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3 out of 5 worse cap situations are afc east teams


njjetman

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An ESPN article today ranked the five worst salary cap situations in the NFL. The three worst were the three other teams in the AFC East, the Dolphins, Bills and Patriots. 1. Miami Dolphins $166.9 million in cap commitments for 2016 2. Buffalo Bills $166.3 million in cap commitments for 2016 3. New England Patriots $159.1 million in cap commitments for 2016 A team run by Mike Tannenbaum has the worst cap situation in the league? Shocking! All joking aside, this money is not all guaranteed. There are cuts and restructures these teams can make to get back under the cap. It does show the extent to which divisional opponents might have a difficult time making significant free agent investments. As long as the Brady-Belichick duo is in New England, the Pats are going to be very difficult to beat. Are Buffalo and Miami set up for the long haul? Only time will tell.

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You know what's yet another thing overblown by the media? Cap hell. When's the last time cap issues actually resulted in a multi-year complete rebuild for a franchise? The Jets 11-12 years ago, maybe? It's a basic skill at this point for a GM to be able to manipulate the cap and create cap space. This is the NFL, announced contracts are made to be pissed on when a team feels like it. 

Sure, the a Dolphins and Bills won't be able to run amok in FA (which no team does year after year to begin with) and the Jets will have to trim some players they'd be cutting anyway to play around, but none of these teams are actually in truly terrible situations. Miami's got a mid-tier QB for cheap and a lot of talent around him. The Bills are ****ed because of their coach more than their level of talent and cap space. The Jets could end up with as much as ~40 million in cap space afte they're done making cuts, restructuring, and possibly trading.

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4 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

You know what's yet another thing overblown by the media? Cap hell. When's the last time cap issues actually resulted in a multi-year complete rebuild for a franchise? The Jets 11-12 years ago, maybe? It's a basic skill at this point for a GM to be able to manipulate the cap and create cap space. This is the NFL, announced contracts are made to be pissed on when a team feels like it. 

Sure, the a Dolphins and Bills won't be able to run amok in FA (which no team does year after year to begin with) and the Jets will have to trim some players they'd be cutting anyway to play around, but none of these teams are actually in truly terrible situations. Miami's got a mid-tier QB for cheap and a lot of talent around him. The Bills are ****ed because of their coach more than their level of talent and cap space. The Jets could end up with as much as ~40 million in cap space afte they're done making cuts, restructuring, and possibly trading.

See New Orleans.  

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Cap hell is an overblown concept.  The real crime is when a GM or the outgoing GM leaves his team too  little cap room to properly maneuver.  Maintaining your own fav FA's and acquiring a few outsider FA's is one way a team builds their future.  The other of course is the draft.  Being 13, 13, and 6 m over the cap is just plain old poor stewardship.  Here's hoping it comes back to bite them in the a$$.  

The one thing I thought Mac might have gotten a bit wrong was not leaving himself a bit more cap room to work with this year.   

 

ps: this is why restructuring mortgages the future and why I find it so hateful.   

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Just now, BroadwayJets said:

I mean going forward. Age is undefeated.

The team that just won the SB had a 40 year old QB who underwent neck surgery at 36. The Saints will, somehow, figure out how to win with a HOF QB and a bunch of talented players under contract. If they don't - cap hell is over next year anyway.

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Just now, SenorGato said:

The team that just won the SB had a 40 year old QB who underwent neck surgery at 36. The Saints will, somehow, figure out how to win with a HOF QB and a bunch of talented players under contract. If they don't - cap hell is over next year anyway.

I agree with the cap hell part, but the Saints defense is actually the worst defense I've ever seen. I think they f'ed up and wasted the final two years of his prime.

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11 hours ago, SenorGato said:

The team that just won the SB had a 40 year old QB who underwent neck surgery at 36. The Saints will, somehow, figure out how to win with a HOF QB and a bunch of talented players under contract. If they don't - cap hell is over next year anyway.

Who does New Orleans have on defense that resembles anything close to Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware?  Their defense has been near the bottom every year.  The Broncos have been one of the higher ranked defenses the last few years, THEN added Wade Phillips and Ware.

