Anyone know our cap numbers?

[BigHornRAMM]

I know Bradford has the old rookie contracts which hurts, but I'm curious as to where we sat on cap space. Anyone know our cap space, or any other useful info like our 5 largest contracts etc..

 

[BonifayRam]

http://overthecap.com/teamcap.php?Team=Rams&Year=2014

http://overthecap.com/nfl-cap-space2.php?Year=2014
Looks to me the estimated cap hit in 2014 is $122,506,440

 

[Alan]

Wells, Dahl and Finnegan?

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the breakdown flv. I have trouble seeing any of them still here next year. At least at their present salary. We seem to be up against or over next years projected salary cap ( I thought I heard $122 million) and we have draft picks and FAs still to sign. Even with the new bargain prices we still have two first rounders and I think the well is running pretty low on the restructure front.

BTW, can't you and jrry afford to buy a vowel or two?

 

[jrry32]

Yep, spotrac is what I use. It's not perfect but it's the best source out there imo.

Keep in mind that the cap will likely take a nice little leap in either 2014 or 2015 due to new TV money. And we could also shed 7 to 12 million by cutting players. We're not going on spending spree this off-season but we'll have enough money.

 

[Alan]

I assume you're including those three in the "7 to 12 million' saved by cutting players. Don't forget that players who get cut still have to be replaced by other players and we're going to have to pay for starters.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/15/salary-cap-spike-not-expected-this-year-or-any-year/

When it comes to the salary cap, there’s a widespread belief that, once the NFL unlocks millions in new TV money in 2014, the team-by-team spending limit will spike in 2015.

That belief seems to be mistaken.

Per a source with extensive knowledge of the design and implementation of the cap, the formula will experience a “smoothing” in the coming years, with no one year resulting in a dramatic leap. The thinking is that, if the cap shoots up dramatically from one year to the next, it won’t be fair to the players who signed a big contract in the year in which the cap was lower.

The smoothing phenomenon is more likely to unfold even in 2015 because, in 2012, money from future cap years was shifted to a year in which the cap was poised to drop, due to the revenue decreases from 2011, the year of the lockout. (Even though only one game was missed during to the lockout, months of uncertainty affected fan and sponsor spending during the offseason shutdown.)

This robbing of Peter to pay Paul means that the expected growth will peter out when otherwise expected to spike.

As a result, teams that deal with current cap problems by pushing money into the future under the assumption that there will be extra space at some point could be positioning themselves for a perpetual cap purgatory.

http://overthecap.com/nfl-cap-space2.php?Year=2014
Only 5 other teams appear to be in worse shape than us.

 

[Alan]

Good point about Langford. I'd forgotten about him.

 

[NERamsFan]

Just get me Byrd next year!! And find a way to keep Saffold and Dunbar... oh and make sure to reserve enough future cap for new contracts for our home-grown talent. Sounds easy enough haha :bigup: I'm confident Demoff can accomplish this

 

[jrry32]

I assume you're including those three in the "7 to 12 million' saved by cutting players. Don't forget that players who get cut still have to be replaced by other players and we're going to have to pay for starters.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/15/salary-cap-spike-not-expected-this-year-or-any-year/


http://overthecap.com/nfl-cap-space2.php?Year=2014
Only 5 other teams appear to be in worse shape than us.

Not necessarily. Draft picks don't cost all that much and a couple of those guys wouldn't necessarily need replacement with a new starter. Dahl could be replaced by Saffold if we re-sign him. Wells could be replaced by Barnes or Jones and Finnegan isn't currently a starter.

We're not in that bad of shape mainly because we don't have any vital starters that we need to re-sign. I'd love to hold onto Saffold and Dunbar but they're replaceable.

Plus, the contracts of Bradford, Laurinaitis and Long are easy to restructure if necessary.

 

[Alan]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/23/chris-long-restructures-deal-with-rams/
Chris Long's contract was already restructured.

http://profootball.scout.com/2/1190445.html
Bradford has already restructured his contract too.

Slim pickings.

Saffold won't be cheap.

I like your optimism though.

 

[jrry32]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/23/chris-long-restructures-deal-with-rams/
Chris Long's contract was already restructured.

http://profootball.scout.com/2/1190445.html
Bradford has already restructured his contract too.

Slim pickings.

Saffold won't be cheap.

I like your optimism though.

You can restructure them every off-season if you want to as long as the player is willing.

 

[Alan]

jrry32 hinting at half my point:
You can restructure them every off-season if you want to as long as the player is willing.

If they are willing is only half of the equation. Once you restructure a deal it's very hard to get any real savings out of it after the first time even if they are willing. Plus, you often have to sweeten it or there's no reason for them to accept a restructure. Especially if they're still reasonably young. I wouldn't look for any real savings from either of them if I were you. That's why I said slim pickings.

 

[BigHornRAMM]

That's to bad, we're looking awfully strapped for cash the next few years. What exactly is "dead money?" I'm assuming money that was guaranteed and the player isn't on the roster?

 

[Angry Ram]

That's to bad, we're looking awfully strapped for cash the next few years. What exactly is "dead money?" I'm assuming money that was guaranteed and the player isn't on the roster?

Pretty much. But I wouldn't really worry about the whole strapped for cash issue. The team has been "cash strapped" for a number of years now yet they signed/resigned Harvey Dahl, Quintin Mikell, Scott Wells, Cortland Finnegan, Kendall Langford, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, William Hayes, Jared Cook, and Jake Long.

 

[BonifayRam]

The 2014 cap does not look all that bad. The Rams currently have a number of at the moment starters who will enter free agency in a few months i.e.........

