I'm still not getting where people are getting the salary cap numbers. Miguel has it at $29 mil currently. When Brady will incur a 13 mil cap charge on March 18th (assuming he isn't resigned). So it doesn't seem like a lot of room to me.
I just looked. Miguel shows $21M for 44 players. He shows Brady at $36.75M with a cap savings of $22M if he goes. That $43M. I would subtract $3M to use for the future contracts to bring us to 53 players, giving us a total of $40M if Brady goes.
Let's say a new QB uses $16M (for a total of 29.5M including Brady's dead money). That leaves $24M to start (before restructures and cuts).
If we extend Brady, we might use the same $29.5M of cap room, for the same $24M to start.
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Is $24M a lot? I don't know. For me, it seems pretty normal for our free agents and those of others. A Hightower restructure gives us an "easy" $5.3M. A Gilmore restructure will be available for needs at the end of camp and during the season. There are a couple of people who could go and be replaced using their cap savings (Sanu? Cannon?).
That leaves the following high priorities ( I presume that Thuney, KVN and Collins are gone)
PRIORITIES
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D. McCourty (his brother might be cut to save money)
G/C - Karras seems an obvious choice
OT - This would be a backup. If Cannon goes, his cap room would pay for a replacement.
NT - Shelton is the obvious choice PLUS a draftee (to compete with Cowart).
DL - Butler should stay, and hopefully Calhoun also.
#3 WR - Sanu or a replacement (in any case his cap hit needs to be reduced)
#1 or #2 WR
#1 TE
another TE (LeCosse will stay, but we need competition and a 3rd TE)