CFZ Salary cap myths and other misunderstandings of player pay

[Bobhaze]

With all the big talk about contracts for Dak, Cedee Lamb, and at some point Micah Parsons, there is so much misunderstanding and myth about market value, ”greed”, etc. The biggest myth so often thrown about is that the players are greedy and if they would just take a “team friendly” deal (in and of itself also a myth) we could sign more players. That’s just not a fair assessment of what the cap is and how it works.

In 2023, Sports Illustrated published a good article by Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay VP of player personnel who has negotiated numerous NFL contracts. The article is designed to separate fact from fiction regarding what the cap actually is and isn’t. The article is free - here’s the link: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/17/nfl-business-football-explaining-salary-cap
It‘s a good read if you want to have a better view of how player salaries really impact the cap.

Just cherry picking a couple of key points from the SI article:

• “Cash is real money; the cap is simply accounting. Cash is what a player will actually receive in a contract. Cap is a mechanism of compliance, a way NFL teams account for a contract over the life of the deal.” What really matters in these player deals is the guaranteed amounts of cash and how long they can take to pay it out.
• “Elite players should take less to help the team. NO!” Brandt says the call for players to take less money is ridiculous. It is the owner’s responsibility to make the cap work, not the players.

One thought I’ve had for years: Whose job is it to manage the cap responsibly? Is it the players? Or the front office?

If our front office expects the players to help them manage the cap efficiently we are doomed. There are multiple NFL teams right now who are paying more stars at market value than the Cowboys and competing for championships.

The bickering over money at this point is silly. NFL stars are paid market value. Not a penny less. If you want them, you have to pay them market value. The Cowboys front office expecting their best players to take less than market value is crazy. If you want those players on your team, you pay them market value. If you don’t want to pay them market value, then you trade them or lose them in Free agency. That simple.

 

[kskboys]

With all the big talk about contracts for Dak, Cedee Lamb, and at some point Micah Parsons, there is so much misunderstanding and myth about market value, ”greed”, etc. The biggest myth so often thrown about is that the players are greedy and if they would just take a “team friendly” deal (in and of itself also a myth) we could sign more players. That’s just not a fair assessment of what the cap is and how it works.

In 2023, Sports Illustrated published a good article by Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay VP of player personnel who has negotiated numerous NFL contracts. The article is designed to separate fact from fiction regarding what the cap actually is and isn’t. The article is free - here’s the link: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/17/nfl-business-football-explaining-salary-cap
It‘s a good read if you want to have a better view of how player salaries really impact the cap.

Just cherry picking a couple of key points from the SI article:

• “Cash is real money; the cap is simply accounting. Cash is what a player will actually receive in a contract. Cap is a mechanism of compliance, a way NFL teams account for a contract over the life of the deal.” What really matters in these player deals is the guaranteed amounts of cash and how long they can take to pay it out.
• “Elite players should take less to help the team. NO!” Brandt says the call for players to take less money is ridiculous. It is the owner’s responsibility to make the cap work, not the players.

One thought I’ve had for years: Whose job is it to manage the cap responsibly? Is it the players? Or the front office?

If our front office expects the players to help them manage the cap efficiently we are doomed. There are multiple NFL teams right now who are paying more stars at market value than the Cowboys and competing for championships.

The bickering over money at this point is silly. NFL stars are paid market value. Not a penny less. If you want them, you have to pay them. The Cowboys front office expecting their best players to take less than market value is crazy. If you want those players on your team, you pay them market value. If you don’t want to pay them market value, then you trade them or lose them in Free agency. That simple.

Just not true, Bob. We're not asking for team friendly deals, we're asking for non-maxed out contracts. Big difference. Almost no one is saying a player should play for chump change.

 

[Bobhaze]

Just not true, Bob. We're not asking for team friendly deals, we're asking for non-maxed out contracts. Big difference. Almost no one is saying a player should play for chump change.

What’s not true Kevin? Help me understand.

My understanding is there is no such thing as a “maxed out NFL contract”. Teams can pay a player whatever they chose as long as they stay within the cap. Players are almost always paid extremely close to what the “market value” is for that position for players considered to be at comparable performance levels.

