Sorry...but I'm looking to the future. Long and Laurinaitis are two of the most expensive players on this team in terms of overall salary. Ultimately, they're not going to be a part of the future forever. They are good players. They aren't players you look to replace. But would you take them over Donald/Brockers/Quinn?
Ultimately, our cap space is at 4.5 million when you look at the top fifty-one and the cap pool for draftees. Then you have to look at what we're eventually going to pay our players.
Gaines is playing at a paltry 536,198 in cap hit. We're lucky to have him at that cap hit. Westbrooks, Roberson, and Watts are even less. Bates, Cunningham, Mason, Alexander, Stacy, Rhaney, McDonald, Bailey, and Zuerlein are all playing at less than one million in terms of a cap hit. Joyner, Foles, Harkey, Jenkins, Johnson, Quick, and Ogletree are playing at less than two-million. You also have Donald, Austin, Robinson, Brockers, and Barron playing on their rookie deals.
All of them are going to be paid eventually, which means that contracts like Long and Laurinaitis are going to eventually be phased out. Not now, of course; if you don't have a replacement ready, then don't cut players like them.
Currently, the top five most expensive players in terms of cap hit in 2016 are as follows: Chris Long (14.2 million), Robert Quinn (11.1 million), Jared Cook (8.3 million), James Laurinaitis (6.4 million), and Rodger Saffold (6 million). That's not even counting players who haven't signed long-term deals yet.
Laurinaitis' cap hit in 2017? 8.3 million.
Sounds a little rich, right? Ultimately, you have to go with a core group of players and build around them in the salary cap era. Support them with players from the draft and UDFAs. That's the only way you're going to build a winning culture. It's harsh, but that's the reality of the situation. The Troy Polamalus of the world, who stay with one team their entire career, are very few and far in between.
