Thread: Adjusting The Salary Cap for 2011 Rollovers................

Originally Published: February 13, 2012
Plenty of (cap) room to improve

Teams have approximately $711 million of combined cap space; who's in best shape?

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By John Clayton
ESPN.com
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The numbers are in.

One of the new parts of the NFL collective bargaining agreement is the ability of teams to roll over remaining cap room into the next season. The 2011 season finished with $320 million of remaining cap room. Thirty teams carried over $301.78 million of unused cap money to give the 32 teams approximately $711 million of combined room as they start to prepare for the 2012 season.

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The 2011 salary cap was $120.375 million, and the 2012 ceiling is expected to be close. The exact number is calculated based on revenues and should be available in the next week or two. (Estimates are between $120 mil to $125 mil)


The Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers didn't have enough remaining room to push money over into 2012, so Houston has $3.3 million of cap space and San Diego has $9.2 million. (Gonna be hard for Houston to keep Mario Williams without some big cuts. Same with San Diego and VJax but not impossible)


The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't spend $31 million of cap room in 2011, so they now have $45 million of room. The Kansas City Chiefs have $62.995 million after budgeting $24.014 million from the 2011 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, thanks to $23.519 million of carryover cap money, have the second-most cap space with $60.496 million. The Cincinnati Bengals moved over $15 million from last year and have $60 million to spend. Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins has plenty of room to get quarterback and receiver help, thanks to $47.56 million of cap space. The 2011 playoff teams in good shape are the Denver Broncos ($50.735 million of cap room), San Francisco 49ers ($39.33 million), Atlanta Falcons ($30.6 million) and New England Patriots ($20 million). To get to the $50 million mark, the Broncos carried over $26 million of unused cap. (KC has plenty of $$$ to keep Bowe happy or franchise him if need be. You can probably strike him from the WR free agent list)


Four teams still have to get under the salary cap by March 13. They are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have redone three contracts to be $11.7 million over, the Oakland Raiders ($11 million over), the Carolina Panthers ($9.6 million over) and the New York Giants ($7.3 million over). (Maybe they'll trade Olsen back to us. We have a history of trading players back and forth going all the way back to Moose. Does this mean Steve Smith may be cut loose?)

From the inbox

Q: Now that Cortez Kennedy made the HOF, do you think that bodes well for Steve Wisniewski's chances? To me he's the exact player Kennedy was -- except he was on the O-line. I'm sure if you asked Kennedy who one of his toughest foes was he would say Wiz.
Dino in Rochester, N.Y.



A: Unfortunately, I don't think Wisniewski has a great chance. We've voted in a lot of great guards. It might take time for Wiz to get people campaigning for him to get in.
Short takes

To Bill in Fountain Valley, Calif., the reason Jeff Fisher is hyped as a great coach is because he kept the Titans competitive in tough divisions. The guy knows how to coach. … Greg in Philipsburg, Pa., wants to go back to 2004 and review how Philip Rivers would have done with the Giants as opposed to Eli Manning, who was traded by the Chargers to the Giants. Like Manning, Rivers would have won a Super Bowl or two in New York. Until the past two years, the AFC was tougher than the NFC for championships. … Zarrick in Springfield, Va., makes this suggestion for the much-criticized Pro Bowl. He wants to dump the AFC-NFC format and replace it with top rookies going against second-year players. He also suggests a skills contest on the Friday before the game and some more celebrity events. The only problem I have with rookies being involved is that it will be hard to find 44 qualified rookies to fill out all the positions. … Joe in Los Angeles offers this thought on the Pro Bowl. He'd put the game in London and hope that the star quality of the game would generate interest. That might work if the players play harder than they do now. … Dan in Ewing, N.J., thinks the Pats should go after DeSean Jackson or Vincent Jackson if they are available, then trade Aaron Hernandez for a top defensive player. I like the Jackson options more than the trade. … Mike in Bethlehem, Pa., can't figure out how the Packers can go from the Super Bowl to a team with a defense that lets opponents drive up and down the field. They lost their ability to pass rush. That's the reason. What they have to do this offseason is find pass-rushers to augment the ability of Clay Matthews. … The hiring of Todd Haley as offensive coordinator of the Steelers surprised Jeff in Atlanta. It surprised Ben Roethlisberger, too. How their fiery personalities work together could determine the success or failure of the Steelers next season. … Dave in Pittsburgh wants a prediction on the Raiders, a team he said was in position to win the AFC West in Week 12, then collapsed. I think they will struggle to get to .500 next season, but they still should win six or seven.




Q: Can Reggie Wayne (free agent) come along as part of the Peyton Manning package? Kaden in Helena, Mont.



