Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan reacts to all the moves at the start of free agency and makes sense of all the moves from a cap perspective.
HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan is providing updates and reactions on each major event at the start of free agency.
Saints salary cap update after Ryan Ramczyk extension
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It’s always a tough scene for salary cap alarmists when the New Orleans Saints work out a long-term contract extension with their best players. Whether it’s Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, or now Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints always seem to find a way to navigate the salary cap and keep their blue-chip talent around. So how does Ramczyk’s new $96 million deal impact the Saints cap outlook?
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap reports that the Saints cleared roughly $5.56 million in salary cap space by extending Ramczyk, which would reflect a decreased 2021 base salary from his fully-guaranteed fifth year option amount at $11.064 million plus the prorated charges for his new signing bonus. We’ll know specifically just what his new cap hit is once more details become available in the days ahead, but that’s a much-improved situation considering where the Saints started this offseason.
The end result: Ramczyk’s 2021 cap hit should now be set around $5.504 million, boosting the Saints’ cap space figure up to the ballpark of $11.39 million (New Orleans previously freed up some resources by restructuring Marshon Lattimore’s deal). That clocks in between the $11.3 million that the Arizona Cardinals have to work with and the Minnesota Vikings’ $13.5 million, and is more than enough to address their remaining roster moves ahead of training camp.
Some items will take priority, though. The Saints must sign Marcus Williams to an extension by July 15 or else he has to play out the season on the franchise tag. It would be good to re-up Lattimore with a team-friendly deal before the season starts, too; if his play rebounds to what he flashed earlier in his career, he’ll be a high-demand free agent next offseason. Waiting too long to extend either player is a gamble that could prove costly.
New Orleans should also consider adding a veteran corner to compete opposite Lattimore — they hosted Dre Kirkpatrick for a free agent visit and were connected to Richard Sherman back in March. Paulson Adebo has a long list of intriguing qualities, but he’s far from a lock to start right out of the gate. And that isn’t mentioning the areas of need on offense, where Adam Trautman is set to attempt an unprecedented leap at tight end while the Saints are another Michael Thomas injury away from Tre’Quan Smith being their leading receiver on game days. There’s plenty of room for growth on each side of the ball.
That’s why scratching this Ramczyk extension off the to-do list was so important. The Saints can shift gears and bring in more help while continuing to negotiate new deals with cornerstone players in the secondary. With a number of big-name free agents still set to test the market next year (namely Terron Armstead and Jameis Winston, in addition to Lattimore and Williams) it’s vital that the Saints continue to get out in front of as many hurdles as they can.
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The Los Angeles Chargers are in good standing from a financial standpoint.
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has done a fine job of bringing in as well as retaining top-tier players throughout the years.
Telesco has made this happen by drafting and developing young talent and making acquisitions for bargain of deals, which is reflective on their yearly spendings.
According to Pro Football Focus, Los Angeles has the sixth-best cap situation over the next three years.
The Chargers could have an argument as the best currently situated team in the NFL from a financial perspective. Of course, this relies on whether quarterback Justin Herbert can repeat — or even improve upon — his stellar rookie performance from 2020. They already have the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL in edge rusher Joey Bosa and the third-highest paid wide receiver in Keenan Allen under contract for the foreseeable future.
There is no question the team could stand to improve at several spots along the roster, but they drafted a blue-chip left tackle prospect in Rashawn Slater, and pretty much every other potential weak spot shouldn’t break the bank by any means.
Over the next three offseasons, PFF projects the Bolts to have a combined $151.4 million in cap space to spend.
Next offseason, the Chargers will have notable players that will be free agents like Linval Joseph, Mike Williams, Chris Harris Jr., Uchenna Nwosu, Jared Cook, among others.
However, projected $51.1 million in cap space then, the team should have the flexibility to retain some of the players and bring in a big-name free agent.
At the end of the day, Los Angeles is built to win now and it should only continue to be that way, given their financial outlook.
The NFL’s salary cap deadline on June 1 brings good news for the New Orleans Saints, who reworked their contract with retired QB Drew Brees.
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It wasn’t easy, but the New Orleans Saints cleared about $100 million to get beneath the depressed 2021 salary cap, and now more help is on the way. One avenue they took to get here was a reworked contract with Drew Brees early this spring, before he made his retirement official. Now that an important date on the NFL calendar is here, June 1 forecasts more cap savings for New Orleans.
Back in February, Brees and the Saints agreed to reduce his 2021 base salary to the NFL minimum, which introduced immediate savings of just under $24 million (lowering his 2021 cap hit from $36.15 million down to $12.225 million). On June 2, Brees’ reduced salary of $1.075 million will revert to the Saints in free cap space, though they’re still stuck with $11.15 million in dead money hits in both 2021 and 2022.
