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Salary CAP dept. : is 2013's Salary Cap driving the jets 2012 decisions ? ? ?


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Is 2013's Salary Cap Driving the Jets 2012 Decisions ?

We all know that the Jets are in a tough position financially in 2013. As of Wednesday, the Jets only had 39 players under contract of which 3 are guaranteed cuts, so let’s call it 36 players. The Jets will likely enter 2013, after those moves and carrying over their remaining 2012 cap room, with about $11 million to spend on those 17 players needed to reach the 53 man roster. They have plenty of other moves that can be made for more financial flexibility, but you get the idea. It looks to be tight barring a big trade of someone like David Harris or Santonio Holmes.

I admit I’ve been puzzled as to some of the decisions that the Jets have made with personnel this season. It really seems to be the first time I have seen the Jets making moves that appear to be guided, in part, by salary considerations. Now let me just say that some of the things I will talk about here are, to the best of my knowledge correct. However, I want to preface this by saying that things do change all the time in the NFL and if anyone reading this wants to correct something please email me and I’ll fix any errors as long as you can verify the data. I just want it out there up front that this may not be 100% correct in terms of financial implication for the team.The small ones deal with players who have contracts that call for escalated salaries in 2013 if they reach certain playing time thresholds. If you see players entering their final contract year in 2013 seemingly vanish from the rotation in 2012 odds are it is to save a few hundred thousand in roster money next year or the hassle of guaranteeing them money to have them bring the number back down.After years of talking about the importance of continuity on an offensive line the Jets have moved into this strange rotation on the offensive line. It is one where they rotate their left guard every third series. Im not sure I can recall too many NFL teams that use a rotation on the line. Usually the starters play all the snaps unless they are injured or ineffective and benched. The Jets clearly made a play in the offseason to push Matt Slauson to take a paycut in return for a guaranteed salary and the starting job which he agreed to. Slauson remains the starter but loses about 30% of the snaps to Vlad Ducasse.

Ducasse has a bonus in his contract that increases his 2013 salary cap figure by $410,000 if he plays in 45% of the snaps this season. If Ducasse fails to earn this year that bonus vanishes, with $410,000 of his 2013 salary remaining guaranteed as protection for the player. The Jets save $410,000 in both cash and cap with this rotational system. Yes it’s a small amount but when you look at some of the moves the Jets have made this past year to free up smalls sums of money (Slauson, Mike DeVito), clearly it is in their playbook. In addition the Jets starting RG Brandon Moore is a free agent. So is Matt Slauson. As an older veteran that seems to be declining it would be unlikely to see Moore remain with a team that looks ready to rebuild. Slauson’s value is driven down on the open market by the fact that he is not an entrenched starter. It gives the Jets an opportunity to bring him back at a low cost with minimal guarantees and probably plug him at the RG position. Slauson isn’t great but he is a capable player for a one or two year period.But the big one is Tim Tebow. Again I want to mention here that the information I have on Tebow is from his prior contract with Denver which I assume rolled over with the Jets, but I do not know for a fact if this is the case. So take this as a possibility and not 100% accurate.Everyone is puzzled by the fact that Tebow never plays for the Jets. The starting QB the Jets have is terrible. There is no way to sugarcoat the performances no matter how much Rex Ryan tries to in every postgame press conference. In the games where the Jets have been blown away it was shocking that the team didn’t put in Tebow in mop up duty just to get a look at the player. With the exception of rookies taking their lumps almost no starting QB, except for the superstars, would have remained in the games against the San Francisco 49’ers or Miami Dolphins. In the summer Rex Ryan talked about playing Tebow 25% of the teams snaps. Thus far he has been in 10.1% and the number is falling.

