Salary Cap Calculations for 2014

[Common Sense]

More of a band-aid on a gaping wound.

No big money contracts for free agents, period.

I would like to finally see the front office catch up to us couch scouts and make a serious and heavy draft investment in the trenches.

The problem is that there aren't enough draft picks in the world to fix all of the gaping wounds on this team, especially when the financial reality of next year's salary cap rolls around. I wouldn't be surprised if Free and Bernadeau are both gone.

 

[Stash]

The problem is that there aren't enough draft picks in the world to fix all of the gaping wounds on this team, especially when the financial reality of next year's salary cap rolls around. I wouldn't be surprised if Free and Bernadeau are both gone.

That I do not see.

I think the offensive line is improved and I would like to see it augmented by a draft pick or two rather than blown up.

 

[xwalker]

Al

Romo would never be cut, he would be traded and there would be at least 10 teams willing to pick up his contract.

All bonus money accelerates onto the original teams cap when a player is traded. That would be about 27M for Romo.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Here's a nifty site.

http://overthecap.com/calculator/?Team=Cowboys

Dallas is currently over the cap by $21M according to their numbers. You can cut players and see how it impacts the cap. You can designate as a June 1st cut and see how it impacts the cap.

Even the June 1st moves still put Dallas over $3M above the cap.

And then your DL consists of who? Hatcher's gone. Spencer's gone. Ware's gone. And Ratliff is already gone.

So who plays DL? Dallas already screwed itself by not having any depth at that position whatsoever so they had to go to bums off the street before week 2. Now they have to fill in the 4 holes created by losing the 4 projected starters from 2013?

That site is awesome.

Cut Austin and Ware June 1.
Cut Costa, Durant, Irvin, Moore
Restructure Romo Carr Witten Lee Scandrick
Noteworthy FA Bailey Spencer

That puts us $19.4m under the cap in 2014 and $22m in 2015.

I then give Bailey a 4 year $10m $3m guarantees contract and Spencer a 3 year $10m $1.5m guarantees backloaded deal. I bloated the second year in Bailey's contract to a bit over $3m for an easy restructure and gave Spencer a $3m salary for his second year asking to be cut for bad play.

That puts us $16.9m under the cap in 2014 and $14m in 2015.

I don't think it unfair to say the cap repeats its increase from 2013 of $2.5m. That would put us about $12m under without the extensions and $9.5m with.

The cap is not mismanaged.

 

[Brooksey]

Al
All bonus money accelerates onto the original teams cap when a player is traded. That would be about 27M for Romo.

Correct but it would be better than a a 41 million dollar hit and could yield significant early draft choices in return. Obviously we both know this is not going to happen.

 

[dallasdave]

I have calculated the 2014 cap numbers. I know there were reports of the Cowboys being 31M over, but by my calculations they are only 18.8M over prior to any restructures. This includes dead-money from cutting Ratliff (6.9M) and from a few other players.

Rule of 51 (the off-season cap rule): 141M
Projected 2014 cap: 123M
Over: (141M-123M) 18.8M

Savings from Restructures
Romo: 10,128,000
Carr: 5,328,000
Witten: 3,328,000
Lee: 3,728,000
Scandrick: 2,128,000

Total Savings from Restructures Above: 24.64M

Restructure Savings - Over = 24.64M - 18.8M = 5.84M

The 1st year of Brandon Carr's 50M contract had a cap hit of 3.6M. That is 7.2% of the total contract value.

Using the 5.84M available and using the 7.2% from Carr's contract as an estimate for the 1st year cap hit, they can sign players to 80M total contract value for a 1st year cap hit of 5.84M.

June 1st Cuts:
Ware: 2014 Cap Savings 12.25M
Austin: 2014 Cap Savings 5.5M
Total Ware/Austin 17.75M

Summary: They can sign free agents for a total contract value of about 80M and then free up 17.75M on June 1st to sign draft picks and give new contracts to players like Dez and Tyron Smith.