It's all fine and good to say that cap hell doesn't matter much, and I tend to agree in many cases.  But you still need a front office that spends money wisely and drafts well, like always.  When you don't (like in Miami), those bad contracts actually DO matter for the next regime and sets you back a few years from being competitive.  Do you think Maccagnan would have done nearly as well with this roster if he arrived immediately after Tannenbaum?

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13 hours ago, SenorGato said:

You know what's yet another thing overblown by the media? Cap hell. When's the last time cap issues actually resulted in a multi-year complete rebuild for a franchise? The Jets 11-12 years ago, maybe? It's a basic skill at this point for a GM to be able to manipulate the cap and create cap space. This is the NFL, announced contracts are made to be pissed on when a team feels like it. 

Sure, the a Dolphins and Bills won't be able to run amok in FA (which no team does year after year to begin with) and the Jets will have to trim some players they'd be cutting anyway to play around, but none of these teams are actually in truly terrible situations. Miami's got a mid-tier QB for cheap and a lot of talent around him. The Bills are ****ed because of their coach more than their level of talent and cap space. The Jets could end up with as much as ~40 million in cap space afte they're done making cuts, restructuring, and possibly trading.

This will look prescient when the Dolphins give Mo $115 million dollars.

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The term 'cap hell' does get tossed around all too much I agree but make no mistake cap issues can have a profound effect on a teams success.  Can teams get out from under the cap?  Yes, but at what cost?  Look at Baltimore, decided to play Flacco the big bucks and immediately had to start shedding good players as a result, a year or two later and they are a shadow of what they once were and are in rebuild mode.

For good teams you have to either have a super model wife making twice what you do and also get under the table compensation like a certain team or you are going to have issues.

 

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15 hours ago, SenorGato said:

You know what's yet another thing overblown by the media? Cap hell. When's the last time cap issues actually resulted in a multi-year complete rebuild for a franchise? The Jets 11-12 years ago, maybe? It's a basic skill at this point for a GM to be able to manipulate the cap and create cap space. This is the NFL, announced contracts are made to be pissed on when a team feels like it. 

Sure, the a Dolphins and Bills won't be able to run amok in FA (which no team does year after year to begin with) and the Jets will have to trim some players they'd be cutting anyway to play around, but none of these teams are actually in truly terrible situations. Miami's got a mid-tier QB for cheap and a lot of talent around him. The Bills are ****ed because of their coach more than their level of talent and cap space. The Jets could end up with as much as ~40 million in cap space afte they're done making cuts, restructuring, and possibly trading.

I agree.

Mayo is going to be cut.  Amendola is a candidate for an extension/cut.  Brady has two years left, he can be extended and reduce his number from 15.  Soldier was extended last year for two years and could be extended to bring his number down from 10+.  Jones and Hightower are on the books for over 7+ and in the last year of their contract. 

The point being, there are a lot of moves a team can make to save money.

 

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1 hour ago, PFSIKH said:

I agree.

Mayo is going to be cut.  Amendola is a candidate for an extension/cut.  Brady has two years left, he can be extended and reduce his number from 15.  Soldier was extended last year for two years and could be extended to bring his number down from 10+.  Jones and Hightower are on the books for over 7+ and in the last year of their contract. 

The point being, there are a lot of moves a team can make to save money.

 

dude Jones Hightower and Collins will all have to be paid, no savings there, Sheard will prob ask for a raise as well.  shoot ALL PRO ALL STUD malcolm butler will ask for one, what does he make $300k lol

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6 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Who does New Orleans have on defense that resembles anything close to Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware?  Their defense has been near the bottom every year.  The Broncos have been one of the higher ranked defenses the last few years, THEN added Wade Phillips and Ware.

It's all fine and good to say that cap hell doesn't matter much, and I tend to agree in many cases.  But you still need a front office that spends money wisely and drafts well, like always.  When you don't (like in Miami), those bad contracts actually DO matter for the next regime and sets you back a few years from being competitive.  Do you think Maccagnan would have done nearly as well with this roster if he arrived immediately after Tannenbaum?

OK, so they won't win and will be out of cap hell next year. 

 

2 hours ago, Jet Nut said:

except when the QB costs 30 mil in cap space

The least of their problems is that they've had a QB.

