Brunell restructure article - *Update: He and Portis restructures deals* Cap question

[CanadianCowboysFan]

This may be true, but its not good news for Washington. They are still going to have cut a number of players. And by "restructuring" they are only pushing the crunch back into the future.

Eventually, they will have to pay the piper.

I've heard that for years and it has never happened.

 

[BigDFan5]

And the 99 Commanders were ?



NFC East Champions.

You think Danny had anything to do with winning anything that year his first as owner? That was mostly the team from the previous year. Danny did however signle handedly destroy the NFC East champs in a signle year after that

 

[SkinsandTerps]

And the Cowboys were most recently division champions when ?

Wonder what Jerry had to do with that. Switzer, Gailey, etc.

 

[BigDFan5]

I believe you were at one point saying in order to get under the cap the Skins would need to guarantee roster bonuses and that roster bonuses count as salary per 30% rule. If a special arbitrator ruled that spreading these roster bonuses would count as signing bonus and not pertain to the salary per the 30% rule does that help or hurt the Skins? Or am i totally misunderstanding this? lol


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From profootballtalk.com --

SPECIAL MASTER RULING COMPLICATES MATTERS



At a time when NFL teams are trying to figure out how in the hell they'll stay on the right side of the salary cap absent an extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, a league source tells us that a Special Master has ruled on Wednesday that option bonus payments will count as signing bonus money for the purposes of the so-called 30 percent rule.



This means that it will be even harder to construct contracts in 2006, the final capped year under the current CBA. Under the 30 percent rule, a player's compensation cannot increase in 2007 or beyond by more than 30 percent of the player's 2006 salary, excluding signing bonus.



In order to drive up the basis for the application of the 30 percent rule, some teams and agents had planned to transform all or part of the signing bonus into an option bonus due, for example, five days after the contract was signed.



Per the Special Master's ruling, this tactic won't permit the option bonus money to be treated as 2006 salary, which then will make it even harder for teams to strike deals that the players will accept under terms that will fit within the 2006 salary cap.



Instead, both signing bonus and option bonus money will now be excluded from the player's 2006 salary, for the purposes of applying the 30 percent rule.



We're also told that, in a separate ruling, the Special Master invalidated a device that the Colts had been using to fit recent deals under the cap. We presently don't have any further details in this regard, but it could spell trouble for a franchise that somehow has been finding a way to throw around money at a time when other teams are looking for ways to make cuts.



Unlike an arbitrator, who resolves issues such as player grievances, a Special Master handles matters requiring interpretation of the language of the CBA.

 

[bbgun]

Jesus, the bill never seems to come due up there. Certainly Danny is not the first to think of renegotiating contracts or stringing out money, so why didn't Frisco and Dallas employ a similar strategy?

 

[DallasInDC]

And the 99 Commanders were ?



NFC East Champions.

Your statement would have some credence if the skins actually produced winning teams during all those years they have been circumventing cap hell. They have only had 2 playoff appearances in the past 13 years, and only one that snyder played a role in.

The key phrase here is "only one that snyder played a role in. Snyder did not have his fingerprints on the team that went to the playoffs that year. he was merely along for the ride that year.

 

[DallasInDC]

And the Cowboys were most recently division champions when ?

Wonder what Jerry had to do with that. Switzer, Gailey, etc.

1998 - a whole year behind the skins.

Do't forget Switzer did win a superbowl proving JJ correct that any one could coach that cowboys team to a SB. Also chan gaily one the division and made the playoffs with the Cowboys

Finally, the Cowboys have had 4 playoff appearances in the past ten years two as division champs and two as wildcards.

 

[riggo]

That was mostly the team from the previous year. Danny did however signle handedly destroy the NFC East champs in a signle year after that

norv was and is horrible as a head coach. the D that year was the worst its been in the last 7 years (coached by mike nolan). norv is a great OC, but repeating that feat was not going to happen with him and nolan in charge- snyder or no snyder.

 

[dallasfaniac]

AP News article, they still aren't completely out of the woods:

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington quarterback Mark Brunell has agreed in principle to restructure his contract, pending the NFL's negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

"Mark and other team members have worked cooperatively with us in renegotiations, approaching the matter like the veterans and team leaders that they are," Commanders coach Joe Gibbs said Wednesday.

Like all NFL teams, the Commanders are in flux with their free agency plans because of the last-minute collective bargaining talks. If no agreement is reached, Washington will have to make some $20 million in cuts Thursday to get below the 2006 salary cap.
If an agreement is reached, the Commanders will have to make fewer cuts because the cap will be substantially higher. Brunell and the other veterans -- whom Gibbs did not name -- will not sign their new deals until there is definitive word on the labor situation.

