Does the salary cap matter anymore?

[Legatron4]

With all the big signings you see ever year, only for a majority of free agents to leave 2-3 yard later, it got me thinking, does the salary cap really matter anymore? I mean, look at the Seahawks, they've locked up Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor. Yet somehow, they still have enough money to sign Jimmy Graham and still be able to extend Wagner AND pay Wilson. Where is all this money coming from? And if they do this, how are the going afford anything else? Maybe I don't understand how the cap works, but it seems outrageous that they are able to pay all these guys. Not to mention as I'm writing this I forgot about Lynch too. With all the money teams are able to spend, does anyone really have to worry about being careful anymore? It doesn't seem like it. Please enlighten me on this.

 

[FrantikRam]

I think it's laughable when fans worry about the salary cap and say "we can't afford so and so". GMs have a clear vision of the cap future, and you can always restructure or cut someone to make room. You can do so many things, that it doesn't even matter.

 

[DaveFan'51]

"IDK!!" BUT! I hope the Seahags get themselves screwed up with the way their handling it!

 

[Akrasian]

Of course it does. Rams history shows that poor cap management can hurt for years. That doesn't mean you can't push the damage off for a year or two, and if the team is well above average in drafting maybe even longer. But at some point players the team wants to keep will need to be cut, or players they would like to sign can't be.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Ask the Saints if it matters. Detroit fans who lost both of their stud DT's can tell you it's important too.

One thing Demoff/the Rams do well is manage our cap/salary structure well so we don't end up having star players we cant sign, etc.

The salary cap is a very good thing because it's probably the single most important factor to provide for parity. Baseball doesn't have it of course and it's absurd and ufair the way baseball clubs can spend whatever their market allows for. Small market teams stand little chance in the MLB. The NFL is doing this part right.

 

[TD2]

With all the big signings you see ever year, only for a majority of free agents to leave 2-3 yard later, it got me thinking, does the salary cap really matter anymore? I mean, look at the Seahawks, they've locked up Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor. Yet somehow, they still have enough money to sign Jimmy Graham and still be able to extend Wagner AND pay Wilson. Where is all this money coming from? And if they do this, how are the going afford anything else? Maybe I don't understand how the cap works, but it seems outrageous that they are able to pay all these guys. Not to mention as I'm writing this I forgot about Lynch too. With all the money teams are able to spend, does anyone really have to worry about being careful anymore? It doesn't seem like it. Please enlighten me on this.

The salary cap matters. For one thing, it is, along with TV contracts, what absolutely guarantees that an NFL team will make money. TV brings in the money and the cap assures they will not have to exceed their income. You give the Seahawks as an example but it is not necessarily the best example. The Seahawks had quite a bit of cap room going into this off season. There were some teams that had to release, trade, or not sign players due to the cap. i.e. Detroit, Cowboys, Saints. The Rams released Langford, J. Long, and Wells at least in part due to the cap.

What the cap has done is to make cap management very important. Different teams have different ways in managing the cap. The Rams, under Demoff, have spent up to the cap limits every year. But they also don't have large guaranteed salaries very far out. Thus they can release players like Langford, Long, and Wells without taking cap hits. And they can ask players to take a cut in salary if needed. So they always have cap space even though it looks like they are in cap hell.

 

[V3]

The whole reason the Rams lost London Fletcher was because of the salary cap. They had to make a choice between him or Leonard Little. They couldn't afford both.

The cap matters.

 

[Psycho_X]

When you see other sports like MLB have teams with 4+ times the payroll salary of other teams that they are supposed to be competing with it makes me happy with having one in the NFL. Teams that draft well and sign their own players will almost always be ahead of the ones that sign free agents to big money contract and never retain the players they draft. Unfortunately Seattle has drafted amazingly the last 5 years whether through skill or a little luck. Once they finally pay Wilson they should start to tighten their belts a little more though.

 

[leoram]

Ask the Saints if it matters. Detroit fans who lost both of their stud DT's can tell you it's important too.

One thing Demoff/the Rams do well is manage our cap/salary structure well so we don't end up having star players we cant sign, etc.

The salary cap is a very good thing because it's probably the single most important factor to provide for parity. Baseball doesn't have it of course and it's absurd and ufair the way baseball clubs can spend whatever their market allows for. Small market teams stand little chance in the MLB. The NFL is doing this part right.

My Dodgers spent in record fashion, the frugal Royals advanced further.

And while I appreciate good cap management, the Rams locking up "star" players is a relative term. Other than Quinn and Donald, I struggle to identify a star on this team. Fortunately, I believe good coaching and several very good players could win it all.

 

[CodeMonkey]

You have to admit that the deck is stacked and KC defied the odds. As I said, with all the vitriol that is launched at the NFL, this is one thing they have right and deserve props for. The NFL is the most competitive major sport where any team has roughly equal opportunity to go from the pits to the bowl.

 

[Zombie Slayer]

My Dodgers spent in record fashion, the frugal Royals advanced further.

And while I appreciate good cap management, the Rams locking up "star" players is a relative term. Other than Quinn and Donald, I struggle to identify a star on this team. Fortunately, I believe good coaching and several very good players could win it all.

I heard on the radio today that the Dodgers will spend $270 million for their payroll this season. Most in baseball history. Just crazy

 

[LesBaker]

I heard on the radio today that the Dodgers will spend $270 million for their payroll this season. Most in baseball history. Just crazy

Holy crap that is INSANE. I don't follow baseball anymore they lost me after the series of strikes way back when but that is a really ridiculous amount of money for payroll.

 

[CodeMonkey]

I heard on the radio today that the Dodgers will spend $270 million for their payroll this season. Most in baseball history. Just crazy

I wonder how much the Royals will.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

It may not seem like the salary cap matters, but it does. It keeps the cost of players contracts under control and allows equal opportunity to the entire league. It looks like teams can sign whoever they want, but every signing comes with trade offs of some kind. Whether you are risking future money or having to let go of a promising player the trade offs still exists. True these organizations have gotten really good at the puzzle, but you obviously can't have everything.