Eagles Must Deal with Slew of Possible Cap Casualties
The Super Bowl is behind us. It was entertaining, and gave us all a few things. For one, it showed us just how immature a league MVP can be. For another, it showed us how persistent Jim Nantz can be when trying to be the first one to report if QB Peyton Manning is going to retire. Seriously…..did you hear the man-crush in his voice when Denver played New England? I think Nantz did every game for both Manning and QB Tom Brady.
But now it’s back to the reality of league business. Many teams have already announced some cuts, clearing salary off their books. The new year for the league begins on March 9th, and if last year’s “Opening Day” is any indicator, we could all be in for another roller coaster.
So far the Eagles have announced they have released WR Riley Cooper. In releasing Cooper, the team gains another 2.9 million dollars in savings against the cap. The down side of it is this: The team also has to absorb 2.4 million in “dead money”. For those unfamiliar with this, dead money is the amount of money a team must allocate to a particular player who has been cut. It serves as a device to ensure that every dollar a team has paid players is eventually allocated to that team’s salary cap. Last year, the Eagles carried a total of just over 1.8 million in dead money. That also comes off the books, but is basically re-acquired with the Cooper deal.
So, let’s assume the salary cap is going to increase. It has to – the league struck a new TV deal with the Thursday Night package among CBS, NBC and NFL Network. Obviously, this means more money coming in to the league coffers. Just having NBC is going to bring a huge number since their Sunday Night Football telecast is always ranked number one throughout the season.
Now, we have an increase in the cap; many pundits suggest it’s going to go over 150 million per team. Let’s be conservative, and put it right in the middle at 155 million. Even with the recent deals, the team would still have an estimated 19 million dollars free to spend on free agents, retain quarterback Sam Bradford, or to retain some of the younger talent on the team. Could they acquire more room under the cap? Absolutely! Here’s how:
1. Cut Jason Peters. And, on this one, I cannot stress this enough. Any guy on the team that quits on his team in the middle of a game, I, personally, don’t want on my club. That, and his age (34), and the fact he continues to have back problems make this an easy move. I liked having Lane Johnson at left tackle. It kind of made sense. And, Bradford can point to a little college rah-rah, saying he wants a fellow Sooner protecting his blind side. Potential savings of cutting Peters: 6.7 million dollars.
2. Cut DeMeco Ryans. Yes, the team needed as many linebackers as it could get, with injuries to Kiko Alonso and Jordan Hicks. His number however is far too high for a guy that projects to be either a backup or a guy that is situational. Potential savings of cutting Ryans: 3.5 million dollars.
3. Cut Mark Sanchez. Come on, people. You all saw his play against the Dolphins last year, in a drive that could have meant another win. He throws to the middle of four white jerseys. Inconsistent doesn’t begin to cover it for this guy. Potential savings of cutting Sanchez: 3.5 million dollars.
4. This one is going to sting a little, but…..cut Darren Sproles. Eleven years in the league, and his total cap number would be 4.5 million dollars, which is far too much to pay for a third down, situational back. Projected savings of cutting Sproles: 3.5 million dollars.
When one does the math, that’s a total savings of 17.2 million dollars. The only downside: It would create another 7 million dollars of dead money to go along with Cooper’s 2.4 figure. I spoke with a guy at Pro Football Rumors on Twitter the other day after the New Orleans Saints announced they had released G Jhari Evans. We were discussing the issue of dead money, and cap savings. He told me that the Saints would be perfectly happy to absorb the 7.8 million in dead money for Evans, in order to get just under 2 million in cap savings. So, if one team has just one player coming in at what the Eagles might be paying to many, I guess I could live with the dead money issue.
The bottom line in all of this is going to be this: Yes, you can save money, and yes, you can have money to spend but beware of how the money is spent. With rumors circulating that the team is interested in bringing in former number one pick Mario Williams for a chat, be careful. Are you going to get the Mario Williams that started every game his first four seasons in the league, and was a solid player? Or are you going to get the next Jevon Kearse, who never was quite the same player that he was in Tennessee?
It’s one thing for me to make all of these moves happen on my Madden franchise. Heck, at least on that, I can erase all cap penalties, which I’m not ashamed to admit that I do. But, this is “real talk”. Real money. And with a new staff on board, the decisions made here have to be sound, rational decisions, not made up, as they seemed to be last season, on a cocktail napkin in an airport lounge.
Best of luck to you, front office staff. You have my support.
Fly Eagles Fly!
Photo: Philly.com
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Categorized:Eagles