Tebow is one of the last remaining players that should be playing under the old CBA rookie contract structure. Under the old CBA 1st round draft picks often had low base value deals to comply with CBA rules with easily attainable escalators based on playing time. For instance Dustin Keller this year saw his salary increase to $3.052 million as he entered the final year of his deal. As a QB drafted in the 1st round those incentives are increased dramatically. Tebow’s rookie contract had a base value of $9.7125 million with an easily achievable value of $11.125 million based on reaching the standard playing time escalators of either 35% as a rookie or 45% any year thereafter. He unlocked that in 2011 when he played in about 76% of the Broncos offensive snaps. As a first round QB he had the potential to turn the contract into a $33 million dollar deal through incentives that would only be realized if he turned out to be the next John Elway. The more realistic number was that the contract would be worth $22.5 million if he developed into a starting QB.The additional $11.25 million, if earned, would be added onto the backend of Tebow’s 5 year contract in 2013 and 2014. He had two avenues to earn the escalators. If he played in 55% of the snaps in two of his first three seasons (2010-2012) he would earn an additional $5 million in 2013 and $6.25 million in 2014. If he plays in 70% of the snaps in 2013 he earns the full payment in 2014.Tebow’s current cap number in 2013 is $2,586,875 which includes a guaranteed payment of $1,531,875 that goes to the Denver Broncos as part of the terms of the trade. If Tebow was to earn that escalator his cap charge would balloon to $7,586,875. That is a number the Jets cant handle next season, considering they owe Sanchez $8.25 million guaranteed next year and a cap charge of over $12.8 million. 2014 is not an issue for the Jets but clearly 2013 is and maybe that is playing a role in the management of Tebow’s snaps.

Over the summer the Jets proclaimed they were going to use Tebow close to 20 snaps per game which is about 25% of the teams offensive plays, specifically in the red zone. The Jets have played 546 offensive snaps through 8 weeks. If the Jets had played Tebow as advertised and continued at that pace the most they would likely be able to start him is the last 5 games to safely avoid the bonus. Had they used him in those blowout games early in the year you would be looking at is 4. With his current snap count and snap averages they should be able to get 7 starts out of him and miss the bonus payment. . Had they made move earlier to start they would be completely stuck with he and Sanchez eating up $20 million in cap room in 2013. If the escalators are a real possibility it at least may explain why the Jets don’t use him at all unless they really see him as that bad of a player in practice, which is why Denver coach John Fox used to say about his views on Tebow.From Tebow’s side you have to be furious if this is the case and they are managing his potential earnings this way. Had Tebow chosen Jacksonville he clearly would be the starter. Not only is Blaine Gabbert often injured but when healthy he is completely ineffective. There would be no doubt that Tebow would be the starter and be earning the maximum realistic value on his contract. If Tebow is going to remain on the Jets I have a gut feeling that there had to be some assurance, especially the way the season has transpired, that Tebow will get every opportunity to start in 2013 and earn his money as his original contract stated.

Maybe it’s an Oliver Stone conspiracy on my part, but I think he is blocked for another game or two because of the concerns about the teams finances and the need to protect their cap in the event the owner puts his foot down and demands the switch to be made.

Between Tebow’s potential salary and sunk costs in Sanchez there is a lot more going on than the negatives of Sanchez’ stats and “belief in Mark” by the head coach as the reasons for why the Jets are doing things the way they are. I just hope in 2013 the team is back to being run the way they were in the years leading up to 2012 where players played on merit and decisions were made to evaluate for the future when things went south. I truly believe that the Jets can navigate their “financial crisis” next year without issue, but something this year just does not sit right with me at all.

> http://nyjetscap.com...apconcerns.html

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Good article Jason. Best "beat writer" the Jets have. Points at useless newspapers...

agreed.

i think rex & tanny are gonna have one more season after this one.

if we don't make the playoffs next season ; they're both gone :badmood:

cheers ~ ~

:beer:

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Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum : 'I'm not worried about me'

Mike Tannenbaum is in danger. He might not publicly acknowledge it, but his grasp on the New York Jets' general manager job is as slippery as ever.

Jones: Jets have become one giant headache during their 3-6 start. Kim Jones details all that's gone wrong. More ...

Most of the organization -- from management, to the coaching staff, to the players -- received a pass on last season's disappointing and dysfunctional 8-8 season.Don't expect the same to happen if the 3-6 Jets continue on their current trajectory, especially after a week like this. No one is as vulnerable as the general manager."I'm not worried about me right now. I'm the last thing I'm worried about," Tannenbaum told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Friday (via The Star-Ledger). "I'm worried about this team and anything I can do to help. And each week, we've had our challenges. I think we've had more challenges than an average year but no one's going to feel bad for us."

