NFL Penalizing Salary Cap for Cowboys and Commanders

[Beats_By_Zeke]

There won't be any appeals or law suits.

Looks like this was part of a settlement with the NFLPA involved

This really hurts these two teams. The punishment is probably just as bad as bounty gate will be. They are basically limiting are ability to improve our team. 10 million dollars in cap hit is worse then 750000 for the spy gate patriots had to pay.

 

[SDogo]

No appeal, this was settled already with the NFLPA and the owners agreed to it, incuding Jerry and Snyder it sounds like.

Nothing to be done.

One positive way to look at it though is Jerry knew this before all this agressive FA talk so obviously he has a plan.

 

[cowboy_ron]

Wow. What a moronic statement.

Stayed tuned, he never runs out of those

 

[The30YardSlant]

One positive way to look at it though is Jerry knew this before all this agressive FA talk so obviously he has a plan.

Consideing that 95% of the talk was from the media and fans who had no knowledge of this I'm not as optimistic.

 

[cowboysooner]

They're basically accusing us of bending the rules just shy of cheating

In a year when there were no rules or no cap for signing players.

The Peppers thing gets me pi$$ed. I was also great for the Bengals, Bucs, Chiefs, & Bills to tank a season & spend NO money.

"Other Owners did not think it was fair." Is pretty much textbook arbitrary and capricious.

 

[SkinsHokieFan]

ESPN Blogs NFC East‏@espn_nfceast

Seems as though the NFL told teams, "Yeah, year is uncapped, but you still need to watch spending." I don't see how that's legal.

 

[erod]

So the Bears can put Julius Peppers on the books for $20 million that year, and no penalty for them?

 

[Staggerlee]

One positive way to look at it though is Jerry knew this before all this agressive FA talk so obviously he has a plan.

I so desperately hope that this was the case and Jerry has already had this in consideration and it hasn't affected our aggressiveness in FA. Thank you so much for the info.

 

[SDogo]

Consideing that 95% of the talk was from the media and fans who had no knowledge of this I'm not as optimistic.

Actually Jerry has Jason have been very vocal about being active in free agency, not sure where you are coming from.

 

[JohnsKey19]

One positive way to look at it though is Jerry knew this before all this agressive FA talk so obviously he has a plan.

Or maybe he could talk tough knowing this was coming. Now he has an excuse not to spend. Just kidding.....

 

[bark]

One positive way to look at it though is Jerry knew this before all this agressive FA talk so obviously he has a plan.

thanks sdogo. I say let's let the dust settle a bit before we scream bloody murder. who knows what will come of this.

 

[boysfanindc]

Local sports radio said the 2 teams violated a "understanding" that they would not dump contracts.

That tells me there was nothing binding in place to prevent it, so what is the basis legally for them doing this, I guess the NFL can do what they want, but it appears it wasn't a rule or contract item at the time.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

Again, more details will come out about it but it's not as cut and dry as it sounds right now and no, I don't know what the details are.

This makes sense, otherwise it leaves way too many questions begged.

 

[reddyuta]

the guys we cut were going to be cut anyway,this doesnt make any sense.I hope JJ goes ballistic over this.

 

[davey999]

Like I've said previously - we aren't getting Williams or anything of great consequence in free agency.

Be prepared.

 

[Staxxxx]

Yeah, I'll have to refresh my memory. I took Labor/Antitrust law in law school many years ago, and I don't currently practice it, but I still remember a good bit and enough to know this is bordering on conduct that is not kosher. And when the lockout was going on, my knowledge was sharper as to the current status of the CBA. The overlay of the anti-trust exemption from back at the NFL-AFL merger makes this more complicated. As a general rule this type of thing is forbidden. The question is going to be what the old CBA said and whether that fits through the NFL's anti-trust exemption.

I'm sure this is not a complete surprise to the teams--they had to know this was a possibility--and we'll know if that is the case if there is an Application for Temporary Restraining Order or Injunction on file by the end of the day today.

There were rules built into the CBA at that time to prevent exactly what we are being accused of. If we were in compliance of the rules at that time I don't understand how can they come back at us retroactively. If the rules of the uncapped year were governed by the CBA in existence at that time then to a laymen like myself it doesn't make sense how the league can arbitrarily retroactively punish teams for us for not complying with a memo that basically changed the CBA.

Full QandA about uncapped year

Q: Can’t a team just front-load a contract to take advantage of the uncapped year?

A: No, this would be difficult to do. That is because, according to the CBA, any salary decrease of greater than 50% from one year to the next becomes signing bonus and thus is spread out over the life of the deal. For example, if the Patriots signed Vince Wilfork to a deal with a $20M salary in 2010 (uncapped) and a $4M salary in 2011 (capped), then that is a decrease of more than 50% ($10M), that $16M difference would become signing bonus and pro-rated over the life of the deal; if it was a four-year deal, then it would count as $4M/year, so the 2010 cap charge would reduce to $8M ($20M - $16M + $4M), and the 2011-2013 charges would increase by $4M.

 

[rkell87]

peppers contract

3/5/2010: Signed a six-year, $84 million contract. The deal contains $42 million guaranteed, including a $6.5 million signing bonus, a first-year roster bonus of $12.5 million, and a second-year "signing" bonus of $10.5 million. Another $7.5 million is available through incentives based on sacks, Pro Bowl berths, and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Peppers can earn annual $100,000 workout bonuses in years one through five. 2012: $8.9 million, 2013: $12.9 million, 2014: $13.9 million, 2015: $16.5 million, 2016: Free Agent


austin contract

9/9/2010: Signed a seven-year, $57.168 million contract. The cap-conscious deal contains $18 million guaranteed -- no signing bonus but all of Austin's whopping $17.078 million first-year base salary. 2012: $1.15 million, 2013: $6.732 million, 2014: $5.5 million, 2015: $6.888 million, 2016: $11.38 million, 2017: Free Agent

 

[cowboysooner]

Local sports radio said the 2 teams violated a "understanding" that they would not dump contracts.

That tells me there was nothing binding in place to prevent it, so what is the basis legally for them doing this, I guess the NFL can do what they want, but it appears it wasn't a rule or contract item at the time.

Dallas did not dump 1 bad contract. If we had dumped Newman, Bigg, Columbo, & Gurode during the uncapped year, we would have 28-30 million.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

This has to be the hottest thread ever!!!!

 

[YosemiteSam]

Well, if the NFL sent out a memo warning teams not to do this and we still did it, then the Jones boys are even bigger idiots than I originally thought.

Doesn't the NFL have to approve the contracts? I find it odd for the NFL to fine a team for a contract they approved.