ORG/OT- Rodger Saffold/UFA
OLG- Chris Williams/UFA
OLB- Jo lunn Dunbar/UFA
OC- Tim Barnes/ERFA
QB Kellen Clemens/UFA

Snead also has some on & off starters i.e.....
OLG/ORG Shelley Smith/RFA
Safety Darian Stewart/UFA

Also a few good reserves i.e.....
TE-Mike McNeil/ERFA
CB-Quinton Pointer/RFA
Safety-Matt Giordano/UFA

#1-IMO of the listed 10 Rams my number one priority NOW is OL'er Rodger Saffold. He will be very hard to bring back & it will be costly. Snead & Fisher will have 2 full seasons of mental scares associated with Saffold & the amount of anguish caused by his ongoing injury events while playing both starting critical OT posts. All other NFL teams will not bare these past scares and will not hold back on the boat loads of money $$$ offered up. Fisher will find it totally impossible to pay Saffold @ going rate. But I would still try...Rams can replace Saffold with one of their top draft choices.

#2-Since the likelihood of loosing your starting OT & currently starting OG is almost 100% sure then the next priority for me would be the most experienced Ram OL'er reserve Shelley Smith. He is a RFA so his cost is a bargain! Shelley returning is highly probable.

#3-paying over 10 1/2 million for a starting MLB is outrageous to me but with the loss of JL's back up you have to get one & UFA Dunbar may want to stay here & play with JL & Tree. But just like Saffold the $$ that can be had elsewhere will be hard for Snead & Fisher to match. Dunbar's resigning is much more questionable than probable.

#4-This should be a very easy resign but very important..OC Tim Barnes a ERFA. Barnes return is a sure thing.

The other side of this cap space issue is the 10 million due to a non starter one who has been injured so often & on field performance is just so bad it hurts to bring up any images of his playing. I know of nothing good that can come from keeping Cortland Finnegan. The best thing that possibly come from him.... is his release & a cap savings of 4 million. Anything else is UN exceptionable to me. The aguement that he has been hurt the last two yrs since he signed this 50 mil contact. So he has been hurt when he was 28yrs old. Hurt when he was 29yrs old .... now @ 30yrs old Cortland will magically get healthy & return to his glory day years 2008/09 & 10???? that helped make him a Ram & led to his high cap cost contract ...:disappoint:.Not Going to happen its a major gamble...put that 4 mil into a player who can play and help us win...that's not Cortland, maybe enough to entice a Saffold or Dunbar back...

 

[Alan]

Angry Ram with half the story:
Pretty much. But I wouldn't really worry about the whole strapped for cash issue. The team has been "cash strapped" for a number of years now yet they signed/resigned Harvey Dahl, Quintin Mikell, Scott Wells, Cortland Finnegan, Kendall Langford, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, William Hayes, Jared Cook, and Jake Long.

Didn't that require a 75% turnover in our roster?

 

[BigHornRAMM]

The 2014 cap does not look all that bad. The Rams currently have a number of at the moment starters who will enter free agency in a few months i.e.........

ORG/OT- Rodger Saffold/UFA
OLG- Chris Williams/UFA
OLB- Jo lunn Dunbar/UFA
OC- Tim Barnes/ERFA
QB Kellen Clemens/UFA

Snead also has some on & off starters i.e.....
OLG/ORG Shelley Smith/RFA
Safety Darian Stewart/UFA

Also a few good reserves i.e.....
TE-Mike McNeil/ERFA
CB-Quinton Pointer/RFA
Safety-Matt Giordano/UFA

#1-IMO of the listed 10 Rams my number one priority NOW is OL'er Rodger Saffold. He will be very hard to bring back & it will be costly. Snead & Fisher will have 2 full seasons of mental scares associated with Saffold & the amount of anguish caused by his ongoing injury events while playing both starting critical OT posts. All other NFL teams will not bare these past scares and will not hold back on the boat loads of money $$$ offered up. Fisher will find it totally impossible to pay Saffold @ going rate. But I would still try...Rams can replace Saffold with one of their top draft choices.

#2-Since the likelihood of loosing your starting OT & currently starting OG is almost 100% sure then the next priority for me would be the most experienced Ram OL'er reserve Shelley Smith. He is a RFA so his cost is a bargain! Shelley returning is highly probable.

#3-paying over 10 1/2 million for a starting MLB is outrageous to me but with the loss of JL's back up you have to get one & UFA Dunbar may want to stay here & play with JL & Tree. But just like Saffold the $$ that can be had elsewhere will be hard for Snead & Fisher to match. Dunbar's resigning is much more questionable than probable.

#4-This should be a very easy resign but very important..OC Tim Barnes a ERFA. Barnes return is a sure thing.

The other side of this cap space issue is the 10 million due to a non starter one who has been injured so often & on field performance is just so bad it hurts to bring up any images of his playing. I know of nothing good that can come from keeping Cortland Finnegan. The best thing that possibly come from him.... is his release & a cap savings of 4 million. Anything else is UN exceptionable to me. The aguement that he has been hurt the last two yrs since he signed this 50 mil contact. So he has been hurt when he was 28yrs old. Hurt when he was 29yrs old .... now @ 30yrs old Cortland will magically get healthy & return to his glory day years 2008/09 & 10???? that helped make him a Ram & led to his high cap cost contract ...:disappoint:.Not Going to happen its a major gamble...put that 4 mil into a player who can play and help us win...that's not Cortland, maybe enough to entice a Saffold or Dunbar back...

Thanks for the post!! Well written and informative.