He's right about that last part. No one feels bad for this version of the Jets, a brash team that wrote checks it couldn't cash for nearly two seasons.

Darlington: Tebow the Terrible

Darlington_author-65x90.jpgThe Tim Tebow isn't a good practice player? Should have done their homework, Jeff Darlington says. More ...

"We're all 3-6 and collectively we're in it together," he said. "The personnel department is 3-6, the security department is 3-6, the coaching, we're all in this together, we're all 3-6."

Though some seem to believe otherwise, it's hard to imagine Rex Ryan losing his job after the season. The coach made himself into a widely recognized name brand in leading the Jets to back-to-back AFC title games. As we've learned from the acquisitions of Brett Favre, Plaxico Burress, and -- yes -- Tim Tebow, team owner Woody Johnson has proven himself to be a sucker for name brands.

Tannenbaum doesn't have the same cache. He told Francesa that the Jets' season could be much different had a few plays turned out differently. It's a poor excuse that doesn't fly in a results league. The Jets -- above all else -- have a talent issue.

Tannenbaum will have to answer for that.

> http://www.nfl.com/n...orried-about-me

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As far as Tebow is concerned, he's so far below the playing time for his escalators, I don't think his contract is factoring into anything.

When Rex says Sanchez is a better QB, I believe him.

Tebow's problem is Sparano has no idea how to use him. Sparano sold the Jets a bill of goods.....

BD

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Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum : 'I'm not worried about me'

Mike Tannenbaum is in danger. He might not publicly acknowledge it, but his grasp on the New York Jets' general manager job is as slippery as ever.

Jones: Jets have become one giant headache during their 3-6 start. Kim Jones details all that's gone wrong. More ...

Most of the organization -- from management, to the coaching staff, to the players -- received a pass on last season's disappointing and dysfunctional 8-8 season.Don't expect the same to happen if the 3-6 Jets continue on their current trajectory, especially after a week like this. No one is as vulnerable as the general manager."I'm not worried about me right now. I'm the last thing I'm worried about," Tannenbaum told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Friday (via The Star-Ledger). "I'm worried about this team and anything I can do to help. And each week, we've had our challenges. I think we've had more challenges than an average year but no one's going to feel bad for us."

He's right about that last part. No one feels bad for this version of the Jets, a brash team that wrote checks it couldn't cash for nearly two seasons.

Darlington: Tebow the Terrible

Darlington_author-65x90.jpgThe Tim Tebow isn't a good practice player? Should have done their homework, Jeff Darlington says. More ...

"We're all 3-6 and collectively we're in it together," he said. "The personnel department is 3-6, the security department is 3-6, the coaching, we're all in this together, we're all 3-6."

Though some seem to believe otherwise, it's hard to imagine Rex Ryan losing his job after the season. The coach made himself into a widely recognized name brand in leading the Jets to back-to-back AFC title games. As we've learned from the acquisitions of Brett Favre, Plaxico Burress, and -- yes -- Tim Tebow, team owner Woody Johnson has proven himself to be a sucker for name brands.

Tannenbaum doesn't have the same cache. He told Francesa that the Jets' season could be much different had a few plays turned out differently. It's a poor excuse that doesn't fly in a results league. The Jets -- above all else -- have a talent issue.

Tannenbaum will have to answer for that.

> http://www.nfl.com/n...orried-about-me

I think being a stuttering c**t in his interview with Fatty is acknowledgment enough for me, even if he is not man enough to be upfront about his ass being on the line.

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Maybe it’s an Oliver Stone conspiracy on my part, but I think he is blocked for another game or two because of the concerns about the teams finances and the need to protect their cap in the event the owner puts his foot down and demands the switch to be made.

The unnamed player who called Tebow "terrible" was probably Tannenbaum trying to buy a couple more weeks of Sanchez sucking before even Woody has enough.

Tannenbaum personifies "penny wise and pound foolish". He is always focused on saving houndreds of thousands while he throws millions away.

