Tag: cap space

Saints rank second-to-last in salary cap space, but does it matter?

The New Orleans Saints have the second-fewest salary cap resources to work with around the NFL, but they can make more cash in a hurry.

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The NFL’s calendar has shifted into the first week of the regular season, with the Kansas City Chiefs set to host the Houston Texans on Thursday, Sept. 10. This transition from preseason and training camp into the next 17-week stretch brings many changes for NFL teams: including the salary cap accounting.

During the offseason, only the top 51 contracts are counted against the cap. But now all 53 players signed to teams are on the books, leaving the New Orleans Saints at an estimated $4.2 million beneath the salary cap, per Spotrac. That number is flexible and will change slightly in the days ahead as the Saints shuffle players on and off of the roster, but it’s close to the numbers they’re working with internally.

For context, only the Los Angeles Rams have less cap space right now (estimated at a hair over $4 million), while the New England Patriots lead the league ($40.3 million). Unused funds can be rolled over into the next fiscal year, but for teams focused on winning now like the Saints, excess cap space is best reserved for in-season pickups.

That can look like the usual rotation of veterans after free agent tryouts — or, more exciting, big moves at the trade deadline. The Saints rarely shy away from moving draft picks for players they think can add an edge to the roster, but fitting preexisting contracts under the salary cap is a different issue altogether.

That will be tough to pull off with just $4.2 million in cap space to pass around. But the Saints were just all in on Jadeveon Clowney, making a competitive offer against the $15 million contract he agreed to sign with the Tennessee Titans. They’ve obviously done their homework and have veteran players on standby, ready to restructure other contracts to make more space beneath the cap in a hurry.

So don’t rule the Saints out if some good players become available near the October trade deadline. Things aren’t always what they seem when it comes to salary cap accounting, and they just might surprise you.

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How much cap space does each of the 32 NFL teams have?

There is money to spend for NFL teams now that the opt-out period is over.

The opt-out period is over. NFL teams know how much money they have to spend to fill out their bankrolls, or rosters, eventually. One of the big names out there looking for big bucks remains defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney. Where will he land? And who has what to spend?

Field Yates of ESPN was kind enough to do the math we will share:

Saints salary cap space update after the latest signings and opt-outs

With the NFL’s deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season come and gone, the New Orleans Saints now know exactly who they’ll be working with in training camp. They’ve also made their first wave of roster cuts to bring their numbers down to …

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With the NFL’s deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season come and gone, the New Orleans Saints now know exactly who they’ll be working with in training camp. They’ve also made their first wave of roster cuts to bring their numbers down to the NFL-mandated 80 contracts, and added a veteran free agent or two.

So where does that place them against the salary cap?

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Saints are now ranked 25th in official cap space at just over $7.8 million (to be exact: $7,821,902). That includes transactions like the signing of wide receiver Bennie Fowler at the veteran’s minimum, and the opt-outs of tight ends Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan.

But they aren’t finished just yet, because their deal with linebacker Nigel Bradham hasn’t been finalized and filed with the league office. Still, that shouldn’t drastically shift their salary cap outlook.

What will be most interesting to track in the coming months is whether the Saints choose to hammer out long-term extensions with upcoming free agents. Mainstays including linebacker Demario Davis, running back Alvin Kamara, and free safety Marcus Williams are all entering the final years of their contracts, as are tight end Jared Cook and quarterback Jameis Winston.

The trouble arises when you consider that the 2021 salary cap is expected to nosedive from its current ceiling ($198.2 million). The NFL anticipates big losses in revenue this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but negotiations with the NFL Players Association mean the cap will be set no lower than $175 million next year. That runs against the assumption the Saints have been working with over the last decade, which has put their faith in an always-increasing cap.

So they may not be able to keep everyone. Team leaders like safety Vonn Bell and running back Mark Ingram have left in recent years, partly due to the Saints working a little too tight to the salary cap (and also due to dubious advice from their agents). Will someone from the list above end up joining them?

One move the Saints may consider is rolling over unspent cap space into the next fiscal year. That would certainly help them maneuver the 2021 salary cap, but it may be preferable to get the jump on these contract situations while there’s still time. Working with limited resources is tough enough, but fighting those limitations and a ticking clock is a tall order.

 

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Saints won’t benefit from NFL adding salary cap space due to COVID-19

The NFL will return salary cap space to teams by postponing signing bonus payouts for opt-outs, but that won’t help the New Orleans Saints.

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The NFL is continuing to adjust to the realities of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, with the latest change being a new rule that delays some salary cap accounting for players who are opting out of the 2020 season. Unfortunately for the New Orleans Saints, this doesn’t offer them much breathing-room.

Base salaries for those opt-outs are pushed ahead to the 2021 bookkeeping, and the NFL has decided that prorated signing bonus payments will follow them. But there’s just one snag: neither of the Saints players who have opted out of 2020 had signing bonuses written into their contracts to begin with.