A: That depends on the team that wants to sign Manning. I can see the Redskins doing it. They have needs at wide receiver, and a Peyton-Reggie combo would work well. I'm not sold that would happen with the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks or some of the other teams. If Dan Sndyer and Mike Shanahan sell the idea of bringing Wayne, that could help Manning in his decision-making process. (Something to keep an eye on)


Q: Everyone is talking about Miami or Washington as a good place for Manning, How about K.C.? The Chiefs aren't hot on Matt Cassel. They could re-sign Dwayne Bowe, and Jamaal Charles will be coming back from injury. I think it would be a perfect fit and could make the Chiefs into a really good team.

Tyler in Springfield, Mo.



A: That is an interesting proposition and one that isn't being discussed. Romeo Crennel and Scott Pioli have gone on the record saying they will open up the competition for the starting QB job. The thought was that they would re-sign Kyle Orton to compete against Cassel. An upgrade to Manning would be interesting. I would say it's unlikely, but the Chiefs could warm up to the idea as Manning gets closer to being released.


Q: What do you think of ditching the Super Bowl halftime show? A shorter halftime would be better.
Jennifer in Seattle



A: From a football standpoint, that wouldn't be a bad idea. But I don't see Roger Goodell scrapping the halftime show. The NFL has the most watched entertainment package in television. It draws more than just football fans. The league needs to be cautious with what goes on during the halftime show, but I don't see it going away.


Q: Even though Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski were among the best in the league at their positions in 2011, it seems like the Patriots are still lacking that physical, outside receiver. What are your thoughts on whether the Patriots will fill that void or just stand pat with what they have?
Chris in Boston



A: I agree 100 percent. When a team can use man-to-man press coverage against the Patriots, it causes major problems. The Patriots lack speed at receiver. They need another Randy Moss-type threat to open up things on the outside. They thought Chad Ochocinco could do it, but that move didn't work out because he lacks speed at this stage of his career. Go back to the Detroit Lions preseason game and the game against the Steelers. When those teams shifted into man coverages, the Patriots struggled. They probably need to do something in the draft to fix the problem.


[+] EnlargeJeff Hanisch/US PresswireThe Saints have some key free agents, including guard Carl Nicks.




Q: As a diehard Saints fan, I am very concerned about how they will manage to keep key players such as Jonathan Vilma and Marques Colston. They will obviously do anything to keep Drew Brees, and it might not be the worst idea to move on from Will Smith.
Elan in Santa Monica, Calif.



A: It is a concern. You also have to be concerned as a New Orleans Saints fan about losing guard Carl Nicks, who is vital to protect the pocket for Brees. One of Brees' strengths is stepping up in the pocket and firing completions. Nicks and Jahri Evans keep the pocket clean. Give the Saints some credit, though. Remember last year, when they had close to 30 unsigned players. Management did a great job of keeping the team together. The Saints have some smart people in the front office working on these problems. (Here's some poop on the NO situation surrounding Nicks and Colston. It's not impossible they may keep them both and Brees. I'm thinking Brees would be willing to allow enough leeway in his deal for them to keep their Oline intact and one of his favorite "go to" guys)


Q: Do you think the Dolphins should draft a QB or an offensive lineman with their first pick? I have to say I'm getting sick of seeing these offensive linemen being drafted with their first-round pick. What do you think? (They're sick of it and we're not sick enough)

Matthew in Naples, Fla.



A: The first priority is finding a quarterback either through the draft, free agency or trades. The easy thing to do would be go for Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn. They also should try to see whether there is a chance to trade up for Robert Griffin III. After that, they can look to upgrade the offensive line, but they don't have to go crazy. They are solid at left tackle and center and some of the other spots along the line, so they might be able to get some help in free agency.


John Clayton, a recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's McCann Award for distinguished reporting, is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Follow Clayton on Twitter @ClaytonESPN

Well as we can see, depending on where the cap falls somewhere between $120 mil to $125 mil the Bears will have about $25 mil to $30 mil cap excess to work with and while it makes us the richest in the NFCN kingdom it pales in comparison to what other teams have when there are teams approaching or over $60 mil.

A team like KC will have no problem keeping it's key players and it's disturbing to see that free spending Dan Snyder has a pretty fat purse as well. We may now need to rethink the Bears approach to FA. With that much $$$ chasing the top guys at each and every position and our need to re-sign Forte and a number of other key FA's of our own we may need to set out sights somewhat lower and be more content to shop for value rather than price.

Just thinking about it and what may have seemed like a nice fat FA wallet doesn't look quite so fat compared to some other teams who look like the Bill Gates and Warren Buffets of 2012 cap excess. With the needs we have some of which must be met through FA Phil Emery has a nice challenge on his hands as he begins to restock for another run at the big prize.

He's still a Kahuna but by no means the richest Kahuna on the NFL island.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

This pretty much takes Dwayne Bowe off the market for us.