What am I missing?

 

[KingCorcoran]

Just not true, Bob. We're not asking for team friendly deals, we're asking for non-maxed out contracts. Big difference. Almost no one is saying a player should play for chump change.

Why should Dallas Cowboys players not be able to sign for the most ever at their position?

 

[CWR]

Just not true, Bob. We're not asking for team friendly deals, we're asking for non-maxed out contracts. Big difference. Almost no one is saying a player should play for chump change.

Max is the market without question for both CD and Parsons. Dak has a strong argument as well. We're asking for them to take less than they are worth.

That only happens if you jump on it early and the player is seeking assurances and security. It's not the case with these guys.

 

[Streifenkarl]

With all the big talk about contracts for Dak, Cedee Lamb, and at some point Micah Parsons, there is so much misunderstanding and myth about market value, ”greed”, etc. The biggest myth so often thrown about is that the players are greedy and if they would just take a “team friendly” deal (in and of itself also a myth) we could sign more players. That’s just not a fair assessment of what the cap is and how it works.

In 2023, Sports Illustrated published a good article by Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay VP of player personnel who has negotiated numerous NFL contracts. The article is designed to separate fact from fiction regarding what the cap actually is and isn’t. The article is free - here’s the link: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/17/nfl-business-football-explaining-salary-cap
It‘s a good read if you want to have a better view of how player salaries really impact the cap.

Just cherry picking a couple of key points from the SI article:

• “Cash is real money; the cap is simply accounting. Cash is what a player will actually receive in a contract. Cap is a mechanism of compliance, a way NFL teams account for a contract over the life of the deal.” What really matters in these player deals is the guaranteed amounts of cash and how long they can take to pay it out.
• “Elite players should take less to help the team. NO!” Brandt says the call for players to take less money is ridiculous. It is the owner’s responsibility to make the cap work, not the players.

One thought I’ve had for years: Whose job is it to manage the cap responsibly? Is it the players? Or the front office?

If our front office expects the players to help them manage the cap efficiently we are doomed. There are multiple NFL teams right now who are paying more stars at market value than the Cowboys and competing for championships.

The bickering over money at this point is silly. NFL stars are paid market value. Not a penny less. If you want them, you have to pay them market value. The Cowboys front office expecting their best players to take less than market value is crazy. If you want those players on your team, you pay them market value. If you don’t want to pay them market value, then you trade them or lose them in Free agency. That simple.

I agree and always did. The threads about Dak's and other players contracts are simply barking at the wrong tree. As a player you have to make the most out of your career. Just like any other dude working for someone. And it's that someone's responsibility to sort out salary ranges n stuff. If your job is important and there are few people who can do it you'll simply earn more money.

I never cared about players contracts, I do care about who's on the roster and who's not. But if someone's on the roster, whether I like him or not, I never cared about the conditions.

 

[Bobhaze]

Max is the market without question for both CD and Parsons. Dak has a strong argument as well. We're asking for them to take less than they are worth.

That only happens if you jump on it early and the player is seeking assurances and security. It's not the case with these guys.

That’s my understanding as well. And I could be wrong! Lol!

 

[CWR]

What’s not true Kevin? Help me understand.

My understanding is there is no such thing as a “maxed out NFL contract”. Teams can pay a player whatever they chose as long as they stay within the cap. Players are almost always paid extremely close to what the “market value” is for that position for players considered to be at comparable performance levels.

What am I missing?

My interpretation of max is highest at the position.

 

[CWR]

That’s my understanding as well. And I could be wrong! Lol!

Yeah we could be, but agents aren't looking at our 30 year drought and playoff results.

They are pulling numbers in comparison to other top players. Our guys have been impressive in a vacuum.

They have a good argument to get max deals. I don't like it given the last 3 playoffs but it is what it is.

 

[Bobhaze]

I agree and always did. The threads about Dak's and other players contracts are simply barking at the wrong tree. As a player you have to make the most out of your career. Just like any other dude working for someone. And it's that someone's responsibility to sort out salary ranges n stuff. If your job is important and there are few people who can do it you'll simply earn more money.

