2013 player cap hit website here... (1 Viewer)

Of course, keep in mind we have a draft class and replacements for expired contracts and the players I named to sign. So $15 million really isn't that much. But I suspect we'll get at least one starter level free agent out of this offseason,

This exactly what I'm thinking as well. One starter level FA would be great, especially if that FA is a pass rusher.
 
Yeah good pass rushers don't hit FA that often, and a mediocre one, well between who we have on roster and who we draft I don't see the point in that,

Likely it'll be a deep safety.
 
Restructuring/extending Brees and Evans can save up to an additional $12-$14 million

The question is do we really want to do this just to be able to sign 1-2 average to good FA with low cap # in the first year and big cap increase in year 2 and 3 (like we did last year)?

Restructuring Brees and Evans (or other) comes at a cost and signing guys to contract similar to the one we gave last year to Bunckley, Hawthorn and Lofton comes at a price: having even less cap space in future year.

Honestly, I think the FO needs to accept that this is a transition year. Lets cut all the guys that are not part of the long term plans for the team (not just guys we won't use this year (Smith and Vilma) but also guys that most likely won't be playing for us in 2-3 years (like Harper, Streif, Thomas and maybe Greer as well). Let's clean up the payroll and look forward to 2014.

It doesn't mean that we can't have a good 2013 season but if we do, let's do it with young (and cheap) players. If we do it right, we could be set up for the future while still having enough cap space to sign or trade for real impact players (like we did with Vilma and Shockey a few years ago), instead of putting short term band aid years after years.
 
Good question. Cutting Will Sith saves $9 million, but even if we cut him he's still on the book for $6 ($9 base, $6 guaranteed, $15 total). The reason for this is we've restructured his deal multiple times, pushing money and extending it past his prime.

Jahei Evans is currently 29 and signed until he is like 33. We start playing with his contract you can expect him, similarly, to have a $15 or $16 million dollar year t some point past his prime and have to be cut yet still be on the books for a few.

There is obviously cost associated with doing that sort of thing. That said, the objections are


1) that's 5 years down the road, by which time Brees' prime is finished as well, so we'll be in transition anyways

2) you can soft landing these things, we'd just need to make a better effort to stock pile picks the next 4 years as that gives you a nice body of rookie contracts to transition with.
 
Part of the problem we have now is the paucity of guys on rookie contracts. When you're having to shell out $1 million per for veteran backups it adds up quickly. Just as an example, replace Strief, David Thomas, chamberlain, and herring with rookie deals and you have appx. 4.5 ~ 5 million more in cap space.
 
Of course, keep in mind we have a draft class and replacements for expired contracts and the players I named to sign. So $15 million really isn't that much. But I suspect we'll get at least one starter level free agent out of this offseason,

The good news is that the draft class will be inexpensive.

Looking at 2011's class (two first round picks and two third round picks.. not counting later picks, they don't make enough). We spent about just under 4M in cap hit.

A normal year would probably be closer to 2.5-3M in cap hit for a draft class outside of a top 10 pick.
 
Yeah, its about time we start biting the bullet and getting our house in order.

With all that said, its not like Loomis is just coming to working, looking at the books and saying "Oh snap?!! How will I fix this"

Guys like him have this stuff mapped out years in advance. He has a plan, as he always does. Pat Kirwin was talking about that the other day. Saying Loomis will have all this stuff figured out in a week or 2. Said he is just so good and fixing these things and always has a plane in place.
 
If you look at the chart in the link, you have to deduct the "dead money," which is what it will cost the Saints in cap money to cut the player, from the cap figure to find out the savings on the cap if he is cut. Therefore, Will Smith would not save 9 million, as written in this thread, but 7.758 million. You'd have to consider the others based on that. For instance, cutting Harper would only save one million (7.1 million in cap minus 6.1 million in dead money).

I know this isn't good news, but it's truth, and we need to be looking at it correctly.
 
I would hold onto Jenkins and Harper because with our current holes on defense...filling the entire back end of a secondary in one offseason is a mistake in my book. Jenkins clearly isn't a strong safety...but I would like him to at least be given a shot at corner. He looked promising at CB his rookie season. He has great size and wouldn't have to worry about his most significant deficiency, which is angles in coverage. There aren't many good SS out there and Matt Elam would be the only SS I would feel comfortable starting next season out of the draft...and he is a 1st rounder. That pick would be better served improving the pass rush and OT positions.
 
If you look at the chart in the link, you have to deduct the "dead money," which is what it will cost the Saints in cap money to cut the player, from the cap figure to find out the savings on the cap if he is cut. Therefore, Will Smith would not save 9 million, as written in this thread, but 7.758 million. You'd have to consider the others based on that. For instance, cutting Harper would only save one million (7.1 million in cap minus 6.1 million in dead money).

I know this isn't good news, but it's truth, and we need to be looking at it correctly.

Ok, so its Cap Figure - Dead Money = Money saved?
 
Wow we're paying our kickers a lot. Over $5.5m for the pair, only the Raiders must pay more (not a franchise to emulate)
 

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