Yeah, unfortunately it does but we kind of new that already. NO might swing whatever they need to do to keep Colston and Nicks too. That's why I've been saying it's hard to do any planning or forecasting until you know who is and who isn't hitting FA. Just because there are 500 names on the list doesn't mean all 500 will reach FA. You can figure out that right now fans from other teams are scheming over how they can get Forte.

The situation's I'm looking at are teams like Houston and Detroit who are already almost at their cap limit and have guys like Williams, Avril, and Shaun Hill that they want to keep. The Lions also need to work out an extension for Megatron too. So you're gonna see guys who are not FA with pricey 2012 cap numbers hitting the streets soon as well.

There's a whole lot of shaking out to be done between now and the first part of April.

It sounds like we're willing to settle for second best. I don't buy it. We got Julius Peppers two years ago, and I fully expect that we will get one big name player in free agency to boost this team. We must if we are to have a chance at competing for the Super Bowl.

Thought this older article by Andrew Brandt might be interesting to those who want more info on how this cap rollover works and some of the machinations teams have gone through in the past to get around rules which then do not allow them to rollover unused cap dollars. This seems like a far more sensible way to do things but it's also created some really broad disparities this years between the haves (team who spent far less than last years cap) and the have nots (teams who shot their load). The John Clayton article I posted above illustrates just how wide a gulf this can be and it makes for a very interesting FA coming up.

Closing the books on 2011

End of Year accounting issues Andrew Brandt

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As we put a wrap on both the 2011 NFL regular season and, well, 2011, there are some year-end accounting issues and other concerns to address. Let’s look at a few of these areas of business:


Extensions

NFL teams have until Saturday at 4 pm eastern time to submit contract extensions. In such cases, any increase in 2011 compensation is treated as signing bonus and prorated through the life of the contract, with 2011 as one of the prorated years.


For example, were a player to receive a $5 million bonus and an additional four years on his contract, the bonus would be prorated with $1 million applied to 2011.
ICONDriver was an end-of-year extension a few years back.


I was able to secure a few of these end-of-year extensions, including one with the ageless Donald Driver. At this late date, though, it is often difficult to have players sign with their existing teams with Door #2 and free agency awaiting them in March.


My sense is that we may see an end-of-year extension or two, but that is all.


Cap Room

The new CBA has, for the first time, provided teams a valuable benefit: the ability to carry over remaining Cap room into the following year.
In the past, teams would have to go through the charade of “dummy incentives” in order to bring forward Cap room into the next year. I would usually negotiate with our third-string quarterback in the final week of the season with a bonus of “$10 million for 7 touchdown passes.”


The $10 million would then count on the existing Cap and, when unearned, be credited to the next year’s Cap (although there was a scary moment one year where the player with the bonus, Craig Nall, ended up playing most of the final game due to having clinched our playoff spot!).


Teams no longer need to go through that charade. Thus, teams will have adjusted Caps of much more than the projected 2012 Cap number of around $125 million. A team like the Buccaneers, for example, with $25 million remaining in Cap room, may have an adjusted 2012 Cap of close to $150 million.


The question for the NFLPA is: will teams actually spend all of this Cap room? Keep in mind, there are no team spending minimums until 2013, and teams can “free ride” this year and next.


And for a couple of stickier end-of-year issues..


45-man active roster and playtime bonuses

I started instituting 45-man active roster bonuses for Packer players in 2005 to give players more upside while protecting the team’s downside due to injury.


The bonuses -- providing per game incentives as long as the player is active -- have become a staple in not only Packer contracts, but those of other teams. And on a weekend such as this one ahead, several teams are playing meaningless games and may be resting players who have such bonuses.


Further, playing time incentives are common in many NFL contracts, rewarding players for achieving certain thresholds of participation through the season.


I remember at the end of the 2007 season in Green Bay when we rested several starters in the last regular season game. Then, in the midst of the celebration after winning a playoff game against the Seahawks -- in a lovely snowstorm -- two players came up to me and asked me about playtime and roster bonuses for that last game. Players are always thinking about their money and their contract.


As management, it was always necessary to make sure coaches are not aware of bonuses and incentives in players’ contracts in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety. It will be interesting to see how teams maneuver around the sticky issue of these roster bonuses and other incentive clauses juxtaposed against coach’s decisions to not play starting players.


Luck-y or not?

Finally, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Colts-Jaguars game this weekend. The Colts can insure the top pick with a loss. Alternatively, the Jaguars can -- assuming the Rams lose to the 49ers -- go a long way in preventing the Colts from having the top pick with a loss.


And the prize, of course, is Andrew Luck, perhaps a once-in-a-generation player that can change the fortunes of the team with a horseshoe as it mascot.


