Let's talk salary cap (18 Viewers)

[rlemieux]

So we all know (most of us anyway) that the Saints cap management leaves something to be desired. Per Over the Cap we are 62 million over the cap for 2025 before we even finish out this season. I don't remember which one said it, but 104.5 made a reference last week that 8 players over the age of 30 account for over 108 million in cap space for 2025. I know everyone thinks the cap is fake and Mickey can just magickly manipulate it to do whatever he wants but signing a free agent and actually managing the cap responsibly are two different things.

So in order to get under the cap you more than likely have to re-structure contracts once again kicking the preverbal can down the road shoe stringing future cap to just comply with that years numbers. We have a mid talent QB that we choose to extend that has cap hits of 50 million, 28 million and 17 million starting next year. We have an all time great player in Cam Jordan who has a cap hit of 23 million, 15 million, 7 million and 2.3 million starting next year and chances are he's not going to be around next year. We have Demario (again who's an all time great) who has a cap number of 17 million, 9 million, 4.5 million and 1.5 million starting in 2025. Taysom Hill, 18 million, 10 million, 4 million starting in 2025. The list goes on and on and on and on.

There's no easy way out of his. As attractive as 1 of 32 jobs is any coach coming in has to realize and accept a lot. Derrick Carr will be on this roster possibly through 2026. It'll be 2 possibly 3 years (assuming they actually do it) before the cap is manageable and a large portion of 2025 and 2026's cap space will be allotted to players that either will be on the severe decline or more than likely not on the team at all. I said this in another thread, we will need a 2006/2017 draft just to be able to tread water.

Like it or not, this is not an overnight or even a 1 season fix.

 

[SweetT]

I may be in the minority about the talent on this team. We still have very good players, with good young talent. Coaching could do wonders for some of them. So, I’m not worried about getting an all time great draft.
As for as the cap, we will find a way to make some sense of it. I’m not worried

 

[Paul]

Gotta get my eyes checked because I initially read the title as “let’s talk crap”, and I was like, “I’ve been doing that my whole life.”



I’m not one of the fans that understands all the ins and outs of cap management, but it seems like we don’t have much wiggle room to make moves for the 2025 season. I also don’t think we’re in a position for anymore “cap magic” either. The real work that needs to be done is going to take some time, patience, and it will sting us as fans, but if done right, we’ll be back in contention or at least not cooked like we have been.

 

[jesusfish]

Most of us are fine with it taking 2-3 years. As long as we have a plan.

 

[longtime lurker]

Foot on the pedal to get the pain out of the way and finally transition these huge cap deals off the books….we are in for a tough ride the next few seasons, but let’s finally do it and fix our cap issues.

 

[Tony in Brandon]

Ok, yall, forgive me here. I'm far from being a cap expert. Basically, I know the team must be under the cap when the NFL calendar starts each year. So, forgive my ignorance. What would it take for the Saints to wipe the slate clean and start new with a new coach coming for next year? How does that cap management happen to get under the cap and not kick the can down the road again?

 

[silverbullet]

Thats what so many fans don't get. Firing Allen is good but doesn't do much for the future because mickey screwed the team so hard with bad cap management.

Mickey lost his mind extending dudes like Jordan and Davis and Ram and Carr.

To be so delusional to think you could win with Carr and Allen is mind boggling

 

[St. Widge]

I may be in the minority about the talent on this team. We still very good players, with good young talent. Coaching could do wonders for some of them. So, I’m not worried about getting an all time great draft.
As for as the cap, we will find a way to make some sense of it. I’m not worried

Yep. We have enough talent to be a 9 or 10 win team but coaching was holding them back. Some of that talent is likely gone next year in Lattimore and Adebo but this is not a 2-7 talent team. Injuries hurt, but a good head coach wins one of the Philly and Atlanta games along with stealing one of the other five games after that. And a good head coach does not lose to Carolina. This team should be at worst 5-7 and poised to make a run even with the injuries.

We do need to draft better in the next few years and get true impact players, but the cap can be fixed in 2-3 years which gives time for a new coach to build his roster through the draft and find a franchise QB.

 

[Covington Saint]

Yep. We have enough talent to be a 9 or 10 win team but coaching was holding them back.

the avalanche of injuries proved to be more devastating than anything. our 2-0 start wasn't hampered by the coaches.

 

[St. Widge]

Ok, yall, forgive me here. I'm far from being a cap expert. Basically, I know the team must be under the cap when the NFL calendar starts each year. So, forgive my ignorance. What would it take for the Saints to wipe the slate clean and start new with a new coach coming for next year? How does that cap management happen to get under the cap and not kick the can down the road again?

I don't think they can wipe the slate clean next year. There are three restructures that they have to make next year, including Carr, Hill, and ???? to get under the cap. But, after that they should be able to work to cap even in a year or two.

 

[St. Widge]

the avalanche of injuries proved to be more devastating than anything. our 2-0 start wasn't hampered by the coaches.

But it was in part due to other teams not knowing what Kubiak was going to do. And, as I mentioned, the Atlanta and Philly game were there for the taking. A good head coach wins one of those and steals one of the 4 after that. And they don't lose to the Panthers. Honestly better timeout management and they win that game with a FG at the end of the first half and/or a FG at the end of the second half.

The injuries are an issue, but so was poor coaching adjustments to those injuries.

 

[SuperSaint]

Don't be afraid to trade down in the draft. If I was running the Saints drafts, it would be my goal to trade down at least once in rounds 1-4 every year.

More darts = more chances to hit.

 

[St. Widge]

Don't be afraid to trade down in the draft. If I was running the Saints drafts, it would be my goal to trade down at least once in rounds 1-4 every year.

More darts = more chances to hit.

To me the sweet spot is trading your 3rd for a 2nd in the next draft. But this team also needs quantity in addition to quality so they may need to find a way to build up picks first.

 

[meily]

I may be in the minority about the talent on this team. We still very good players, with good young talent. Coaching could do wonders for some of them. So, I’m not worried about getting an all time great draft.
As for as the cap, we will find a way to make some sense of it. I’m not worried

I agree, I think the right coach who can lead men will do wonders as there is still talent on this team.

 

[SaintRob]

I think you take whatever lumps you can in 2025 and 2026, even if it means you are starting undrafted free agents at some positions. If we were to outright cut Carr, it's $50M dead this year, but that's it, he's done, off the books. If he's post June 1, $30M of dead money is deferred onto next year's cap (according to overthecap.com). There are other moves to get us under the cap. Cutting Carr opens up a roster spot and we roll with Haener/Rattler/???. You know it's going to be challenging and lots of losses in 25 & 26. But we've had lots of losses/mediocrity the past 4 seasons anyway. There's no magic to make us contenders anyway the next 2 years, so blow it up in whatever way makes it mathematically possible to dump as many bad contracts as quickly as possible, without worrying about the win/loss record over the next two years.