Backup tight ends Cole Wick ($750,000 cap hit for 2020) and Jason Vander Laan ($675,000) each opted out, taking their one-year contracts off the books until 2021. Vander Laan’s contract didn’t qualify as a top-51 salary cap hit anyway, while Wick’s absence promoted a lesser-valued deal into its spot (2019 draft pick Saquan Hampton, who counts for $723,988).

That results in a net savings of just $26,012 for the Saints, who are estimated by Over The Cap as being about $9.05 million underneath the 2020 salary cap. That’s including their recently-signed draft class and any savings from Sunday’s wave of roster cuts, in which the Saints opted out of their contracts with players like Taylor Stallworth and Tommylee Lewis.

Now, sure: the Saints could get a big boost to their salary cap outlook if more players opt out. But the loss of leadership and playmaking ability felt on the field from, say, Malcolm Jenkins opting out of the season wouldn’t outweigh the salary cap savings (roughly $2.6 million).

The deadline for players to decide whether to opt out is Thursday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. CT. Fans should be rooting for players to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. If the Saints are able to pick up some more spending money with big free agents still available, well, then that’s just lagniappe.

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How much will the Broncos’ draft class cost this season?

The Broncos’ draft class will have a reasonable net salary cap hit this season.

The Denver Broncos have yet to sign their 2020 draft class. Just how much will it cost to sign their 10-player class?

The team’s drafted rookies will have a combined cap hit of $9,980,665 this season, according to Spotrac.com. But that doesn’t simply mean $9.9 million should be subtracted from the current cap total to calculate a new number.

During the offseason, only the 51 most-expensive players count against an NFL team’s salary cap. So some of the Broncos’ rookies will knock off several players currently counting against the Top 51 cap total.

Here’s a look at the draft class and the previous Top 51 players (knocked off players have their cap hits crossed out, including a few rookies).

Rookie Previous Top 51
Jerry Jeudy ($2,762,359) Phillip Lindsay ($755,000)
K.J. Hamler ($1,297,660) Davontae Harris ($750,000)
Michael Ojemudia ($863,890) Alexander Johnson ($750,000)
Lloyd Cushenberry ($846,544) Trey Marshall ($750,000)
McTelvin Agim ($824,317) Tim Patrick ($750,000)
Albert Okwuegbunam ($797,260) Juwann Winfree ($717,813)
Justin Strnad ($669,443) Malik Reed ($680,000)
Netane Muti ($661,448) Calvin Anderson ($675,000)
Tyrie Cleveland ($628,872) Andrew Beck ($675,000)
Derrek Tuszka ($628,872) Fred Brown ($675,000)
Rookie Pool: $9,980,665 Top 51 drop-offs: $6,761,448

When we subtract the 10 players that will be bumped down ($6,761,448) from the rookie pool/new bottom 10 players ($9,980,665) the net addition to the salary cap is just $3,219,217. So, in salary cap terms, the Broncos’ draft class will only cost a little more than $3.2 million.

Denver is projected to have $16,862,356 in cap space by Spotrac and $17,250,120 by OverTheCap.com, an average of $17,056,238. After subtracting the rookie net cap hit from that average, we project that the Broncos have approximately $13,837,021 in remaining salary cap space.

If Denver does not use all of its cap space this season, the unused cap will roll over to be added to the team’s salary cap total in 2021.

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Cowboys officially place Travis Frederick on retired list, freeing cap space

Travis Frederick retired months ago, but it was just made official. By waiting, the Cowboys will save cap space for the upcoming season.

On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys placed former center Travis Frederick on the official reserve/retired list.

Frederick’s surprising retirement came on March 23, days after the former All-Pro turned just 29 years old. Frederick was originally set to cost $11.975 million against the Cowboys salary cap this season, but by delaying the formal retirement, Dallas is able to split Frederick’s remaining signing bonus allocatgion over the next two seasons.

This frees up $7 million for the Cowboys, the amount of his 2020 base salary. Now, as predicted by Cowboys Wire when the retirement was announced, Frederick will cost the Cowboys $4.975 million in the upcoming season, and $6.06 million the year after.

The move gives Dallas around $11.4 million in cap space. Signing their  rookie class will only cost around $3.1 million, leaving Dallas with over $8 million to sign additional free agents now or during the season.

Losing Frederick is a blow for the Dallas offensive line, but the Cowboys can now use the added cap space to comfortably sign their rookie class, and maybe even add another veteran free agent like Everson Griffen, who many have speculated would be a good fit with in Dallas.

Frederick missed the entire 2018 season with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and while he started every game in 2019 and earned his fifth pro-bowl nod, he wasn’t his usual dominant self. Joe Looney, who started all 16 games at center while Frederick was out with his autoimmune disease, figures to play an important role again in the middle of the Cowboys offensive line. Connor McGovern, a third-round selection in 2019, and Tyler Biadasz, the Cowboys fourth round selection in 2020, should compete with Looney for the starting center position.

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Will fullback Nick Bellore be a cap casualty for the Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks could replace fullback Nick Bellore with DeeJay Dallas, who can contribute as a receiving back and core special teamer.

While the Seattle Seahawks have always employed a fullback in the Pete Carroll era, recently the position has become a glorified special teams contributor, often not getting used on the offensive side of the ball for entire games at a time.