That’s not much, but every single dollar has been carefully counted and valued in New Orleans as the Saints continue to navigate the cap. The latest NFLPA public salary cap report has New Orleans under the cap by less than $350,000, so these additional resources from Brees’ retirement will go a long way. If nothing else, it should help them clear enough room to begin signing their draft picks.
With a handful of open roster spots still available (the NFLPA has the Saints with 86 of 90 positions filled), this could be what New Orleans needs to bring in more low-cost talent and round out the depth chart ahead of training camp. But bigger moves are still to come, like contract extensions that could lower the cap hits for Ryan Ramczyk ($11.064 million) and Marcus Williams ($10.612 million), among other veteran players. But as always, we should expect more surprises ahead for the Saints as the offseason marches on.
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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane shared his projected 2022 salary cap numbers, which would be great for the New Orleans Saints.
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There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. With lucrative contract extensions worked out between the NFL and its broadcasting partners, the salary cap is going to the moon — but not until 2023. That means another lean year is in store for the Saints and every other team as they work towards salary cap compliance next year.
It wasn’t easy, but the Saints were able to reach cap compliance in 2021 by cutting costs throughout their roster, and they are worse off for it. It’s going to introduce new hurdles for them to overcome by rushing rookies, second-year pros, and career backups into prominent positions.
But Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane expects a healthier salary cap outlook for 2022, though it’s going to take a while longer for teams’ spending habits to get back to normal.
“This next year is still an unknown,” Beane said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL radio, via Pro Football Talk. “There’s some numbers if stadiums are full, but if they’re not full, the cap this year is 182 [million dollars]. Last year it was 198, so that was a huge drop. We’re kind of projecting 195 to 200 [for the 2022 salary cap]. I’m hoping closer to 200, just to be able to fit as many guys as we can.”
Every team projects its own numbers, but this is probably a good benchmark to keep in mind as the Saints eye the 2022 salary cap. Right now, Over The Cap’s analysts have New Orleans with just over $200.2 million in cap commitments next year, which means they could come close to breaking even if the cap settles at the high end of Beane’s suggestion.
Of course, the Saints have a strong class of 2022 free agents to worry about: both of their bookend tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, franchise-tagged free safety Marcus Williams, and No. 1 cornerback Marshon Lattimore all among them. Extending any of those players ahead of schedule will go a long way towards making the cap situation more manageable.
So remember: Even if the Saints have to part ways with more good players over the next year, they’ll be able to reload quickly in 2023. That won’t make this any less painful of a process, but it’s something to look forward to. With New Orleans expected to receive nine picks in the 2022 NFL draft, the team will look very different, very soon — but hopefully still as competitive as it’s ever been recently.
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The Seattle Seahawks’ official Twitter account posted a video of defensive end Carlos Dunlap telling the 12s that he’s excited to be back.
Grateful for another opportunity. 🙏@Carlos_Dunlap can't wait to be back with the @12s! pic.twitter.com/G0nLA9Q9yf
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 6, 2021
Shortly after defensive end Carlos Dunlap re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks, the organization’s official Twitter account posted a video of him giving a message to the 12s.
Seattle initially released Dunlap on March 8 to create cap space before re-signing him to a two-year, $16.6 million contract. Dunlap stated that the Seahawks let him know they were still interested in him, and they were right to be.
During his half-season in Seattle, the 11-year veteran DE accumulated five sacks, 14 tackles (7 solo), six tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and two passes defensed. More importantly, Dunlap had a massive impact on the Seahawks defense as a whole, assisting significantly in their turnaround over the second half of the season.
Let’s hope Dunlap can help Seattle maintain its strong defensive form for 2021.
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The Packers re-worked Za’Darius Smith’s deal to help create salary cap space before the start of the new league year.
The #Packers and OLB Za'Darius Smith completed a restructure of his contract to create cap room, source said, allowing the team space to sign RB Aaron Jones.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
The Green Bay Packers re-worked Za’Darius Smith’s contract to help the team get under the salary cap by the start of the new league year.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Smith and the Packers restructured his deal to create cap space on Wednesday.
Details weren’t immediately available, but Rapoport’s report suggests the Packers did not complete an extension and only moved cap dollars from 2021 to 2022.
Smith’s deal has two years left. His cap hit was scheduled to be $22,000,000 in 2021 and $20,750,000 in 2022.
Smith has a base salary of $10,750,000 and a roster bonus due Friday of $5,000,000. The Packers could convert some or all of the two amounts into a signing bonus to create cap space in 2021, but all the money would transfer to his cap hit in 2022.
It’s possible the Packers restructured the deal – and pushed money into next year – knowing that an extension is eventually coming, which will lower his eventual cap hit in 2022. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Sunday that the Packers were planning on completing an extension with Smith, who has said he wants to be a lifelong Packer.
The Packers needed to create more cap space to fit the new contract of Aaron Jones under the cap. The team must be under the league’s salary cap by the start of the new league year later Wednesday.