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As far as Tebow is concerned, he's so far below the playing time for his escalators, I don't think his contract is factoring into anything.

When Rex says Sanchez is a better QB, I believe him.

Tebow's problem is Sparano has no idea how to use him. Sparano sold the Jets a bill of goods.....

BD

Based on the math, if Tebow started right now, he would hit the escalators by the end of the season. This may also explain why he hasn't come in for mop up duty in any of the blowouts. I think the earliest he could start and not hit escalators is against Arizona, and potentially New England assuming we don't win out and go to the Super Bowl.

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Based on the math, if Tebow started right now, he would hit the escalators by the end of the season. This may also explain why he hasn't come in for mop up duty in any of the blowouts. I think the earliest he could start and not hit escalators is against Arizona, and potentially New England assuming we don't win out and go to the Super Bowl.

Who said he was gonna start the rest of the games?

I don't think Rex has ANY INTENTION of starting Tebow until the Jets are mathematically eliminated. They didn't bring him in here to replace Sanchez, so his escalators are not relevant.....

BD

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Based on the math, if Tebow started right now, he would hit the escalators by the end of the season. This may also explain why he hasn't come in for mop up duty in any of the blowouts. I think the earliest he could start and not hit escalators is against Arizona, and potentially New England assuming we don't win out and go to the Super Bowl.

Remember, Denver installed a completely new, pretty much non-NFL offense for Tebow. He is a no-go in any normal NFL system, even as a bit player. No way he can function as a full time QB no matter ho badly things are with Mex. Sadly, McElroy is actually the only logical alternative.

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Good article Jason. Best "beat writer" the Jets have. Points at useless newspapers...

Funny thing is that when I saw the thread title I was scrolling down to see Jason's response before I read the article. Whoops!

I don't see the Tebow thing. I think he's simply not that good. The more interesting thing to me is that the Oline thing seems to indicate that there are more concrete indicators that they are keeping Vlad out to reduce his cap charge then putting him in to reduce Slauson's value on the open market.

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Early draft primer : New York Jets

The 2012 season has reached the stretch run, and it appears the New England Patriots are the only team on solid ground for the postseason.Therefore, the AFC East blog recently began its first look at the offseason and what teams must address in 2013. Let’s continue Tuesday with the Jets.

New York Jets - Key free agents : TE Dustin Keller, S LaRon Landry, S Yeremiah Bell

2013 draft picks - Needs : RB, RT, LB, WR, S, QB

Analysis :

New York restructured a lot of contracts the past two seasons, which makes it tough on the upcoming salary cap. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan have tough decisions to make to improve this team and make it younger. The biggest in-house free agent this season is Keller. He's a solid tight end when healthy. But Keller is suffering through injuries and having a down year. That could make him a bargain for the Jets. But if another team overpays, he could bolt. Safety also is a need if the Jets do not re-sign their aging veterans: Landry and Bell. An educated guess is at least one of these players won't be back. New York is in a tough spot at quarterback. Starter Mark Sanchez and backup Tim Tebow are both under contract and have plenty of combined guaranteed money next year. The Jets will have to stick with one of those players -- most likely Sanchez -- but both will be on the roster barring an offseason Tebow trade. Therefore, New York will probably invest in a top college quarterback prospect when they have plenty of other needs. Maybe a developmental rookie quarterback in the middle rounds is an option.

Possible draft targets :

Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia; Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas; Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

> http://espn.go.com/b...r-new-york-jets

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It is one where they rotate their left guard every third series. Im not sure I can recall too many NFL teams that use a rotation on the line.

Bengals with Anthony Collins and Giants with Beatty...I might be wrong there, but pretty sure that's how they were used as young, developing OL. Somewhat equivalent to breaking in a young SP through the bullpen.

Good read as usual.