Free agency begins Friday. The Commanders have been one of the most active teams on the opening day of free agency under owner Dan Snyder, but the team will have limited options if it is forced to make wholesale cuts Thursday.

 

[RiggoForever]

Your statement would have some credence if the skins actually produced winning teams during all those years they have been circumventing cap hell. They have only had 2 playoff appearances in the past 13 years, and only one that snyder played a role in.

The major difference is that now we have Joe Gibbs and Gregg Williams on our staff.

 

[BigDFan5]

anyone else maybe know the answer?

 

[DrunkWithPower]

All I can say is wow...

Tomorrow's gonna be one exciting day...

 

[DallasInDC]

The major difference is that now we have Joe Gibbs and Gregg Williams on our staff.

It has yet to be seen whether this years performance was a bump in the road or a beginning of a trend. After watching many of the skins games this year, it reminded me alot of the 2003 cowboys. I also think GW's defense started to get exposed this year.

 

[JonCJG]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030101963.html

After rejecting a proposal from the Washington Commanders on Friday night, starting quarterback Mark Brunell agreed Wednesday to a contract restructuring that would provide the team with about $1.8 million in salary cap relief should the NFL and NFL Players' Association fail to agree on a Collective Bargaining Agreement extension, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Talks between Brunell's agent, Leigh Steinberg, and the Commanders continued through today, the source said, with the quarterback finalizing a contingency to help the Commanders' potential salary cap crisis should an extension not be reached.

Steinberg said that Brunell, 35, was open to reworking his contract for a second straight year. Brunell's $4 million base salary is the second-highest on the team.

The Commanders are roughly $20 million over a projected $96 million cap that would kick in by 12:01 am Friday if a new CBA is not completed.
"As the starting quarterback and leader of the team, Mark wanted to accommodate the Commanders," Steinberg said. "An initial proposal on Friday was not something we agreed to, and subsequent to that there were more discussions and we reached an accord."

Brunell is one of several players the Commanders have targeted for renegotiation. The team is continuing discussions with many agents in hopes of limiting their cap numbers and curtailing the need to release as many players from the roster to save cap space.

 

[AdamJT13]

I saw that, and I'm guessing PFT or its source has once again mistaken one type of bonus for another. A week or two ago, PFT reported that signing bonus prorations counted for the 30 percent rule. Then they corrected themselves to say that no, it was option bonus money that counted.

Now it seems that they've mistaken option bonuses with guaranteed roster bonuses -- which was the issue the Colts reportedly brought up, and which the NFL had to clear up. It makes sense that the special master would rule on that issue, and his ruling would make make perfect sense, since it agrees withe the CBA.

However, if PFT's latest report is correct, the special master has overruled the CBA. The CBA specifically states that option bonuses DO count for the 30 percent rule.

Any amount specified to be paid for the exercise of an option by a Club to extend the term of a Player Contract shall be treated as signing bonus, pro-rated over the remaining term of the contract commencing in the League Year in which it is exercised or the last League Year in which the option may be exercised, whichever comes first. Such an option amount shall, immediately upon execution of the contract, renegotiation or extension, be included in any calculation for purposes of the 25% Rule for Rookies, set forth in Article XVII, Section 4(e) of the CBA, and/or the 30% Rule, set forth in Article XXIV, Section 8 of the CBA, pro-rated over the remaining term of the contract commencing in the last League Year in which the option may be exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) if a Club renounces its right to exercise the option, the option amount shall not be included in Team Salary as of the date of such renunciation; and (ii) if the club does not renounce, but nonetheless does not exercise the option, the full amount of the option amount previously counted against Team Salary shall be credited to the Club’s Salary Cap in the next League Year.

There are many contracts that comply right now BECAUSE of option bonus prorations, so the special master overruling the CBA would invalidate many contracts.

I'm certain that PFT has gotten the type of bonus that was ruled upon mixed up. I'd be stunned if that wasn't the case.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

That still won't help the Commanders too much considering the contracts still on their team.

 

[theogt]

That still won't help the Commanders too much considering the contracts still on their team.

True. Most of the analysts predicted Brunell to save about 1.5-2 MM.

 

[bbgun]

Why do the players keep co-conspiring with Danny??

 

[locked&loaded]

according to pft.com portis restructured contract......

 

[AdamJT13]

According to John Clayton's Insider blog, my hunch was correct, and PFT was wrong. The special master ruled on PRORATED ROSTER BONUSES, not option bonuses. So it looks like PFT got it wrong.