 

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4 hours ago, afosomf said:

dude Jones Hightower and Collins will all have to be paid, no savings there, Sheard will prob ask for a raise as well.  shoot ALL PRO ALL STUD malcolm butler will ask for one, what does he make $300k lol

There is no doubt each issue you raised is definitely a concern.

I think Jones is as good as gone.  Even with his synthetic or whatever it was 'incident', he is going to get paid.  Not by the Patriots.

Butler, Hightower and Collins are going to be hard to sign as well. 

Brady and Solder's cap hit of ~25 million gives them some room to play with.  If they can extend them, then they can use Hightower's cap figure of 7 million to then start working on the other two. 

Easy?  Nope.

 

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7 hours ago, SenorGato said:

 

The least of their problems is that they've had a QB.

 

30 mil on a QB your fanbase adores and won't let you move is a problem.  Especially at his age, by the time they get a team around him he'll be done.  And if they moved him and had 30 mil to spend they'd get better faster. 

All while they need to find his replacement.  QB is a problem. 

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10 hours ago, Jet Nut said:

And if they moved him and had 30 mil to spend they'd get better faster. 

Nobody loses their still top tier QB and gets better, let alone gets better faster. Nobody looking for a QB is doing much of anything these days besides acting as fodder or spoiler, if they're lucky, for the ones that do. Folks will talk about how the Broncos have a D and the Saints don't, but the Broncos' future HOF QB is way less toast than theirs.

As with all teams, the Saints will scrounge together cap space through restructures and cuts and make moves. None of those moves will be dumping Drew Brees unless somehow another QB pops up as a gift from Jah.

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52 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

Nobody loses their still top tier QB and gets better, let alone gets better faster. Nobody looking for a QB is doing much of anything these days besides acting as fodder or spoiler, if they're lucky, for the ones that do. Folks will talk about how the Broncos have a D and the Saints don't, but the Broncos' future HOF QB is way less toast than theirs.

As with all teams, the Saints will scrounge together cap space through restructures and cuts and make moves. None of those moves will be dumping Drew Brees unless somehow another QB pops up as a gift from Jah.

He's counting as $30 mil on a team that has no chance to do anything and needs help at too many different positions.  NO sucks and by the time they become a good team Brees will be gone.  This is not a good thing

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22 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

This is not a good thing

It is *always* a good thing to have a QB in the NFL. There is literally zero situations or scenarios where already having a franchise QB on the roster is a negative or holding the franchise back.

Your qualms with the money, forever the focus of sports fans these days, are yours to have and all, but let's not pretend a contract in the NFL is ever written in stone. Like with every team every year, the Saints will scrounge up cap space through cuts and restructures/extensions. With Brees specifically, they'll extend him for another 2-3 seasons to free up cap space this year. At this point it seems to be a pretty basic process for teams to manage the cap year by year, not the mystic art it was once portrayed as. They aren't in any serious trouble. I'd guess it's more likely they stay the same or get much better than get worse, mostly because they already have QB locked down.

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1 hour ago, SenorGato said:

It is *always* a good thing to have a QB in the NFL. There is literally zero situations or scenarios where already having a franchise QB on the roster is a negative or holding the franchise back.

Your qualms with the money, forever the focus of sports fans these days, are yours to have and all, but let's not pretend a contract in the NFL is ever written in stone. Like with every team every year, the Saints will scrounge up cap space through cuts and restructures/extensions. With Brees specifically, they'll extend him for another 2-3 seasons to free up cap space this year. At this point it seems to be a pretty basic process for teams to manage the cap year by year, not the mystic art it was once portrayed as. They aren't in any serious trouble. I'd guess it's more likely they stay the same or get much better than get worse, mostly because they already have QB locked down.

No, there are times when a high priced, on the downside QB can hurt.  And this is one case.  Its why they were considering a move from Brees.  

If Im correct he just passed the date where they have to give him his 17mil accelerator.  Getting the other 13 mil extended is no bargain.  Theyre probably better off leaving the 30mil as is.

 

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19 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

 And this is one case. 

It's really not, hence not moving him despite the light, at best, rumors. They're probably not going to end up taking a $30 million cap hit either, mostly because they won't be better off taking the hit and then being QB-less.

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