As of the Bunkley restructure the Saints cap number is that they are...
Anyone know anything about a guy named Jay Richardson, a DE, who is on the roster with a $715,000 cap figure? If he is released, he would count nothing in dead money because he has no bonus figures. He would save the full $715K on the cap. I would rather have Bushrod (it will take more than 715K, I know) than someone that I have no clue about. Restructure Smith, Vilma, & Harper and release this guy and sign Bushrod. Those actions could save at least 12 million on the cap to give the Saints enough to sign Bushrod and make some tender offers to the RFAs the Saints should keep (De La Puente, Galette, and Ivory) not to mention a few other UFAs, such as Casillas, Daniel, Humber (maybe), and Mack.
Doesn't work exactly like that. The way to think of it is the top 51 salaries count towards our cap. So essentially anyone over the minimum contract number is going to be replaced if cut by someone at at least the minimum. So the savings will always be cap figure - dead money - minimum salary = real cap savings.
In Richardson's case he would be replaced by someone on the 1-year minimum, such as Bryce Harris, at $480,000. Meaning the actual cap savings of cutting Richardson is only, like, $230,000.
You're worrying about nickels and pennies at that point. A player like Richardson you cut strictly due for football reasons, not cap considerations.
Did the math for releasing Smith, Vilma, and Herring and the saving for cutting those players after the dead money would be $15,408,331. That would put our cap number at $108,615,987.
That would be more than enough to sign bushrod and maybe a couple other mid range fa's
And you pretty much covered the only potential moves left. Harper has been discussed, Smith/Vilma/Herring obviously. Past that, as noted above, you're mostly talking nickels and dimes.
There are a very small number of "quarter" type moves, like Herring, available if the Saints so chose.
Pierre Thomas (cap figure $2.5, dead money $0), Zach Strief (cap figure $2.5, dead money $250k), Darren Sproles (base salary $2.9 million, 2 years left, would have to be an extension), Malcolm Jenkins (cap figure $4 mil, dead money $1.5 mil, cap savings $2.5 mil), Garrett Hartley ($2.1 mil base, 3 years left, could reduce his cap figure by $1.5 by raising his 2014 and 2015 cap figures $750k, but that makes him more difficult to cut if we want), Jabari Greer ($3.6 mil base, 3 more years, could lower his salary by $2.4 mil and increase years 2014 and 2015 by $1.2 mil each. You won't be able to cut him in 2014 though if you want, while as of now there would be cap savings if we did so).
All in all, of the deals not discussed yet, I think you can dismiss Pierre Thomas, Zach Strief, Darren Sproles. Probably Hartley and Greer as well so the staff can maintain roster flexibility next year if they underperform. Malcolm Jenkins is the only obvious candidate for further action, and that, like Harper, will be a skill-decision more-so then a cap decision.
No, I'd think we'd see Herring cut, Smith and Vilma reduced/cut, and that'll call it a day. We might could retain Bushrod and add 1 or 2 mid-level FAs, then the signing class, and that'll be about it.