Having been with the Packers when we drafted Aaron Rodgers while having Brett Favre, I understand the value of protecting the future. In Indianapolis, Peyton Manning is the past and maybe the present; Andrew Luck is the future. The Colts have to take him if they have the chance.


The Colts can secure their future by losing. The Jaguars can potentially improve their future with a loss as well. Look for a game with a lot of safeties:)



Wishing all of you a safe, happy and healthy New Year!

This is interesting because it relates the fact that teams aren't required to spend 99% of their cap $$$ until 2013 so teams with that huge excess may decide to just keep some of it and profiteer a little. In fact teams have until Feb. 28th to notify the league of their intent to rollover 2011 excess and how much. Here's another article on it.

New CBA Rule Could Boost Bears Activity in Free Agency

by T.J. Shouse on Feb 14, 2012 3:00 PM CST in Free Agency

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Charles Rex Arbogast - APMore photos »




We're still a ways off from the Free Agency Period kicking in, but this weekend I saw something that could help new General Manager Phil Emery in his first offseason at the helm of da Bears. One of the wrinkles in last year's new CBA allows for teams to carry over their remaining cap space from one year to the next; we'll call it the Cap Carryover Clause, or triple C if you want, but regardless, this new method for circumventing the salary cap ceiling could help the Bears get the guys they need in free agency to round out an already solid roster. Let's jump to look at the details of the new rule and how it could affect Chicago and our NFC North rivals.

The Cap Carryover Clause essentially states that teams can use any cap space that remains from the previous season and spend it this year. The beauty of the CCC is that the cap amount carried over does not fall under the current year's cap limit, so a team could in essence spend well above and beyond the cap limit for the current year without having to do a lot of renegotiating with current players and pushing back balloon payments.


A simplified way to look at this is how it could affect the Bears. The Bears have $7.74 million remaining from the 2011 cap limit. If the Bears chose to, they could request to carry over that money and use it this year, without that money factoring into the 2012 cap limit. The 2011 cap limit was $120.375 million, and the 2012 limit isn't expected to be drastically different, so if the 2012 limit ends up at $122.26 million, the Bears could spend up to $130 million in cap dollars for 2012.


How would this be beneficial? Well, obviously, having more money to spend than your opposition is a huge factor. The Bears $7.74 million left from the 2011 cap is a tad more than the Packers ($5.48 million) and way more than the Lions ($1.47 million) and Vikings($1.95 million). The Bears, strictly from a divisional standpoint, would be at a huge advantage over two teams and have a slight advantage over the Packers in free agency. The Lions can regain large chunks of cap space by extending Stafford and Megatron, but the Bears have the simplest route to gaining an advantage in free agency by using the CCC.


The Bears are also in an enviable position to use the CCC when compared to a majority of NFL teams. Five teams have over $20 million in cap space left from 2011, making them unlikely to go from penny-pinchers to Pacman Jones in a year's time by using the CCC. An additional six teams have between $10-20 million dollars in 2011 cap space, which means that they could use the CCC to their advantage, but they may just utilize the space they have available. Eleven teams have less than four million in 2011 cap space, making the CCC a minor help to them. That makes twenty-two that either have so much 2011 cap space left that they probably wouldn't use the CCC, or have so little space left that the CCC wouldn't help them much. That leaves ten teams with between $4-10 that could realistically use the CCC and have it benefit them.


The main reason to carry over the cap space: if you are a team on the brink of a playoff berth or Super Bowl run looking for an edge (i.e. the Bears). Out of the ten teams that could carry over four to ten million dollars, only six teams (Bears, Pats, Ravens, Saints, Packers, and Jets) fall into that category. Obviously there are a multitude of factors that can impact a team's cap space: the Steelers are already clearing space for next year by renegotiating contracts and releasing players (they have the least 2011 cap space at $506,000), the Lions can extend guys to reduce cap numbers, and the Vikings can part ways with some of their aged big money players as they rebuild their roster. Regardless, an opportunity exists with the CCC for the Bears to splash into the Free Agency pool and round out their roster or go big (Nicks, Mario Williams, Bowe, Colston... oops, drooled on my keyboard). And if you are thinking the dollars spent don't matter: the top-five biggest spenders last year all made the playoffs. Just sayin'.


The Cap Carryover Clause is not automatic: a team must submit their written request to exercise the clause fourteen days prior to the start of the new league year, meaning that February 28th will be the last day to request the CCC. The McCaskeys have suffered from a penny-pinching image, rightfully or not, but they could signal to Phil Emery that they believe in him by giving him some extra dollars for free agency. And before you act like an Extreme Couponer at a Black Friday sale, that $7.74 million that the Bears could carryover? It could solve offseason issue #1, since that amount is almost exactly the same number that Forte is likely to be franchised at.