That was the case last year with Nick Bellore, a converted linebacker whom Seattle used on just 29 offensive snaps all season long, even though he appeared in 14 games.

Bellore did haul in both of his targets for 23 total yards, including a touchdown against the Cardinals, but it was clear his role on the team was on the special teams, where he appeared in 58% of the team’s snaps and recorded seven combined tackles and a fumble recovery.

Now, with one year left on his contract and a $1.05 million hit against the cap, the question is whether the Seahawks will keep Bellore around for 2020 or dump him to save some cash.

The Seahawks don’t have any other true fullbacks on the roster, but if they wanted to move on from Bellore they could attempt to use DeeJay Dallas, a fourth round pick in April’s draft, in a similar role.

Dallas is nowhere near as big as Bellore, but he was an elite receiving back in college and expects to contribute right away on the special teams, which helps fill the gaps of what Bellore did for Seattle.

While Dallas probably won’t be creating running lanes as a lead blocker, the traditional fullback role, Bellore didn’t really do that either, and Dallas is a cheaper, younger alternative with more upside and a smaller cap hit – making him an appealing option to keep on the active roster over the veteran Bellore.

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Vikings among NFL teams with more dead money than cap space

The Vikings are one of 11 teams in the NFL to have more dead money than cap space, according to Over The Cap founder Jason Fitzgerald.

The Vikings have done a good job of accumulating talent after losing veterans this offseason, but sometimes losing veterans comes with a price.

The Vikings got a good haul from the Stefon Diggs trade, but losing him cost Minnesota $9 million in dead money. The Vikings also cut Xavier Rhodes, which led to a dead money hit of $4.8 million.

Those moves and others added up to Minnesota having more dead money than cap space, according to Over The Cap founder Jason Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald ranked the Vikings as one of the 11 teams to have that problem. The team has $12.3 million in cap space, but $20.4 million in dead money. Minnesota has the fifth-most dead money in the NFL.

Dead money counts towards the salary cap, but cannot be used to sign players . When a team cuts or trades a player, a certain amount of that player’s cap hit can be saved and used on other talent, but a certain amount of it is dead money, which cannot be used.

The Vikings having a lot of dead money means they had a lot of talent leave this offseason, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Minnesota added cheaper talent in return, which can add up to being a financially sound decision for the long term.

Branden Jackson could be cap casualty for Seahawks

Branden Jackson is under contract for $2.13 million, money the Seahawks could look to use elsewhere after making multiple additions at DE.

The Seattle Seahawks have a full 90-man roster and limited cap space remaining after recently finalizing contracts for Bruce Irvin, Carlos Hyde and Geno Smith.

However, that doesn’t mean they are done signing folks in free agency. And with plenty of talented players still available on the open market, the Seahawks could definitely find ways to shed some salary in order to make an addition or two before camp is set to begin in late July.

One way they could do so is by cutting veteran defensive end Branden Jackson. Jackson signed his restricted free agent tender back in April, bringing him back to the Seahawks and paying him $2.13 million in 2020.

While that’s not a huge some of money by any means, it would give the team slightly more wiggle room if they wanted to pursue a defensive tackle like Mike Daniels or Damon Harrison.

Jackson appeared in 15 games last year, recording 20 combined tackles, two passes defended and two sacks as a reserve five-tech. Seattle has yet to make a big signing to bolster their pass rush, but the additions of Irvin, Benson Mayowa and two draft picks: Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, may be enough to push Jackson out of the rotation.

If Jackson cannot earn a spot over the newcomers, as well as returners like L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green, then Seattle will likely cut ties in order to use that cap space elsewhere.

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Wide Receiver David Moore could be cap casualty for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks could cut David Moore this offseason and save $2.13 million in cap space to put toward a new defensive lineman.

Despite beginning the offseason with a plethora of cap space, the Seattle Seahawks have seen their available money dwindle through a series of small signings, including the recent additions of Carlos Hyde and Geno Smith.

However, they still have yet to make a big splash on the defensive line market, where Jadeveon Clowney remains alongside other impact pieces like Everson Griffen, Clay Matthews, Mike Daniels and Damon Harrison.

For the Seahawks to make more moves and still retain some cap space heading into the season, something general manager John Schneider has always prioritized, they may have to make more cuts.

There are a handful of ways they could go about clearing out cap space, and one includes letting go of receiver David Moore.

Moore was a seventh round pick in the 2017 NFL draft who signed an original round tender to remain with the Seahawks. The tender will pay him $2.13 million in 2020. While that’s not going to massively change Seattle’s financial outlook, it is enough to help them make an addition to the defensive line, while leaving some room to spare.

Moore is likely competing for the No. 4 receiver spot, behind Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Phillip Dorsett. John Ursua, Freddie Swain, Seth Dawkins and Aaron Fuller are all in the mix as well, and Seattle’s plethora of tight ends could push them to keep one less wide receiver than usual.

All that points to a murky future for Moore in the Emerald City, and with a bigger cap hit than any of the other receivers (outside the top three) he could find himself looking for new employment before the 2020 season begins.

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