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Will No Salary Cap Help Phins?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by MaddMatt, Jan 29, 2010.

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  1. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    The CBA expires after the Super Bowl. This means teams can cut whoever they like with no concern of the cap hit. I'm wondering who, or what type of players, will be let go.

    Will it be overpaid older vets? Will it include underachieving top draft picks like McFadden in Oakland and Gholston from the Jets? Will there be anyone worth signing, or just an overabundance of assorted problems?

    There are VERY slim pickings in FA. With Warner retiring, Zona has money to sign Dansby. Next best is NO's Faijata, who does not excite me at all. I expect all we are going to get is one of the top five NT's.

    I also expect to get two starters out of the draft. That should leave us with two positions in need of filling. Can they be filled with cap cuts? Will we need to make a trade?

    Thoughts?
     
  2. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    I would like one uncapped year, they can cut the dead weight....names that come to mind...Joey Porter, either Wilson or Bell (if they get a reliable FS) Pat Turner, Pat White (if they feel he isnt in the plans at QB, and are going away from the Cat), maybe a guy like Smiley...Jason Allen, Ayodele (if they get some LB's)....Not saying all these guys would go obviously, but looking at names, and guys that would be cap unfriendly to Miami...these guys come to mind...w/o a cap, and not being on the hook for dead cap space money....
     
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  3. pumpdogs

    pumpdogs Well-Known Member

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    One bright spot is they do not have to pay ronnie brown to keep him.I would be against giving him a new contract because he is injury prone.Now we can get 1 more year out of him and draft a rb next year(Hopefully we have a season in 2011).
     
  4. Alex13

    Alex13 Tua Time !!! Club Member

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    because cutting pat white and pat turner would put us in deep cap hell if there would be a cap...
     
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  5. Caps

    Caps Movimiento Juvenil

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    Great point, we'd have to negotiate a new contract with him right now or lose him if there was a new CBA in place. Without one we get one more year of his services before we need to worry about that, and hopefully by next offseason we'll be in a position where we've filled most of our holes, Henne has improved, and we can afford to move forward with a new face carrying the load.

    I'd like to keep him past next season but not for top RB money, we can't make the same mistake the Hawks did with Shaun Alexander a few years ago. Tailbacks just hit a wall so quickly, it's almost never gradual like other positions.
     
  6. PhinGeneral

    PhinGeneral PC Texas A&M, Bro Club Member

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    Not only that, but what's the point of not giving them at least one off-season to see if they develop and learn? Even the Jets are prepared to give Gholston a 3rd year to minimize the chance he goes somewhere else and winds up realizing some of his potential.
     
  7. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    I would like to see Porter gone, maybe be can get a little something back in trade. I'm sure we could also get something back for Bell or Wilson.

    Turner and White are making little money, and no future cap problem.

    Smiley is our best G, and the #8 rated LG in the league. No way.

    Maybe J Allen, although it would hurt ST's, and Ayodele.
     
  8. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    Good point. We do not need another hole to fill this year.
     
  9. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    Agreed. DAMN, if he could only stay healthy.
     
  10. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    Gholston is one of the guys I was wondering about in this no cap year. I liked him coming out a couple of years ago, and would take a shot at signing him.

    Who might be available from other teams?
     
  11. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    Pat Turner--four-year, $2.464 million contract. The deal included a $714,300 guaranteed.

    Pat White--four-year, $4.5 million contract. The deal includes $2.4 million guaranteed.

    Okay so for 3.114 million what did u get? One is a guy who can't read a playbook to save his life, and literally didn't get one snap on the field in 16 weeks, despite being the tallest wideout on the team......i.e....red zone threat. He was a healthy inactive for 16 weeks, very telling to me.

    Another is a guy who is getting paid starter QB money, and is a backup, plain and simple...all the eternal optimists will come out and say he could develop yada yada...But unless he puts on 20-30 lbs and can throw a strong side out (easiest pass for an NFL QB) he is a number 3 at best....the money doesn't add up, if he gets cut, he signs for the minimum, maybe a shade over that with no guaranteed money elsewhere.

    Alot of people on here is like "I want Brandon, Wilfork, Dansby, etc...." Miami isnt this incredibly rich team like Dallas, so where is the money coming from, if you cut enough of the little stuff, it equals alot of change in the end...lastly I said obviously I know they aren't cutting all these people, I was throwing names out there.....give me the 3.114 anyday and move on instead of wondering if these guys can do it...
     
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  12. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    I like Smiley too when he plays.....
     
  13. first&goal

    first&goal Luxury Box Luxury Box

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    I was wondering if Wilma from NO is also available, I like him.
     
  14. FinsAreLife

    FinsAreLife Well-Known Member

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    All i know is that if there is no CBA come after the super bowl then this is going to get very interesting...
     
  15. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    The guaranteed money is not something we cannot get back. Last year we paid Turner and White $310,000. each, which is the minimum. You can't get a 5th string QB for that. :no:
     
  16. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    He is not, other than by trade. I like him as well.
     
  17. DolfanJake

    DolfanJake Banned

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    and no one mentions jettisoning Ted Ginn ? I thought he would have been the 1st choice of most here.
     
