NFL teams with the lowest cap space

[Bullflop]

The Cowboys have long been known for routinely overpaying their average players. Somehow, that needs to be dealt with as professionals!!
Requires a recognition for talent and how each player must be paid according to their abilities. The C'boys' FO can't seem to figure this out.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

It's really hard to swallow.........I have never really gotten into the FO/Jerry bashing but their handling of this offseason is weird/odd. Hard to make sense of it...

Me either. I have no issue with them not spending money on big time free agents but there’s a way to spend smart in free agency. They just won’t do it.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Me either. I have no issue with them not spending money on big time free agents but there’s a way to spend smart in free agency. They just won’t do it.

Perhaps they are sticking with a plan they will tell us about in the coming weeks/months. Otherwise, how can they truly look their players in the eye and say they are serious about winning? As a matter of fact, if I'm Lamb or Parsons, I'm rethinking my options of staying.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

especially if it is paying someone who is no longer at the facility.

This is part of the problem.......the result is holding on to players/coaches way too long.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Perhaps they are sticking with a plan they will tell us about in the coming weeks/months. Otherwise, how can they truly look their players in the eye and say they are serious about winning? As a matter of fact, if I'm Lamb or Parsons, I'm rethinking my options of staying.

That’s my thing. What on earth are you selling the players? What are you selling Mike?

 

[Sydla]

FWIW, the Cowboys have often been near the bottom in actual cash spending. For example, from 2016-2020, they were dead last in actual cash paid to players. That likely changed a bit with the extension to Dak in 2021.

So the fact they are low on this measure isn't all that shocking. There is a variety of reasons why the Cowboys seemingly are always up against the cap but not high in actual cash spent. One is that the Cowboys aren't as quick as other teams to dump players. Cowboys hold onto guys longer whereas other teams will cut dead weight sooner and then throw cash at FA to fill the hole.

Here's an example:

Dallas signs Player A, a DE: 3 years, $50MM, $20MM signing bonus.

Year 1 - $30MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + 10MM base)
Year 2 - $10MM cash
Year 3 - $10MM cash

$50MM in cash over three years.

Tampa signs Player B, a DE: 3 years, $50MM, $20MM signing bonus.

Year 1 - $30MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + $10MM base)
Year 2 - $10MM cash

Player is cut after Year 2. They sign another DE in FA for 3 years, $60MM with a $20MM signing bonus

Year 3 - $32MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + $12MM base)

Total cash spent by Tampa in those three years: $72MM

 

[Hawkeye0202]

That’s my thing. What on earth are you selling the players? What are you selling Mike?

Do you think they may be working they are working on a blockbuster trade of you know before the draft? If you are wondering a team.......Vikes. Heard Justin Jefferson turned down their extension offer of $30M per contract. We also know they wanted to resign Cousins.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

FWIW, the Cowboys have often been near the bottom in actual cash spending. For example, from 2016-2020, they were dead last in actual cash paid to players. That likely changed a bit with the extension to Dak in 2021.

So the fact they are low on this measure isn't all that shocking. There is a variety of reasons why the Cowboys seemingly are always up against the cap but not high in actual cash spent. One is that the Cowboys aren't as quick as other teams to dump players. Cowboys hold onto guys longer whereas other teams will cut dead weight sooner and then throw cash at FA to fill the hole.

Here's an example:

Dallas signs Player A, a DE: 3 years, $50MM, $20MM signing bonus.

Year 1 - $30MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + 10MM base)
Year 2 - $10MM cash
Year 3 - $10MM cash

$50MM in cash over three years.

Tampa signs Player B, a DE: 3 years, $50MM, $20MM signing bonus.

Year 1 - $30MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + $10MM base)
Year 2 - $10MM cash

Player is cut after Year 2. They sign another DE in FA for 3 years, $60MM with a $20MM signing bonus

Year 3 - $32MM cash ($20MM signing bonus + $12MM base)

Total cash spent by Tampa in those three years: $72MM

Good post!

 

[Sydla]

Good post!

Now, that's not the only reason but its just one factor in why the Cowboys often seem to be in the bottom half of cash spent but near the top in cap space used. Dead money also plays a factor, at least in the past, but if I recall Cowboys are actually middle of the pack in dead money right now.

Also, in fairness to the OP, the tweet talks about payroll which probably needs to be defined. Is he just talking about base salaries here? Because that would be a pretty shoddy measure to cash spent by team. Is he adjusted or weighting signing bonuses? Is he simply talking about actual cash spent this year (which would include signing and roster bonuses)?

 

[tm1119]

Payroll sounds like trainers, doctors, coaches, assistants, cooks, cafeteria ladies etc.... This doesn't have anything to do with cap I don't think.

No, it’s actual cash spent on players. The NFL salary cap is easily manipulated to where if an owner is willing to spend cash up front in bonuses/restructures the cap # stays low.
Obviously there is a middle ground to where you don’t really want to be spending the most and completely mortgaging the future..BUT there is for sure a middle ground the Jones’ haven’t been willing to go to for about a decade now. When the teams you are competing against are routinely spending $30-40M more to improve the team the results end up speaking for themselves.

