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Salary Cap Limitations May Force Bears Hand....................
Salary cap concerns could force Bears' hand in Draft
By Adam Oestmann, Wednesday at 9:00 am
Cap concerns could force Emery to lean toward offensive linemen in the Draft, which is exactly where I believe the emphasis should, and will, be. I’m not ready to forfeit hope just yet. There’s a lot of work still to be done, but in terms of a Free Agency splash for the Bears, I’ll admit it doesn’t look promising.
If you follow the offseason closely, you’ll likely have read this great piece from the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs yesterday, in which he lays out one way the Bears can increase their current cap space by restructuring the contract of defensive end Julius Peppers.
Chicago could potentially do the same with players like Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs, but doing so would only shove the issue further down the road. Meaning, at some point, they’ll be stuck with that money and be in even worse shape than they are right now.
So is restructuring really worth it? Well, that’s the question alright.
Because teams are banking on an increased cap year in 2015, it might very well be worth it, and it’s something teams do all the time. But the Bears have historically, and recently, been very smart with their finances (don’t read “very cheap”—it’s simply not true), and they will still have to be careful how they position themselves for the future.
According to the Tribune’s Biggs, Chicago is operating with roughly $11M in cap space right now, although the 2013 cap has not officially been set. The reason $11M is of note is because if they intend to re-sign some their own free agents, most notably Henry Melton and/or Brian Urlacher, they won’t be left with much room.
Additionally, the team will need to save room for their draft picks and, potentially, other offseason additions.
Kind of …
There are currently 59 players under contract for 2013, which is where we derive that $11M figure from. The offseason roster weight, however, is 90-man. Meaning, Chicago will likely add 31 more players between now and July-ish. But because the offseason cap only counts against the top-51 salaries, the Bears don’t necessarily have to worry too much until final roster cuts when every player’s salary counts. (This may explain the disparity between the $11 mil figure Biggs gives us now and the $14.5 mil figure we were looking at initially. The eight lowest paid players will not count against the cap once the new season begins. That should increase cap space.)
But since most of their draft picks will likely still be on the 2013 roster, save for maybe late-round selections, they still need to plan ahead. What it all could mean is that the Bears may not have the dough to bring in a bona fide starter at the left tackle position, or any position for that matter, via Free Agency. And if that is indeed the case, it could force Phil Emery’s hand in the Draft.
Make no mistake, Emery will make the pick, but head coach Marc Trestman and his staff (Aaron Kromer in particular) want that offensive line secured yesterday. Ideally, a general manager would like to fill holes at specific positions in Free Agency, feeling comfortable selecting the top player on his board on Draft-day, regardless of position.
So, if pick No. 20 rolls around and the highest-ranked player on Emery’s board is a linebacker, and he also believes that said linebacker will be an instant contributor over, say, the tackle he sees sitting there also, you take the linebacker.
Now, in that scenario the choice is easier because the Bears also need help at linebacker. But what if the player on the board was a rock star safety? Do you still take him? You’d certainly like to think so. But this isn’t a perfect-world scenario. (But not in this case because we won't need to do that. Not this year)
It’s especially hard to do when the issue at tackle has gone uncorrected for as long as it has. Having said that, good tackles are damn hard to come by, and I believe Phil Emery and contract/cap guru Cliff Stein may have a few cards left to play before this thing is completely through.
Just like there are salaries yet to be had, there are salaries yet to be reconstructed and dumped. No, the Bears aren’t in a position to just start canning players, having said they’re “building, not rebuilding,” but understand that the noncommittal stance from this coaching staff on any player’s future, and the fact that they’ve said they’re still actively evaluating the existing roster, is cause to believe some turnover is on the horizon.
And that’s typical with a new head coach. But there are few contracts on the team that will net the type of space needed to sign one of the top tackles in free agency, whether it be Jake Long, Jermon Bushrod or Will Beatty. Kellen Davis and Devin Hester alone aren’t going to cut it, pardon the pun. But smart restructures, coupled with smart acquisition contracts and roster cuts could get them close.