Sounds like we may be able to make a couple of moves next year. Totally awesome

 

[xwalker]

Correct but it would be better than a a 41 million dollar hit and could yield significant early draft choices in return. Obviously we both know this is not going to happen.

There is just no method to take that kind of cap hit. They can't make enough restructures or cuts to get under the cap with that kind of hit.

It would be great if I could dunk a basketball like Lebron, but I'm a 5-11 white guy in his forties. Even if I was offered 10 million dollars to do it 1 time, it's not going to happen.

 

[Brooksey]

There is just no method to take that kind of cap hit. They can't make enough restructures or cuts to get under the cap with that kind of hit.

It would be great if I could dunk a basketball like Lebron, but I'm a 5-11 white guy in his forties. Even if I was offered 10 million dollars to do it 1 time, it's not going to happen.

Lol, I'm right there with ya.

 

[jterrell]

XW, Unless you still are thinking the cap total is 141M it would be nice to update the OP with the real numbers. It confuses those who stumble upon the thread.

Using the tool at OTC.com and what happens.

What I do business day 1.
Max re-structures: Romo, Ware, Carr, Lee, Scandrick
Cuts: Durant, E. Brown, C. Irvin

I sit at 10.5m in cap space.

I tender: Bailey 2M(2nd round).
I offer Edgar Jones a 3 year contract minimum wage deal with 2 years guaranteed.

With 7m in cap space I pitch Hatcher and Spencer 4year 28m dollar deals. Let them know only one guy can take the deal.
Assuming Hatcher takes the deal. The cap hit is under 3m for year 1. (8m bonus 855k base year 1)
I sit just under 5m in cap space.

June 2nd cut is Miles Austin.

I am at 10.5m in cap space.
I extend Tyron Smith. 5 years 38m. 10m in signing bonus.

11m in cap space so I can conduct the draft feeling good about my cap space.
Then I have really about 6m in free space to add a couple vets if the draft doesn't provide answers.
Main weaknesses are Safety, a stud DE, WLB, WR(have to prepare in case you can not afford to sign Dez), OG, RB.

notes: I leave Witten alone so he can be cut next June 2nd if need be.
I am still in cap trouble but not jail.
I am still doing yearly restructures but I am also cleaning up some of the bad contracts at about 1 per year.
2015 won't be pretty but it is again doable.
Hitting on draft selections that can play day 1 is huge.

 

[Nightman]

A couple of questions, since Dallas was hit with the 5m cap penalty, is there anyway to claim they only spent 118m of the 123m cap and therefore can roll over that 5m to 2014?

Second, can teams only rollover money once or can they do it every year? For example, Dallas rolled 2.3m over from 2012 to 2013. Can they rollover any unused cap space or do they have to hit 2.3m in space before they can rollover any money in excess of the 2.3m to 2014?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jterrell]

A couple of questions, since Dallas was hit with the 5m cap penalty, is there anyway to claim they only spent 118m of the 123m cap and therefore can roll over that 5m to 2014?

Second, can teams only rollover money once or can they do it every year? For example, Dallas rolled 2.3m over from 2012 to 2013. Can they rollover any unused cap space or do they have to hit 2.3m in space before they can rollover any money in excess of the 2.3m to 2014?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

no. the cap penalty counts as spent money. they can rollover any unused portion of the cap money.

 

[Nation]

There is just no method to take that kind of cap hit. They can't make enough restructures or cuts to get under the cap with that kind of hit.

It would be great if I could dunk a basketball like Lebron, but I'm a 5-11 white guy in his forties. Even if I was offered 10 million dollars to do it 1 time, it's not going to happen.

You give me half of it and we'll make it happen

 

[jterrell]

XW, Unless you still are thinking the cap total is 141M it would be nice to update the OP with the real numbers. It confuses those who stumble upon the thread.

Using the tool at OTC.com and what happens.

What I do business day 1.
Max re-structures: Romo, Ware, Carr, Lee, Scandrick
Cuts: Durant, E. Brown, C. Irvin

I sit at 10.5m in cap space.