I never cared about players contracts, I do care about who's on the roster and who's not. But if someone's on the roster, whether I like him or not, I never cared about the conditions.

The way I see player contracts in the cap era is pretty simple:

• The front office is responsible to make the cap work with the players they want. It’s not the player’s responsibility to make the cap work for the team. The front office is responsible for that.
• If you have had a player for 4 or more years, you should have already decided this key question: Are we willing to pay market money to keep this player? If yes, you sign him at market rates. If not, trade them or just let them go to FA.
• The owners always negotiate their media rights contracts with the networks based on what “the market dictates”, or maybe better said, what the owners can push for and receive. They never take a “discount” when negotiating league wide contracts. Why should players?

 

[CWR]

One huge hang up to taking less is these guys have zero assurances the FO would actually spend on FAs to improve the team. They have their model and everyone knows it. So what's the incentive to take less?

 

[Streifenkarl]

The way I see player contracts in the cap era is pretty simple:

• The front office is responsible to make the cap work with the players they want. It’s not the player’s responsibility to make the cap work for the team. The front office is responsible for that.
• If you have had a player for 4 or more years, you should have already decided this key question: Are we willing to pay market money to keep this player? If yes, you sign him at market rates. If not, trade them or just let them go to FA.
• The owners always negotiate their media rights contracts with the networks based on what “the market dictates”, or maybe better said, what the owners can push for and receive. They never take a “discount” when negotiating league wide contracts. Why should players?

I see it this way:

Ever since the cap era has started it's all about timing and creating a window in which you take a shot at the title. You have to manage that window very carefully. But if done so, salaries don't matter as you basically cross-finance your talent pool. And this happens in waves. Once your window has closed you don't clinge yourself to dead freight. You start over by already projecting the contracts of the guys you wanna take into the next window and getting rid of everyone else. That means a couple of hunger years before you take your next shot.

Jerry just goes in a straight mediocre line instead of going in waves. The Jones boys are very bad at this. When they couldn't buy a great team anymore they missed the chance to hire someone who can play these tunes.

 

[Bobhaze]

One huge hang up to taking less is these guys have zero assurances the FO would actually spend on FAs to improve the team. They have their model and everyone knows it. So what's the incentive to take less?

I see it this way:

Ever since the cap era has started it's all about timing and creating a window in which you take a shot at the title. You have to manage that window very carefully. But if done so, salaries don't matter as you basically cross-finance your talent pool.

The Jones boys are just very bad at this. When they couldn't buy a great team anymore they missed the chance to hire someone who can play these tunes.

Good points here.

 

[plymkr]

So if Dak, Micah or CD is not signed then the team must not want the player for one reason or another.

I also agree with a previous post. The Joneses are not good at managing their waves and maximizing the window of opportunity. It’s like they’re scared to take the plunge, or too cheap, or too amateur. My guess is a combination of all 3. If the salary cap money issue is a myth then what is the problem here? Especially with Lamb at this moment sitting out. This FO is frustrating to root for and that doesn’t include the toxic culture of the team.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I don't know if this has anything to do with this thread. But I like it so much I'm just posting it anyways.

 

[reddyuta]

this looks a Kelvin Joseph trade and we all know how that went.

 

[Hawkeye19]

With all the big talk about contracts for Dak, Cedee Lamb, and at some point Micah Parsons, there is so much misunderstanding and myth about market value, ”greed”, etc. The biggest myth so often thrown about is that the players are greedy and if they would just take a “team friendly” deal (in and of itself also a myth) we could sign more players. That’s just not a fair assessment of what the cap is and how it works.

In 2023, Sports Illustrated published a good article by Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay VP of player personnel who has negotiated numerous NFL contracts. The article is designed to separate fact from fiction regarding what the cap actually is and isn’t. The article is free - here’s the link: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/17/nfl-business-football-explaining-salary-cap
It‘s a good read if you want to have a better view of how player salaries really impact the cap.