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Sanchez guaranteed $8.25 million in 2013

For New York Jets fans wishing for a quarterback change in 2013, don’t hold your breath. Early signs are pointing to Mark Sanchez being the starting quarterback in New York for the fifth consecutive year.According to Sanchez’s contract, he is guaranteed $8.25 million in salary from the Jets in 2013 with no offset language or buyouts. Sanchez also has an offseason workout bonus of $500,000. Essentially, Sanchez can make just under $9 million from the Jets next year even if he doesn’t play a single snap.This kind of guaranteed money makes Sanchez virtually impossible to trade or release in the offseason. The only other option for the Jets would be to bench Sanchez in favor of another quarterback, such as Tim Tebow. But the Jets would have nearly $9 million sitting on the bench. That wouldn’t make much business sense.

These are the repercussions of New York’s five-year, $58.25 million extension with Sanchez last March. The move freed up immediate cap room but also placed Sanchez as the starting quarterback for 2012 and 2013. It was a risky investment, especially now that Sanchez is struggling in his fourth season.Following the extension, I wrote it was clear New York general manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Rex Ryan were going “all in” with Sanchez. If Tannenbaum and Ryan survive this season, this trio all will be simultaneously fighting for their jobs in 2013.

> http://espn.go.com/b...million-in-2013

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The Playoff-Bound Jets ?

If Mark Sanchez and the Jets win out, they could make the playoffs.

They allowed three touchdowns in 52 seconds Thursday night—two on lost fumbles, one when their quarterback's head collided with a teammate's gluteus maximus. They have lost five games by 17 points or more. And their most famous and fervid rooter just "retired" because other fans were giving him guff about his loyalty to his favorite team.Suffice to say, the Jets have had a rough go of it lately—losing by 30 points to the Patriots and losing Ed "Fireman Ed" Anzalone within the same week. But despite their 4-7 record and the general unsettledness that has characterized their season, they have one thin ray of hope of left:

They still could make the playoffs.

Seriously.

Jets coach Rex Ryan and his players wielded the phrase "one game at a time" like a shield Monday, focusing their comments exclusively on Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals, batting away any suggestion that they contemplate their chances of making a miraculous playoff run. "If you look ahead, you're going to get killed," defensive tackle Mike DeVito said. "That's the worst thing you can do."

That may be true of pro athletes, but we sportswriters have no such concerns. So let's break down what would have to happen for the Jets to wriggle their way into the postseason :

1. They need to win their remaining five games.

Since it's wild enough to consider that the Jets might get to the playoffs at all, let's get really crazy and assume that—even though they haven't won back-to-back games since December—they will roll off five straight victories to close the regular season.On paper, it isn't quite as ludicrous as it sounds. The Jets don't play another game against a team with a winning record, and their next two opponents (Arizona, which has lost seven consecutive games, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are 2-9) are in worse shape than they are.Moreover, a 5-0 run, in and of itself, would go a long way toward boosting the Jets' playoff chances, and not just because of their improved record. At the moment, they are one of four 4-7 teams in the AFC, and they play each of the other three teams: Tennessee on Dec. 17, San Diego on Dec. 23 and Buffalo on Dec. 30. By winning those games, the Jets would hold a tiebreaker advantage over each opponent and guarantee that none of them finishes better than 8-8.

2. They need Ben Roethlisberger's rib injury to heal slowly.

If the regular season ended today, the Indianapolis Colts (7-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) would be the AFC's wild-card teams. Though the Jets have beaten the Colts and lost to the Steelers, it's easier to envision the Steelers slumping enough to fall behind the Jets in the standings, given that they have lost twice and been inept on offense since Roethlisberger suffered his injury.

3. They need their biggest rival and a couple of skittish teams to help them out.

The Cincinnati Bengals (6-5) and Miami Dolphins (5-6) are also ahead of the Jets in the conference standings, but neither has an easy schedule ahead. The Bengals' next two games are against the Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys (5-6), both of whom are inconsistent (to be generous) but loaded with talent, and the Bengals' final two games are intra-divisional matchups against the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens (9-2).Meanwhile, the Dolphins have to play the San Francisco 49ers (8-2-1) once and the Patriots (8-3) twice. If Miami—which has a first-year coach (Joe Philbin) and a rookie quarterback (Ryan Tannehill)—can negotiate that road to the playoffs, even the Jets would have to acknowledge the Dolphins will have earned it.

Write to Mike Sielski at mike.sielski@wsj.com

> http://online.wsj.co...ss_newyork_main

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