salary cap hell! (2 Viewers)

[Ghost]

This is hindsight analysis and once again, fails to acknowledge that if we had a normal, so-called “healthy” cap, then suddenly Carr’s first year is written more traditional cap-wise, with more bonus-type money built into the beginning, and we’d still be in the same boat of not being able to cut him this off-season.

I am so tired of hearing the phrase “at some point the bill has to be paid.” It’s a silly trope based on real world principles and, after over a decade of us never having a truly bad “cap hell” roster, at some point you’d think people would realize that it doesn’t apply the same to the NFL.

The more apt way to look at our situation is that we pay our bill every single year and our creditor keeps raising our credit limit significantly, in virtually guaranteed fashion except for the one year they got hit hard by the pandemic. We choose to take advantage of those guaranteed credit increases more than most teams, some out of necessity, and some out of want-to so that we can keep the “must keeps” who we want and so that we can go out and sign the “must acquires” who we want, including the highest paid free agent on the market a year ago.

Also keep in mind, the teams themselves have a lot more data than we do in regards to league revenues and cap projections. They’re working with actual, more accurate hard numbers, both in terms of cap projections as well as in terms of future restructure plans with each and every contract. The team isn’t taken by surprise when we start an off-season $80 million in a hole. The plan to remedy that has long been figured out and we are likely going into the off-season trying to figure out what we are going to do with the $30 million-plus in cap space we already know we’ll have.

Again, if we had a healthy cap, we’d be in the same boat with Carr’s contract, just with a different form of the same problem that every team faces.

Teams aren’t out here cutting bad contracts left and right. Many teams are stuck with contracts they don’t want, and that’s a part of what helps them keep the illusion of a healthy cap.

If I read this right, it’s simply how the Saints do business and for some reason the other teams haven’t figured it out?

I mean in essence you’re saying it allows to spend more than is allowed (in a manner of speaking) as long as they get down to a mandated level at the start of the league year? It’s really a case of operating at a lesser percentage wise because despite your dislike of the term, yes that bill is due even if they keep pushing it out to eternity.

If that’s the case two questions: 1) why aren’t other teams doing it to the level of the saints? 2) if it’s some sort of advantage why hasn’t it been more successful?

 

[RebSaint]

I don't know if it's even possible given the structure and financials of the team to strip it down and be way over the cap to re-invest in new players and have enough draft capital to field a competitive team this year.

People just think the Saints can cut or move a bunch of players and all of a sudden come way over the cap.

The. salary. cap. does. not. work. that. way.

Now, the Saints might be incrementally working to be smarter and have more money under the cap each year now that Brees is gone and some key players getting up in age.

Getting more flexibility within the cap doesn't happen in one year. I suspect if the Saints continue to have mediocre or poor seasons, more money will be available because players won't have the negotiating power to demand higher salaries like they would be on a winning team.

These annual panicky threads about the Salary cap are getting old and most of the hand-wringers don't know how the SC works.

 

[St. Geezy]

If I read this right, it’s simply how the Saints do business and for some reason the other teams haven’t figured it out?

I mean in essence you’re saying it allows to spend more than is allowed (in a manner of speaking) as long as they get down to a mandated level at the start of the league year? It’s really a case of operating at a lesser percentage wise because despite your dislike of the term, yes that bill is due even if they keep pushing it out to eternity.

If that’s the case two questions: 1) why aren’t other teams doing it to the level of the saints? 2) if it’s some sort of advantage why hasn’t it been more successful?

I can’t answer the first question but I do know that we have an owner willing to pay a ton of upfront bonus money each year, and that’s an important part of the equation.

But to answer number 2, I’d say the beauty is in the high of the beholder. I do know that despite losing a HOF QB and drafting very poorly we have managed to keep our heads above water and field a competent football team, unlike, for instance, the Patriots.

Also, and most importantly, accounting books don’t win football games. Good coaching and keeping a steady flow of good young players do.

We may have a small handful of veteran contracts we are stuck with, most teams do, but the avenues are and have always been there for us to bring in new talent on top of what we already have, and we have been whiffing a lot in that department lately.

…not to mention the DA/PC factor.

I said it earlier in the thread though…if we make a field goal in GB, I’m not so sure this thread exists, or certainly not as many like this. I get it, we are in a playoff drought and that’s frustrating coming off of what was essentially our Golden Era, but at least we aren’t out here going 4-13 and going into seasons with absolutely no hope whatsoever.

 

[dtc]

This is what people don’t understand or appreciate. Everyone these days measures success with a SB of bust mindset. To them, if you’re not absolutely dominating, you’re a failure.

Teams that are near .500 are basically the teams that didn’t have luck go their way. Teams that were a couple of lucky breaks like a controversial officiating call, or a ball bounce, or a FG miss from winning a division and being in the playoffs.

9-8 isn’t the end of the world. And don’t give me the crap about the schedule. Some of the Ls we took were to some really legitimate teams in hindsight.

If one freak thing like the examples above doesn’t happen, we are 10-7 division champs coming off a playoff season, and there are FAR fewer doom and gloom threads out there like this one.

Kamarra fumbled away a game. Kickers lost 2, right?

We had all sorts of opportunities and failed to take advantage, but it's also not as if we were the freaking Panthers.

And all the heat DA takes is absurd. For the first time in decades we play legitimate defense. It's refreshing and the new OC and some luck we are back to 13 wins.

 

[EvilMike]

Wow, 83 million over the cap, 9 and 8 record, and no playoff appearance?

I think a winning franchise would have cleaned house.