It’s quite embarrassing for Jerry when you factor in that the Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in sports and are quite literally a $ printing machine.

 

[jujoboys]

Payroll is what we are actually paying the player this year. It is different from the CAP hit. t doesn't include all of the prior year's singing bonuses, etc. Let's just use Dak as an example since he seems to be the main focus of most payroll and cap arguments.
Dak has a $55.4 million CAP hit this year.
The actual cash money he will receive this year is $34 million. That is because he received most of the money from his contract in the early years of the contract. This makes our payroll look low for 2024. Here is the actual payroll for Dak on the 4 year $160 million contract he signed..

2021 = $75 million
2022 = $20 million
2023 = $31 million
2024 = $34 million

In 2021 we probably had a very large payroll for our players based on Dak's. Any year where you are signing large contracts with players you are going to have a large payroll. If we end up extending Dak and signing Lamb to a new contract this year then the Cowboys payroll will just drastically. Our payroll is low this year because we have not signed any players to large contracts this year, including our own. However, that could change quickly.

 

[baltcowboy]

Let me get this right.......we have one of the highest caps but we don't spend money. So most of our money is pretty much spent on one or two players. The rest get crumbs

Got to give them credit. The Joneses know how to run a business. Low cash spending and high revenue returns through merchandising. Think about it a billion in merchandise while spending under 200 million.

 

[jazzcat22]

ALL TEAMS WORK WITH IN THE SAME CAP SPACE

It has nothing to do with how much the owner or the team makes. Jerry is not cheap. But vent away over a non issue.

Actually if it was not for Jerry, the cap would not be as high as it is.

 

[Sydla]

ALL TEAMS WORK WITH IN THE SAME CAP SPACE

It has nothing to do with how much the owner or the team makes. Jerry is not cheap. But vent away over a non issue.

Actually if it was not for Jerry, the cap would not be as high as it is.

Ehhhh, not quite. But you often defend Jerry so I am not surprised..........

Cap Space is just an accounting methodology. That's it.

Cash spent obviously factors into the cap calculation but it's not the same thing. Yes, from 2016-2020 the Cowboys often were up against the cap but they also spent the least cash of any NFL team over that period. Those are just facts.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Now, that's not the only reason but its just one factor in why the Cowboys often seem to be in the bottom half of cash spent but near the top in cap space used. Dead money also plays a factor, at least in the past, but if I recall Cowboys are actually middle of the pack in dead money right now.

Also, in fairness to the OP, the tweet talks about payroll which probably needs to be defined. Is he just talking about base salaries here? Because that would be a pretty shoddy measure to cash spent by team. Is he adjusted or weighting signing bonuses? Is he simply talking about actual cash spent this year (which would include signing and roster bonuses)?

It is cash spent this year. You got it right with dead money, but dead money only accounts for proration of players who are no longer on the roster. Dallas has a huge amount of prorated money still on the roster. Like Dak, for instance, is only on the payroll for 34m$ this year. Thats because he has 25m$ in prorations that hit the cap but are not from this year’s expenditures.

So this list just blindly misleading. Dallas “borrowed” cap space from this year in previous years, so they’re just paying that off… which won’t be included in payroll.

 

[tm1119]

Got to give them credit. The Joneses know how to run a business. Low cash spending and high revenue returns through merchandising. Think about it a billion in merchandise while spending under 200 million.

Yup. The Jones’ are incredible at running and profiting off of a brand/entertainment company. But running at winning football team? Ehh

 

[Blitzen]

It is cash spent this year. You got it right with dead money, but dead money only accounts for proration of players who are no longer on the roster. Dallas has a huge amount of prorated money still on the roster. Like Dak, for instance, is only on the payroll for 34m$ this year. Thats because he has 25m$ in prorations that hit the cap but are not from this year’s expenditures.

So this list just blindly misleading. Dallas “borrowed” cap space from this year in previous years, so they’re just paying that off… which won’t be included in payroll.

Ding, ding, ding. Basic financing.

 

[baltcowboy]

Yup. The Jones’ are incredible at running and profiting off of a brand/entertainment company. But running at winning football team? Ehh

I wonder if the Joneses started bringing in more quality free agents and won a Super Bowl how that would effect profits. Would it really give the team that much of a financial boost.

 

[jazzcat22]

Ehhhh, not quite. But you often defend Jerry so I am not surprised..........

Cap Space is just an accounting methodology. That's it.

Cash spent obviously factors into the cap calculation but it's not the same thing. Yes, from 2016-2020 the Cowboys often were up against the cap but they also spent the least cash of any NFL team over that period. Those are just facts.

How is it defending him when it is the truth in this situation?
I do not always defend him either.
I been saying for years he is senile or seems to be at times. I just don't repeat it 50 times a day in every thread.

 

[rambo2]

That’s my thing. What on earth are you selling the players? What are you selling Mike?

Dak, Lamb, and Parsons.