Bottom line, however, is don’t be surprised if Phil Emery does this season exactly what he said he’d do and try to build the future of his team through the Draft. While I’m not letting go of hope just yet, the Free Agency spending spree could be over for awhile. And that, could force Emery to put a strong emphasis on drafting offensive linemen.
I for one believe that’s exactly where the emphasis should, and will, be.
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The conclusion he comes to at the end is the one I've been preparing for. Even with some deft restructuring of some high cap dollar deals we still have a number of our own to re-sign and the potential of an $8.3 mil tag cost for Melton. This is one of those years where we have our limits as far as what we can do in FA.
I expect Emery to take a good look at one or two guys who could help but if the price gets too high he may simply look to upgrade with depth as opposed to front line players and look to the draft for new starters. Needless to say those rookies come far cheaper than vet FAs.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
soulman 
The conclusion he comes to at the end is the one I've been preparing for. Even with some deft restructuring of some high cap dollar deals we still have a number of our own to re-sign and the potential of an $8.3 mil tag cost for Melton. This is one of those years where we have our limits as far as what we can do in FA.
I expect Emery to take a good look at one or two guys who could help but if the price gets too high he may simply look to upgrade with depth as opposed to front line players and look to the draft for new starters. Needless to say those rookies come far cheaper than vet FAs.
The more I see and read, the less I can see us making any LT vet acquisition, nor maybe is that a bad thing. Looks like we need to save FA for retaining our own + a vet TE and the go with an OL-heavy draft.
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I really don't expect to hear anything one way or another until after the combine. Evaluation of existing players AND the ones Emery & Trestman look closely at in the combine will tell the tale as to just who they want to keep and how some contracts will be restructured to fit the team needs. It's a "Hurry up & Wait" situation. We will know more in a week or so IMHO.
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foolish spending on bums in st and backup rb and a garbage te has put us in a bind for this season
looks like we are on a verge of a rebuild to me since we cant improve this roster
hopefully emery can do better in the draft this year
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All good points in this thread. I would only add one additional point. Emery seems like a smart guy. So he undoubtedly understands that the Chicago Bears fans are at the boiling point of the perennial offensive line problem that never gets solved. Year after year after year, of the oline killing our offense.
Emery knows that if he fails to put a solid offensive line on the field THIS season, then the fans will turn on him.
Everyone has HAD it with the year-after-year failures. We've been horribly embarrassed on National televised games to the point we're a bad joke right now regarding our oline woes. Every sports media guy on the National level (and certainly in Chicago) has basically written our olines off as a yearly farce. We're just stupid in Chicago when it comes to understanding how to build an oline.
Angelo/Lovie never "got it" and this was the #1 reason they failed. This is the #1 reason that they were run out of Chicago. The Bears have now brought in Emery, Trestman & crew. They would have to be half-wit idiots if they FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO THEIR SUCCESS IN CHICAGO TO FIX THE OLINE - FINALLY - THIS YEAR.
This is "Job One" on their to-do list. If it isn't, then ultimately THEY will be run out of Chicago just like the previous GM/HC.
They better get it right this time...
Last edited by JustAnotherBearsFan99; 02-21-2013 at 10:49 AM.
Trestman - Kromer - Tucker - DeCamillis
I'm looking forward to seeing these guys coach. Hope they're good.
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Many of us might not like it but I think we know who our LT will be next year and I don't see us going after a RT at all. The only way we see a change at LT is if we can address the Guard and Center needs in FA and draft a LT other then that we will be seeing a lot of Webb and I am not saying that is necessarily all that bad. As far as tackles go we have Webb, Carimi and I am guessing we will resign Scott. It will be interesting to see who plays where and how the new O line coach works with them. My hope is after this year we won't have to talk about the O line for a long time to come.
Originally Posted by
MPBears68 The more I see and read, the less I can see us making any LT vet acquisition, nor maybe is that a bad thing. Looks like we need to save FA for retaining our own + a vet TE and the go with an OL-heavy draft.