The Packers previously restructured the deals of David Bakhtiari, Adrian Amos, Preston Smith and Billy Turner.
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The Packers re-worked Za’Darius Smith’s deal to help create salary cap space before the start of the new league year.
The #Packers and OLB Za'Darius Smith completed a restructure of his contract to create cap room, source said, allowing the team space to sign RB Aaron Jones.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
The Green Bay Packers re-worked Za’Darius Smith’s contract to help the team get under the salary cap by the start of the new league year.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Smith and the Packers restructured his deal to create cap space on Wednesday.
Details weren’t immediately available, but Rapoport’s report suggests the Packers did not complete an extension and only moved cap dollars from 2021 to 2022.
Smith’s deal has two years left. His cap hit was scheduled to be $22,000,000 in 2021 and $20,750,000 in 2022.
Smith has a base salary of $10,750,000 and a roster bonus due Friday of $5,000,000. The Packers could convert some or all of the two amounts into a signing bonus to create cap space in 2021, but all the money would transfer to his cap hit in 2022.
It’s possible the Packers restructured the deal – and pushed money into next year – knowing that an extension is eventually coming, which will lower his eventual cap hit in 2022. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Sunday that the Packers were planning on completing an extension with Smith, who has said he wants to be a lifelong Packer.
The Packers needed to create more cap space to fit the new contract of Aaron Jones under the cap. The team must be under the league’s salary cap by the start of the new league year later Wednesday.
The Packers previously restructured the deals of David Bakhtiari, Adrian Amos, Preston Smith and Billy Turner.
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The New Orleans Saints are no longer ranked last in the NFL in 2021 salary cap space, with the Los Angeles Rams in a tighter spot.
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Teams that still likely have some cap work to do and the amount they have to clear
Bucs- $5.5M
Packers- $9.7M
Falcons- $14.2M
Bears- $17.6M
Chiefs- $20.9M
Eagles- $26.8M
Saints- $31.9M
Rams- $33.1M(number includes Stafford trade)— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) March 10, 2021
It’s taken a whirlwind to get here, but the New Orleans Saints don’t rank No. 32 anymore. Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald ranks them second-worst in the NFL in negative cap space, finally ceding the last spot to the Los Angeles Rams. Including the accounting from the Matthew Stafford-for-Jared Goff trade, the Rams are now in the red by $33.1 million. And the Saints are ahead of them by just $31.9 million.
That’s progress, baby. It’s been difficult at times to achieve, between the release of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a contract restructure with guard Andrus Peat, among other moves, but these are the necessary sacrifices New Orleans must make in light of the depressed salary cap. Unexpected revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced them to make tough choices that could have otherwise been avoided.
So it’s kind of reassuring to know they aren’t alone. They don’t even have it as bad as some of their competition. NFC rivals including the Philadelphia Eagles ($26.8 million), Chicago Bears ($17.6 million), Atlanta Falcons ($14.2 million), and Green Bay Packers ($9.7 million) all have their own hurdles to clear before reaching cap compliance. Sure, the Saints have problems to address. But they’ve won more games over the last four years than all of those opponents, and they’re making moves to keep their core together for life after Drew Brees.
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The New Orleans Saints learned the 2021 NFL salary cap is set at $182.5 million, which puts them in the red by an estimated $51.5 million.
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The NFL informed teams on Wednesday that the 2021 salary cap will be set at $182.5 million, a slight bump from the projected $180 million and a steep fall from last year’s $198.2 million. Revenue losses due to the coronavirus pandemic led to a down year in spending, which is bad news for the New Orleans Saints.
Still, the Saints can use all the help they can get, and $182.5 million is better than $180 million, if just barely. Unspent cap space rolled over from last year raises New Orleans’ spending limit to about $185.5 million, though $9.9 million or so in dead money left behind from terminated contracts is weighing them down a bit.
Expect a flurry of moves in the days ahead. The Saints will have to work around the clock to reach cap compliance before the start of the new league year on March 17, but the real deadline is the legal tampering period that opens on March 15. They’ll be active in free agency between retaining their own players and searching for upgrades, and it’s easier to sell an offer to someone when you can point to your available cap space and show you can pay them.
So how much cap space do the Saints have right now? They created $9.4 million in savings by restructuring contracts with Andrus Peat and Malcolm Jenkins, which followed a one-year extension with running back Dwayne Washington (at a veteran’s minimum, bumping a less-valuable contract below the top-51 threshold and costing only about $70,000 against the cap), as well as the issuance of the franchise tag to Marcus Williams (valued at a little over $10.6 million).
That’s all said to illustrate that is a very fluid situation, and the Saints salary cap estimate can change quickly. For now, though, I have them with roughly $238 million in cap commitments — against the $185.5 million they have to spend, resulting in $52.5 million still to chip away at. And the clock is ticking.
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