  18. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    No, the CBA has already been opted out of. The consequences of opting out don't take effect until free agency begins on March 5. If a new CBA is reached or the NFL and NFLPA agree to temporarily reinstate the old CBA prior to March 5, then the salary cap remains in place.

    As for the consequences, it's the same for every other team: we'll shed dead weight contracts because there's no cap hit. Which contracts? Depends on which ones you consider so exorbitantly overvalued that we simply can't keep those numbers on the payroll. There are also teams that will jettison even reasonable contracts simply because their goal is to spend less money, not necessarily spend more smartly. No cap means no floor.

    Down here, Joey Porter is the clear, obvious choice to get the axe. I consider his being cut a foregone conclusion.

    Ted Ginn is another candidate, but he's not nearly as likely or inevitable as people around here would seem to think. He's scheduled to make "only" $1 million in 2010, a very affordable number.

    Gibril Wilson should be considered a more likely financial target than Ginn. He signed a 5-year, $27.5 million deal, with nearly $4 million in salary due in 2010. He simply does not deserve that money, and could be restructured or cut.

    I think Ronnie Brown's contract will get some attention. He's coming back for a sixth year, the team spoke with him last summer about a contract extension, and he's due $5 million in salary in 2010. I think Ronnie's contract will be extended for 3 years, and that $5 million number will drop in light of his second major injury in three years.

    More important than any bookkeeping we perform is what we do with the savings. Are we going to shed and rework bad contracts just for the sake of clearing up past mistakes, or are we doing it with an eye toward making a major splash in free agency? Players like Wilfork, Dansby, and Peppers will be available, and they've made it clear they want to get paid. Will we get into a bidding war with another team or teams for their services, or will we stand pat on the salary front?

    IMO, if Wilfork doesn't get franchised, we're going to make him our priority target in free agency. If he's unavailable or signs with another team, then Dansby is a close second. Cutting Joey Porter and restructuring Gibril Wilson will clear up a lot of money that can go into either player's bank account.
     
  19. xphinfanx

    xphinfanx Stay strong my friends.

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    To me broken bones from other players is not injury prone.

    Lack of work ethics and physical ability to not strain or tear muscles would be injury prone. But i will admit i like Ronnie Brown wearing Dolphin colors. Jets don't need our wild cat running back.
     
  20. cdz12250

    cdz12250 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Why? If I'm Sparano, I have a couple of guys pick up Ginn and Henne every morning and have Henne throw Ginn 50 balls a day from now till July. I pay Ginn his million bucks next year. What have we got to lose? We can cut him in training camp if he's really hopeless.
     
  21. Clipse

    Clipse mediocrity sucks

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    Pat White and Pat Turner yet no Ginn? Hmm.
     
  22. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    I was not aware that the opt out changed the CBA expiration. Thanks for the correction.

    Porter still has some trade value, maybe around a 4th rounder. Ginn is our only "dangerous" WR/KR and it would be silly, at this point, to cut him.

    Wilson and Bell are basically the same player. I would trade Bell before him, based on age, but do not see a replacement FS as of yet. I also believe that we let Ronnie's contract run out before making a decision.

    I would love Wilfork and/or Dansby. However, I see Hampton, Pickett, or Tank Johnson as a more likely signing for this team. Warner's retirement frees up money for Zona to re-sign Dansby if they do not go after McNabb. I am not overly optimistic we can get him.
     
  23. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    This year, I do not see any available options to replace him. Next season, if there is one, is a completely different story.
     
  24. Clipse

    Clipse mediocrity sucks

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    I see plenty. Considering Ginn blows at WR and is an average KR, there are plenty who could do what he does, namely in the later rounds of the draft. Good riddance to Ginn and that #9 contract.
     
  25. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Wilson and Bell are indeed the same player, which is why it makes more sense to platoon them at SS than it does to get rid of one of them.

    Ronnie's contract has an opt-in sixth year which he has already exercised. He's going to be back for 2010.

    Jeff Ireland didn't want Tank Johnson in Dallas because of character issues, and said so to the press, but Jerry Jones overruled him soon after. Tank Johnson will never be a Miami Dolphin as long as Parcells and Ireland are controlling player acquisition.

    Hampton will probably be re-signed by Pittsburgh.

    The concept of "freeing up money" doesn't apply in an uncapped year: there are no cap restrictions, so there's no need to free up money in the first place. It would have been entirely possible for Arizona to keep Kurt Warner while dumping a truck full of money on Karlos Dansby's front lawn.

    Dansby will likely walk, and the Cards will focus on retaining Antrel Rolle. Whether or not we try to acquire Dansby is another story; we might not be interested in getting into a bidding war in an uncapped year. We might also have other priorities, like Vince Wilfork.
     
  26. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    At the end of the season, the CBA is over, the guaranteed money is no longer guaranteed. That's why teams will dump more players than most, because they won't be responsible for any monies...
     
  27. DeDolfan

    DeDolfan Premium Member Luxury Box

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    The CBA itself does not expire now. It is only that this coming year is uncapped.
     
