Question for our resident capologists in regards to the cap

[TheMarathonContinues]

Ok thanks. I also had questions about this. I appreciate the OP and the answers.

Yeah i've always heard people say "carry over"....I did not know you could increase your salary cap room. I always thought everyone had the same salary cap.

 

[Flamma]

Probably hasn't been enforced because it's never needed to be enforced.

Guarantee the Players Union keeps a close eye on this.

I'm not so sure about that. The Browns had some lean years going back to around 2016. I'm not going to do the math on this because it would just give me a headache. But I remember them having some ridiculous cap space for several years in a row. No way you make up for that, even if you go 100% the next two years.

The math on this can also be tricky. Even if you only spend 50% of the cap one year, as long as you carry over another 35%, you're 85% as long as you spend that money at some point within the 4 years. It's really hard to keep track of.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

I understand contracts may work differently in the NFL than other leagues.....but can someone explain to me what's the point of carrying over salary cap space? If you're 10 million under the salary cap...why wouldn't you spend that 10 million on one year deals? What am I missing?

Because the Jones’s are always “ next years” champs. They don’t have the confidence in themselves to make any impact free agent moves.

 

[Flamma]

Yeah i've always heard people say "carry over"....I did not know you could increase your salary cap room. I always thought everyone had the same salary cap.

The cap is 255.4M. The Patriots cap is 266M this year. The Cowboys are around 260M I believe. The Patriots have 44M in cap space this year. You know they're not carrying all that over to next year. Just what they have to carry over.

 

[NotForLong]

I understand contracts may work differently in the NFL than other leagues.....but can someone explain to me what's the point of carrying over salary cap space? If you're 10 million under the salary cap...why wouldn't you spend that 10 million on one year deals? What am I missing?

Also Cowboys have been carrying money over for the last 3 years. How come their Cap Number is not higher then the other teams?

 

[J12B]

I'm not so sure about that. The Browns had some lean years going back to around 2016. I'm not going to do the math on this because it would just give me a headache. But I remember them having some ridiculous cap space for several years in a row. No way you make up for that, even if you go 100% the next two years.

The math on this can also be tricky. Even if you only spend 50% of the cap one year, as long as you carry over another 35%, you're 85% as long as you spend that money at some point within the 4 years. It's really hard to keep track of.

That was an agreed upon term, likely put in place by the Players Union.

The agents and Players Union definitely wouldn't let something like that slide.

Everyone wants their piece of the pie.

And deservedly so.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Also Cowboys have been carrying money over for the last 3 years. How come their Cap Number is not higher then the other teams?

I thought they've always carried a minimal amount like 2 or 3 million...how much have they been carrying over?

 

[plymkr]

The cap is 255.4M. The Patriots cap is 266M this year. The Cowboys are around 260M I believe. The Patriots have 44M in cap space this year. You know they're not carrying all that over to next year. Just what they have to carry over.

So is there a limit on how much you can carry over? It seems like you can circumvent the SC cap by not paying 50 or 60 million then have a cap of 300+ million the next year.

 

[buybuydandavis]

The point is to have extra cap space the next year. It might be more useful than spending it on some bum for 1 year.

Also gives you options to pick up new players *this* year, whether off the street or in trades.

 

[big dog cowboy]

 

[Flamma]

That was an agreed upon term, likely put in place by the Players Union.

The agents and Players Union definitely wouldn't let something like that slide.

Everyone wants their piece of the pie.

And deservedly so.

I've been in unions for over 35 years. Believe me, they can miss things. Or overlook things that aren't done in bad faith. They're not always butting heads. But you could be right. I certainly wouldn't put money on my opinion.

 

[John813]

So is there a limit on how much you can carry over? It seems like you can circumvent the SC cap by not paying 50 or 60 million then have a cap of 300+ million the next year.

No. Just need to hit that 4 year average or the team pays their players the difference.

The Pats are going to suck this year. Not too much on the horizon that could help their team/be worth signing. Just roll that cap over to next year, especially if Maye shows signs of being legit and needs weapons-to sign in March.

 

[Flamma]

So is there a limit on how much you can carry over? It seems like you can circumvent the SC cap by not paying 50 or 60 million then have a cap of 300+ million the next year.

I haven't seen any limit. You could do what you said, but where would you be next year? Imagine a cap of 200M, and you carried over 70M and your cap is 270M, and you spent it all. The following year the cap is only going to go from 200M to about 212M. You have a payroll of 270M. You have to find a way to get under the cap. But yeah, you can do it for a year.

 

[JBS]

Ohhhhh I see. So it increases your actual salary cap. I thoguht every team had the same salary cap so if that's the case I can see the perks of doing it then. I still don't agree with it but there's an actual perk to doing that. Never knew that or seen that explained. Thanks for that.

And I get the idea of keeping some space but I mean 10 million is excessive.

Not trying to be rude but you mentioned in the OP that you were aware of the unused cap carrying over. What did you think that meant if you didn’t know it added to next years cap total?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Not trying to be rude but you mentioned in the OP that you were aware of the unused cap carrying over. What did you think that meant if you didn’t know it added to next years cap total?

To give an example.....let's say the salary cap is 200 million.

I thought everyone had 200 million as their salary cap. I didn't know that some teams would have 210 some would have 213 some would have 220.....

 

[JBS]

To give an example.....let's say the salary cap is 200 million.

I thought everyone had 200 million as their salary cap. I didn't know that some teams would have 210 some would have 213 some would have 220.....

Yeah, it’s an excuse for cap boy to use for being a cheap ***

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yeah, it’s an excuse for cap boy to use for being a cheap ***

Yeah I mean its a nice perk but I certainly have no issue with not carrying money over. Its like thew hole comp picks. Yeah comp picks are great when you lose talent you can't 'afford or talent that wants to move on. But to try and convince us this is the way is just silly. It doesn't' result in winning.

 

[Chasing6]

I understand contracts may work differently in the NFL than other leagues.....but can someone explain to me what's the point of carrying over salary cap space? If you're 10 million under the salary cap...why wouldn't you spend that 10 million on one year deals? What am I missing?

I believe we carried over money to help pay off or off set Dak's cap hit, due to GM Jethro restructuring his contract over the years.

 

[Chasing6]

Ok i'm glad you responded this way because its going over my head. So if I sign a "bum" to a 1 year deal this year....why is that relevant to next year's salary cap? I'm not on the hook for him since he's only on a one year deal....what am I missing?

Money not spent this year can be carried over to next year. If you sign 5 bums for $5M this year, then you can't carry over the $5M you spent on the 5 bums.

If you sign a bunch of FA's, then you sit a lot of rookie draft picks. How do they develop while sitting???

It is kinda like the chicken or the egg theory.

 

[CWR]

The disconnect was when people keep saying "carry over" I thought there was a set salary cap. I didn't know some teams can have a different salary cap then others.

Not only that you have teams like Philly who have 300 million allocated to void years where guys won't even be on the team. You can save and/or spend beyond the cap, as long as you make the numbers work each year.