Just cherry picking a couple of key points from the SI article:

• “Cash is real money; the cap is simply accounting. Cash is what a player will actually receive in a contract. Cap is a mechanism of compliance, a way NFL teams account for a contract over the life of the deal.” What really matters in these player deals is the guaranteed amounts of cash and how long they can take to pay it out.
• “Elite players should take less to help the team. NO!” Brandt says the call for players to take less money is ridiculous. It is the owner’s responsibility to make the cap work, not the players.

One thought I’ve had for years: Whose job is it to manage the cap responsibly? Is it the players? Or the front office?

If our front office expects the players to help them manage the cap efficiently we are doomed. There are multiple NFL teams right now who are paying more stars at market value than the Cowboys and competing for championships.

The bickering over money at this point is silly. NFL stars are paid market value. Not a penny less. If you want them, you have to pay them market value. The Cowboys front office expecting their best players to take less than market value is crazy. If you want those players on your team, you pay them market value. If you don’t want to pay them market value, then you trade them or lose them in Free agency. That simple.

The Cowboys have stated they are a draft, develop, and sign franchise.

To not sign guys they have developed reveals a lack of commitment and vision to their own stated strategy of roster building.

They drag their feet in every negotiation and fail to extend guys ahead of the cycle so they wind up paying more.

And the players they publicly say they want— end up feeling embittered and disrespected. Morale takes a hit.

If they don’t want to pay these players— then trade and reset by gaining draft capital.

By doing nothing the Cowboys are cutting their own throat. This offseason has been a trainwreck.

 

[JoeKing]

So, Tom Brady taking a team friendly deal to help the Patriot's FO acquire other talent is just a myth?

 

[Swanny]

With all the big talk about contracts for Dak, Cedee Lamb, and at some point Micah Parsons, there is so much misunderstanding and myth about market value, ”greed”, etc. The biggest myth so often thrown about is that the players are greedy and if they would just take a “team friendly” deal (in and of itself also a myth) we could sign more players. That’s just not a fair assessment of what the cap is and how it works.

In 2023, Sports Illustrated published a good article by Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay VP of player personnel who has negotiated numerous NFL contracts. The article is designed to separate fact from fiction regarding what the cap actually is and isn’t. The article is free - here’s the link: https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/17/nfl-business-football-explaining-salary-cap
It‘s a good read if you want to have a better view of how player salaries really impact the cap.

Just cherry picking a couple of key points from the SI article:

• “Cash is real money; the cap is simply accounting. Cash is what a player will actually receive in a contract. Cap is a mechanism of compliance, a way NFL teams account for a contract over the life of the deal.” What really matters in these player deals is the guaranteed amounts of cash and how long they can take to pay it out.
• “Elite players should take less to help the team. NO!” Brandt says the call for players to take less money is ridiculous. It is the owner’s responsibility to make the cap work, not the players.

One thought I’ve had for years: Whose job is it to manage the cap responsibly? Is it the players? Or the front office?

If our front office expects the players to help them manage the cap efficiently we are doomed. There are multiple NFL teams right now who are paying more stars at market value than the Cowboys and competing for championships.

The bickering over money at this point is silly. NFL stars are paid market value. Not a penny less. If you want them, you have to pay them market value. The Cowboys front office expecting their best players to take less than market value is crazy. If you want those players on your team, you pay them market value. If you don’t want to pay them market value, then you trade them or lose them in Free agency. That simple.

Market value is set by the contract that the players union and owners put in place. The salary cap hinders the amount of money a top end player can make. The players union agreed to that contract. Fans demand a salary cap because you would have guys like Jerry Jones having the ability to pay players far more than most other teams. If no salary cap is in place the NFL would be dominated by 4 teams. The NFL would suffer. Fans would walk away from the NFL. Which is why both sides understand that a salary cap is needed.

 

[Flamma]

So, Tom Brady taking a team friendly deal to help the Patriot's FO acquire other talent is just a myth?

He's a rare individual. In that point in his career, his only motivation was winning. Even for most of his career he took low end market value.