Cap Implications of Keeping and Cutting Derek Carr

I hope VolSaint doesn't mind me putting this here instead of my older thread that has gone to page two and used old numbers from before the new projected cap increase was announced. If he does, I'll move this to my old thread.

A brand new scenario inspired by Rouxble and Taker597. This is the best one yet, but requires some cooperation from Derek Carr. Let me explain.

Carr has a $10m roster bonus that is already guaranteed for 2025. It’s his. He has NO other guaranteed money unless he is still on the roster on March 15th. However, he also has offsets in his contract which would mean if he were cut and he then signed with another team, any 2025 earnings from his new team up to $10m would come back to us and off of our cap. So the idea that Rouxble and Taker597 have talked about, and I'm adding to, is basically bribing Carr with an additional $5m in guaranteed money to lower his base salary to the amount of the bribe, us waiving the offset so we can’t take back the $10m and then be cut with a June 1 designation. This would lower his pre-June 1 cap number to $26,458,000. I don’t believe we’d gain anything back after June 1 under this scenario because all of that money would be fully guaranteed this year, but his remaining years of prorated bonus would be dead money in 2026 which amounts to $28,674,000.

So this is what it would look like.

Renegotiate and Cut

Player (Cap Savings)

Derek Carr ($25m)


Restructures

Player (Cap Savings)

Erik McCoy ($6.7m)
Cesar Ruiz ($6.4m)
Carl Grandson ($5.2m)
Alvin Kamara ($1.4m)
Pete Werner ($2.5m)
Rashid Shaheed ($2.1m)

Cuts

Player (Cap Savings)

Jamal Williams ($1.23m)
Cedrick Wilson ($2.4m)

These moves alone bring the team to $6,055,630 below the cap for 2025 with far less additional cap implications for 2026 as none of the restructured players have expiring contracts in 2026. In addition, the team could get additional space by:

1. Designate one other player, an older one like Cam, Demario, Taysom or Tyrann, a June 1 cut and split their money between both years and gain some back in June.

2. Get a player or two to take a pay cut to stay with the team, Cam, Taysom, etc.

3. Extend younger players to lower their 2025 cap number, such as Alontae Taylor and Chris Olave.

4. Cut defensive players that may not be a good fit for the new defensive scheme, such as Khalen Saunders and Nate Shepherd.

5. Extend Chase Young and/or Juwan Johnson to avoid their void years from hitting in 2025.

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This all obviously all hinges on Carr accepting that deal, but I can’t see him giving up $15m in new money that can’t be taken back if he was going to be cut anyway and had to give back up to $10m because of offsets. Carr could then sign another 3 year contract with new guaranteed money with another team and be far better off than he is right now.

It’s just a good business decision for everyone involved. And for the Saints, this is the best anyone could hope for to successfully get the cap back in order by next year and begin rebuilding the roster for the future.