We're #1 -- with the most cap dollars

[fgssand]

According to Mike Reiss......do you agree Miguel??

"The Patriots currently have slightly more than $15 million in salary cap space, the highest figure in the NFL."

What will we do with this money and when? Branch? Koppen, Graham, Samuels? Law? TBD Free agents?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

 

[flutie2phelan]

Sure, some of it will suit up.

But i've said before, this may be the year when it doesn't all get used.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Unless they've closed the LTBE loophole, we'll probably carry some over into next year.

 

[Bostonian1962]

According to Mike Reiss......do you agree Miguel??

"The Patriots currently have slightly more than $15 million in salary cap space, the highest figure in the NFL."

What will we do with this money and when? Branch? Koppen, Graham, Samuels? Law? TBD Free agents?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

Gil Brandt on Sirius NFL Radio this morning said the Patriots were number one with $15M. He said several teams were second in the $13M range.

 

[mgcolby]

I wonder how it will play out for next year. If the pats have roughly this much space available again during FA, obviously some teams will be a little more strapt because of the money they spent this past offseason, so does that readjust the FA market to come back to pre 06 rates?

Does anyone have a list of 07 FA's?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

According to Mike Reiss......do you agree Miguel??

"The Patriots currently have slightly more than $15 million in salary cap space, the highest figure in the NFL."

What will we do with this money and when? Branch? Koppen, Graham, Samuels? Law? TBD Free agents?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

Miguel has them at $16.5M under so there is roughly a $1M difference - or 1% so that could easily be written off in small increment differences relating to contract stuff Miguel doesn't always have ready access to.

As for the what will we do issue - that's been talked to death. We won't put it in a pile and torch it I'd hazard to guess. Seymour's deal has an option bonus due after August that could (if they want it too and most assume they do) eat up another $5M in current cap space. And then there are the rookies to be signed and the PS and benefits costs to be deducted. So there would still be $6-7M left, part or most of which could be spent on deals for Branch and perhaps Law or a veteran QB, with a million or so as injury reserve. If they don't sign any more players they can hold on to the money with an eye to signing one or more of the other impending FA's up 'til the end of December, or they can push money forward into the 2007 cap via LTBE incentives. In the past we have been forced to go the other way writing NLTBE incentives which when earned get deducted from the following year's cap. This year we lost a couple of million in 2006 cap space already paying for some of last year's NLTBE's that were earned.

Having this space is a good thing, not a pending bad thing.

 

[fgssand]

Miguel has them at $16.5M under so there is roughly a $1M difference - or 1% so that could easily be written off in small increment differences relating to contract stuff Miguel doesn't always have ready access to.

As for the what will we do issue - that's been talked to death. We won't put it in a pile and torch it I'd hazard to guess. Seymour's deal has an option bonus due after August that could (if they want it too and most assume they do) eat up another $5M in current cap space. And then there are the rookies to be signed and the PS and benefits costs to be deducted. So there would still be $6-7M left, part or most of which could be spent on deals for Branch and perhaps Law or a veteran QB, with a million or so as injury reserve. If they don't sign any more players they can hold on to the money with an eye to signing one or more of the other impending FA's up 'til the end of December, or they can push money forward into the 2007 cap via LTBE incentives. In the past we have been forced to go the other way writing NLTBE incentives which when earned get deducted from the following year's cap. This year we lost a couple of million in 2006 cap space already paying for some of last year's NLTBE's that were earned.

Having this space is a good thing, not a pending bad thing.

We sure have discussed what to do with our cashola - ad nauseum.

I also agree it is a GREAT thing to be flush with cash.

I look forward to seeing what we do with great anticipation fully confident in our management. How could anyone not be 100% in BB/Sp's corner??

 

[PatsFanInVa]

As to hoarding for next year via the LTBE loophole, the "cap inflation" answer is that the amount per team is going to get another hefty boost. I don't remember how much, but maybe our capologists can weigh in.

Of course, if we are seeing everybody else with ballooning budgets and a need to cut despite more new cap space, that might be a strategy. But I think the Pats will spend it this year to the extent possible, defraying future costs on Seymour et al.

PFnV

 

[PATSNUTme]

I believe that the signing of our draft picks will be about 4.5 to 5mil.

So, we really have about 10 mil left in cap space. Correct??