I tender: Bailey 2M(2nd round).
I offer Edgar Jones a 3 year contract minimum wage deal with 2 years guaranteed.

With 7m in cap space I pitch Hatcher and Spencer 4year 28m dollar deals. Let them know only one guy can take the deal.
Assuming Hatcher takes the deal. The cap hit is under 3m for year 1. (8m bonus 855k base year 1)
I sit just under 5m in cap space.

June 2nd cut is Miles Austin.

I am at 10.5m in cap space.
I extend Tyron Smith. 5 years 38m. 10m in signing bonus.

11m in cap space so I can conduct the draft feeling good about my cap space.
Then I have really about 6m in free space to add a couple vets if the draft doesn't provide answers.
Main weaknesses are Safety, a stud DE, WLB, WR(have to prepare in case you can not afford to sign Dez), OG, RB.

notes: I leave Witten alone so he can be cut next June 2nd if need be.
I am still in cap trouble but not jail.
I am still doing yearly restructures but I am also cleaning up some of the bad contracts at about 1 per year.
2015 won't be pretty but it is again doable.
Hitting on draft selections that can play day 1 is huge.

in this scenario my expected depth chart is:

romo/orton
murray/randle/dunbar
witten/escobar/hanna
dez/harris
twill
beasley
tyron/weems
leary/costa
fred/costa
bern/free
free/parnell

ware/jones
hatcher/bass
hayden/crawford
crawford/selvie
wilber/carter
lee/carter
??/??
church/wilcox
??/heath
carr
mo
scandrick/moore/webb

bailey
whoever wins punter job at minimum wage

i'd like Waters back late if he'll come for 3m. missing camp is fine by me.
have to fill holes at WLB and FS. ~not opposed to matt johnson or jeff heath winning that job but it is VERY unlikely so i need a better option.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

after messing with that cap calculator thing, it is fun to play GM fwiw, the only way you are going to 'rebuild' or 'blowup the cap' to start over is to cut Ware. It gives us tremendous savings long term. I suppose to a lesser extent this holds true for Witten as well.

It does NOT apply to cutting Romo or Carr. Those deals are ours for 3 and 2 more years respectively. before we would get any relief so we get the joy of Romo hate for the next several years. But anyone that thinks that cutting those two is a good idea, I want to remind people of 2000 to 2002. Those were the years we ate poopoo for cutting Aikman and Sanders. That would create cap hell.

 

[jterrell]

after messing with that cap calculator thing, it is fun to play GM fwiw, the only way you are going to 'rebuild' or 'blowup the cap' to start over is to cut Ware. It gives us tremendous savings long term. I suppose to a lesser extent this holds true for Witten as well.

It does NOT apply to cutting Romo or Carr. Those deals are ours for 3 and 2 more years respectively. before we would get any relief so we get the joy of Romo hate for the next several years. But anyone that thinks that cutting those two is a good idea, I want to remind people of 2000 to 2002. Those were the years we ate poopoo for cutting Aikman and Sanders. That would create cap hell.

There is no real blow it up option. Not while keeping Romo much less Romo plus Carr.

You CAN reduce cap hits enough to cut Ware June 2nd but it is such a PAINFUL scenario that we'll never do it.

The Cowboys are in a very bad spot because the are too good to blow it up; not good enough to win big.
The cap plan leaves them little realistic flexibility because they spend in advance.

We talked about the blow it up option here and alas the next day it became a BTB story.
But pretty much once 41m was guaranteed for Romo there never was a true nuclear option.

Romo/Carr become Ratliff in that scenario. Just getting paid to want to be anywhere but here and a bad attitude while awaiting departure.

Dallas will restructure Ware in all likelihood but I am sure they'll try to talk him down some as well.
Ware has always come across as an easy guy to deal with.
Heck, he's acknowledged the mediocre play and vows to be better.
We've had plenty of guys play worse and pretend they were All-Pro.

Any attempts to totally reshape the roster put us in a long-term Jacksonville type stupor.
And Jerry doesn't wanna watch this team go bad and remain their til his death.
8-8 is mediocre but it isn't 3 or 4 wins a year with 10 games like last week either.