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  28. SeanP

    SeanP Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    One thing to remember, the final 8 SB teams are going to be exempt from any high end FA bidding unless they lose someone of comparable salary to Free Agency. At least as I understand it.

    Secondly, to anyone who knows more about this than I do. What happens in the event that we have an inflated salary this year, and the CBA goes into effect for next year again, and we return to a capped year. What if the cap is say 120 mil and we're sitting at 140 mil going into that season? Do we get grandfathered in, effectively locked?

    I'm just saying that we could theoretically pay big money this year in shedding bad contracts, and free agency pickups, and be SOL come next year. Something to think about.
     
  29. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    The final 8 playoff teams can't pursue unrestricted free agents. But since most free agents are of the restricted type, it's not a big deal for them.

    If we have $140m in player salary and a $120m cap is imposed, then we need to cut $20m.

    Only through complete and total mismanagement. What'll likely happen is that, instead of back-loading money in contracts as has been the case in the free agency era, contracts this year will be front-loaded. We'll pay big money upfront in a one-time payment, and the rest of the years of the contract will be relatively small and manageable.
     
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  30. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I'm not sure shedding dead contracts is all that clean a process as people are assuming. Your dead cap hits over the length of the contract still apply with future caps. If the Redskins were to cut Haynesworth nothing would happen this year but they would still have problems the length of the contract. Teams will probably be more likely to cut big contract players with one or two years left than normal.
     
  31. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    Not true. The guaranteed money is still guaranteed, and must be paid. The opting out of the CBA has no effect whatsoever on the guaranteed money.
     
  32. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    The owners opted out of the current CBA, meaning that, barring a miracle, there will be no CBA as of March 5. This uncapped year is a part of the CBA being no more.
     
  33. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Normally when a player is cut, their future cap impact is accelerated into that year. A team can optionally designate up to two players who will be cut after June 1 in order to spread some of that impact out over two years instead of just one year.

    No cap means no future acceleration, which makes it easier to clear your books of a bad contract. It's not totally painless, but given that the owners voted to opt out of the CBA in the first place, it's probably a given that many of them are going to cut overpaid players.
     
  34. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    When a signing bonus, not to be confused with salary, has been paid in the past teams can pro-rate it over 5 years. For example, a $20M signing bonus would cost a team $4M per year on the cap.

    However, if a team cut or traded a player the bonus would accelerate, and the team would get hit all at once or over two years. Now, they can take that hit with no regard of the cap.

    The same thing can be done with signing new players. For example, The Phins could sign Wilfork to a $50M contract with $30M guaranteed. We can pay him $30M now, take the cap hit this year because there is no cap, and pay him $4M a year in salary.

    Because the salary is not guaranteed, we could cut or trade him at any time with no worries about a cap hit in the future.
     
  35. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    So whats the purpose of cutting people then, if you still have to pay out the money, you might as well keep them in hopes they turn out alla Ginn, Turner..etc...aging veterans and overpaid ones I get...
     
  36. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    A Wilson/Bell platoon would be a costly one, around $8-9M. In this very deep draft, I would rather trade Bell IF we have a solution at FS.

    The concept of "freeing up money" DOES apply to the majority of teams. Most are not going to go crazy, and will still be responsible regardless of what hey "can" spend, UNLESS my wife is placed in charge. LOL

    It was a Zona Official who said they may not be able to afford Dansby prior to the Warner announcement.

    Either way, I have serious doubts that we will get into a bidding war on Wilfork and/or Dansby. It has not been Tuna's way.
     
  37. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Restructuring Wilson takes care of most of that money. Further, I'm not sure where you're getting $9 million from: Wilson is due $3.85m and Bell is due $1.8m. That's ~$5.6m, not $9m. Restructuring Wilson lowers that number even more.

    Don't be too sure: there are always teams that overspend. Just as there will be teams that will slash salaries to the bone (like the Bucs) there will be teams that will spend whatever they can (Redskins.)

    You'll have to link to the source, because everything I've read states that they're willing to let Dansby walk, not that they can't afford him.

    Huh? This is the same Parcells and Ireland front office that gave Justin Smiley $25m, Gibril Wilson $28.5m, Vernon Carey $42m, Jake Grove $29.5m, Ernest Wilford $13m, and on and on. They are more than willing to spend money if they believe the guy will be a long-term answer at his position.

    I fail to see how they wouldn't consider Wilfork a 5-year starter at NT, or Dansby at ILB.
     
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  38. MaddMatt

    MaddMatt New Member

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    The reason this is appealing to teams is that you can cut or trade underachieving, high priced players, and not deal with the cap restrictions to try to find better ones.

    The "real" money is gone, the ability to re-spend it is given back. You get a "do over" although a costly one.
     
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  39. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    The Pats aren't letting Wilfork go.....you have a better shot with Dansby...
     
  40. PhinGeneral

    PhinGeneral PC Texas A&M, Bro Club Member

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    Correct. The CBA expires after the 2010 season. It would have expired after 2012 had the owners not opted out. The ramifications of opting out early include the uncapped year if no new agreement was reached. Since the CBA expires after next season, that's when you will see an actual work stoppage if nothing is done beforehand.

    NFL.com
     
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