more than reasonable for a #1, it's just about what they were offering Deion over a year ago, and several million less than Deion ended up with from Seattle. It's also substantially less than what Wayne is getting to be the transitional #1 in Indy.

Stallworth's deal can also be restructured to benefit the cap without reducing his money in hand simply by converting one or all of his future option/roster bonuses to signing bonus. His scheduled cap hit in 2009 is only $4.8M, and the remainder of his hits are a flat $6.3M through 2013. So pushing money forward to a time when the cap will be $20-30M higher (and newly resigned #1's will likely be pulling in deals that average double digits) shouldn't be an issue if they need to make his early cap hits a little lighter (say to accommodate a 1A and 1B scenario of Moss and Stallworth for the next couple of seasons...).

Absent the media hysteria over his option language, and that is what it is since a signing bonus for a #1 would be in double digits anyway, this is a great value deal for a #1 and could even be a deal Stallworth would potentially be itching to get out of in a year or two if he truly emerges as that even in a couple of years when Moss likely would be gone.

As for the cap year it ends at the end of the regular season. Teams have until prior to the start of the last week of the regular season to extend players or rework deals and have the effect show on the present years cap. After that, it's all factored in the following season. You can't sign a long term deal with a tagged player until the last week of the regular season for that reason.

 

[shmessy]

The structure of Stallworths contract state bonus payments in Feb and march of this year. Since we have 5 or 6 mil free this year, can those payments be accelerated into this years cap space?
What defines a "cap year"?

thanks!!!

I wonder how other teams' fans feel about their front offices when they consider the 2007 Patriots are still $5-6 million under the cap!!!!!

 

[mgteich]

The money will likely to be moved to next year to cover 2007 NLTBE such as SB bonuses.

Another use may be the extension of players not signed in the last year such as Wright.

I wonder how other teams' fans feel about their front offices when they consider the 2007 Patriots are still $5-6 million under the cap!!!!!

 

[solman]

The structure of Stallworths contract state bonus payments in Feb and march of this year. Since we have 5 or 6 mil free this year, can those payments be accelerated into this years cap space?
What defines a "cap year"?

thanks!!!

We would absolutely NOT want to do this.

1. It is simple to move unspent cap money from 2007 to 2008.

We can do this towards the end of the season via faux LTBE incentives (incentives which, according to the CBA, are "likely to be earned" but in reality will never be earned. They count against this year's cap, but [once they go unearned] are credited back to the next year's cap. This has become an extremely common practice in the NFL.)

2. The Stallworth deal effectively gives us the OPTION of keeping him in 2008. There is considerable value in this option which would be decreased by moving some of the post-option money into the present.

Even now, with Stallworth performing very well, I don't think we will want to pick up this option without renegotiating his deal. But whether we do or don't, having the OPTION is valuable. In February we will have a better understanding of the following:

a. How well Stallworth performed over the course of the entire season
b. Whether or not Stallworth was injured during the course of the season
c. Whether or not Chad Jackson can become a legitimate deep threat
d. Whether or not we will be able to re-sign Moss (and Gaffney)
e. How our overall cap situation for 2008 and beyond looks

 

[solman]

Since nobody has responded, I'll take a shot knowing Miguel will correct me if I'm wrong...

Because of the 12 month rule I don't believe we could do so as it would change his cap hit on a long term deal he only signed this season. So you'd be committing the cash early without cap benefit.

The FIRST renegotiation of a player's contract may be performed at any time. Since Stallworth signed directly with us (as opposed to Moss who was already signed to an existing contract) we may renegotiate at any time.

 

[solman]

I wonder how other teams' fans feel about their front offices when they consider the 2007 Patriots are still $5-6 million under the cap!!!!!

I wonder how much cap space we will actually have left. I imagine that some of the $1.5M in incentives that Randy Moss has coming will actually be earned. Many other players have incentives in their contracts.

On the other hand, most of the difference between Miguel's calculation of $8M and the actual $5-6M is probably attributable to LTBE incentives that will not be earned.

 

[jct]

We have almost no money left this year...
Moss will earn an additional 2M (incentives) leaving ballpark 4M.
Money has to be set aside for emergency roster pickups...
So really don't have that much left over ...
Minus of course many of the other performance incentives others will earn.

 

[Miguel]

The structure of Stallworths contract state bonus payments in Feb and march of this year. Since we have 5 or 6 mil free this year, can those payments be accelerated into this years cap space?

I believe so.

What defines a "cap year"?

thanks!!!

A league year is defined in CBA as "the period from March 1 of one year through and including the last day of February of the following year, or such other one year period to which the NFL and the NFLPA may agree."

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

A league year is defined in CBA as "the period from March 1 of one year through and including the last day of February of the following year, or such other one year period to which the NFL and the NFLPA may agree."

thats interesting. Does that mean a the part of his bonus salary that is payed in Feb is counted towards this years cap? In general, does the team have the flexibility to pay in one "cap" year, but count in another (this case says yes). If not, then that payment must be counted against this years cap...