 

[AKATheRake]

Firstly, thanks very much for the time and effort you've put into this. Nice work.

One restructure I'm concerned about is Brandon Carr's.

If this team is determined to stick with this Tampa 2 defense, I don't think it makes sense to restructure Carr's deal.

Not fair to him to play in a scheme he didn't sign up found isn't well-suited for, and it doesn't make sense to pay big money for corners in such a passive role.

If they're switching back to the 3-4, I can somehow see it.

Otherwise, no way. Take your lumps and get out of it.

You don't need to switch back to a 3-4 to play man coverage.

Just have to play more man.

The Seahawks are a perfect example.

 

[AKATheRake]

Incredible work put in. Could we afford, Jared Allen and Linval Joseph??? I would love these two and they could bolster our Dline, Joseph would long term.

Joseph isn't a bad guy to go after but I bet he re-signs with his current club.

Allen is still a player but DE will be this teams #1 need in this draft shall Demarcus Ware be cut.

No use going over 30 at the position with another high salary player again.

This team has seemed to develop DT's with lower draft picks over the recent years.

Hatcher, Brent (we know his situation) and say what you want about Ratliff but the guy was a multiple pro bowler and drafted in the later rounds.

 

[jterrell]

You don't need to switch back to a 3-4 to play man coverage.

Just have to play more man.

The Seahawks are a perfect example.

The Seahawks do not really play a 4-3.
Very few teams play a true 3-4 or 4-3 anymore.

The Seahawks use a 4-3 over which is basically what Ryan ran here last year.
What makes Seattle special is the best safety group in football.
That allows for a lot more press man coverage.

The panthers defense is one I haven't seen much this year but I do want to study them.
They are simply ginormous at DL. Very old school in size over speed.

 

[AKATheRake]

The Seahawks do not really play a 4-3.
Very few teams play a true 3-4 or 4-3 anymore.

The Seahawks use a 4-3 over which is basically what Ryan ran here last year.
What makes Seattle special is the best safety group in football.
That allows for a lot more press man coverage.

The panthers defense is one I haven't seen much this year but I do want to study them.
They are simply ginormous at DL. Very old school in size over speed.

Agree on all all your Seahawks angle.

Regarding Carolina Star Lotulelei was a nice grab in the draft for them at #14.

The year prior Kuechley at #9 which scares people at MLB but another blue chip prospect.

The bottom line is that they drafted top notch players at the respective defensive position and you can see how both those players have impacted that defense.

We look for talented yet injure steals or to move around in every draft instead of getting that top notch talent at its respective position when it falls to us.

Dez Bryant mental issues aside was a top 5 talent and he fell to us. We believed Claiborne was that level of impact player also. He still may be if put in the right scheme and physical training camp.

But that's the difference. Go quality and durability as opposed to quantity and/or potential in the earlier rounds of these next drafts.

We have holes everywhere across our d-line especially since we may probably see hatcher leave. Stay in our spot which will probably be pick 14-18 at an 8-8 record. If it's a blue chip DE, DT, LB or safety that falls there than grab that player. Do not get cute.

If it's the best LB and 3rd best DE then take the better player period. Players of that caliber specifically have to be game planned for and dictate the game.

Now that Ware is no longer his traditional self who do teams game plan for on this defense? Sean Lee?

Well they do and they find ways to wack him during games cause the label on him is his body doesn't hold up. They're right.

We need to draft the best at that respective position.

Tyron Smith's draft wasn't touted as a great one for the LT position at the time but he was considered the best prospect at his position and we drafted him. Even though is was him or JJ Watt it worked out that we got the best prospect for that respective position.

We need to do that on our defense.

 

[Stash]

You don't need to switch back to a 3-4 to play man coverage.

Just have to play more man.

The Seahawks are a perfect example.

Yeah, but I think the 3-4 defense is the one we're still better suited for, personnel wise.

As for Seattle? Yeah, they play the 4-3, but that's where the similarities end.