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Not sure a LT will be there at 20 that would be taking regardless if we solidify the LG/C via FA or not. The good ones tend to be gone by that time, and I don't want to see them reach for a need again like they did w/C Williams. Wonder how quickly they try and restructure and tag Melton; no way if he's really the 2nd rated FA they let him on the open market; there are teams w/plenty of cap space to snatch him away.
This also will come down to what Trestman and his staff grade out how the OL played and who's worth keeping and/or starting and where. If they aren't able to use FA to shore up problem areas, it's just another reason why trading back for more picks would be usefull.
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This is another reason to trade down.
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Salary-cap issues 1st on Bears table
GM must get handle on multiple contract situations before he can shape roster further
Dan Pompei On the NFL 8:51 p.m. CST, February 21, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS — For an NFL team, coming to the scouting combine can be a little like visiting an automobile showroom. Flashy, pricey things are on display that catch eyes. Many are veterans with expiring contracts. Many are players who will be drafted in April.
But before the Bears can consider any of them, they have to deal with the players who already have been on their roster. And that really is the most urgent part of the next five days for general manager Phil Emery. He can't go on a shopping spree until he knows how much cap money and cash he has to spend, and he can't know that until he resolves what to do with some of his players.
His most pressing issue is the expiring contract of defensive tackle Henry Melton. The Bears don't want to allow Melton to hit the open market because if that happens he could get stupid money. So their options are to get him to sign a long-term contract, probably at a price with which they are somewhat uncomfortable, or to put the franchise tag on him.
That would cost $8.3 million, all of which would count against the 2013 salary cap. The Bears are believed to have about $11 million available. Franchising Melton wouldn't leave them with much in their pockets for those flashy new things.
And Melton is not their only concern. If they lose potential free agents Lance Louis, Jonathan Scott, Nick Roach, Israel Idonije and Brian Urlacher, they will need to find starters to replace them. Asked about Louis, Scott and Idonije on Thursday, Emery indicated he will attempt to retain all three. He also said he intended on talking with Urlacher's agent.
Of Louis, who is coming off knee surgery, he said, "Lance has been very diligent at his rehab and we're pleased with his progress." Of Scott, he said, "He added positively to our group. He helped us win games." And of Idonije, Emery said, "He has done a number of good things and had a number of good games both outside and inside. So, he has versatility. That is a positive thing."
Emery has to figure not only the individual value of those players but also how each fits in the big picture in terms of the salary cap. "Every player kind of has a piece of the pie and how you divide that up is a very interesting, creative process and allows a lot of big-picture thinking," Emery said.
That pie can be made bigger by making future pies smaller. Emery can extend and renegotiate contracts. Two potential candidates for renegotiation are Julius Peppers and Charles Tillman. If Peppers is willing, the Bears can take some of the $12.9 million he is owed in base salary this year and turn it into bonus money. That would give them cap relief because the bonus would be prorated over the remaining three years of his deal.
Tillman has just one year remaining on his contract and could have his deal extended to reduce his $8 million 2013 cap hit. But he turns 32 on Saturday.
And then there is Jay Cutler. The quarterback is entering the final year of his contract. An extension might provide a little cap relief, as his 2013 cap hit is 10.37 million. The question is whether Cutler has done enough for the Bears to commit to him long term. Emery was noncommittal Thursday, saying he will not comment on contract issues.
The hiring of coach Marc Trestman certainly changes things for Cutler though. Not long ago, Emery described Cutler as a "franchise quarterback." Given the opportunity to do the same in his introductory news conference, Trestman stopped short of such an endorsement.
Emery reasonably wrote off the difference in their words to semantics. Trestman, meanwhile, blew kisses at Cutler on Thursday. "I have had a couple of opportunities to talk with him on multiple levels and am excited to work with him in all facets of his game," Trestman said. "He's an extremely bright guy. He loves football. He has a great skill set."
He said Cutler's heart is in the right place and that the quarterback is "willing to do some self-evaluation." This "big picture" isn't just about Cutler though. It's about how he fits in with everything around him.
dpompei@tribune.com
Twitter @danpompei
Copyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
Last edited by soulman; 02-22-2013 at 11:31 AM.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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