2010 Salary Cap

[Keith]

I've gone through an update of the 2009 cap page (yes, finally). I think I'm within a half million or so, who knows, maybe less, as the team closed out with around $4 million in leftover cap space from what I can tell.

So, moving onto 2010... I don't expect a CBA extension before the dawn of the new league year, so saying the Texans have $x million of space available is probably meaningless.

And it's kinda too bad really, since 2010 might have been the team's best ever in terms of cap readiness for the new season, though granted they have quite a few young players owed new long-term deals.

http://www.inthebullseye.com/cap2010.html

As always, please let me know if you spot any errors.

[nunusguy]

Hey Keith, do you think the Texans will make out better or worse without a CBA extenstion and no cap this year compared to other teams, or do you think it will make little if any difference to them ?

[Keith]

I don't think it will really alter much for them.

It will help teams with a lot of bad contracts since teams can cut and trade with no penalty. The Texans are not one of those teams.

It will help teams that try to fix themselves by throwing cash at their problems (assuming the cash lands on the right players). The Texans are not one of those teams, either.

The CBA sitch only helps McNair and the team from having to commit big money deals before they have to with players like Owen Daniels and DeMeco Ryans. And as much as we all like and appreciate what Daniels can do, imagine if he signed that huge contract a year ago with his big injury now?

So the Texans win in the absence of a CBA extension in the sense that all owners probably win. And while the team enjoys an excellent revenue base (so long as the stadium naming rights don't default) and they have a smart cap guy on their payroll, I don't think the uncapped year necessarily favors them all that much relative to the average team.

[cland]

I agree that having 2010 uncapped doesn't do too much for the Texans, but if the NFL business starts looking more like the MLB business over several years, with less revenue sharing.....we'll be the Boston Red Sox, where the poor Bills will be the Florida Marlins.

Now I'm a little embarrassed to say it out loud, because I think parity is a huge benefit for the NFL league, BUT...more money, more revenue, bigger payroll = the opportunity to be a year in, year out playoff contender. I blame the 8 years of season ticket bills to see the Texans never making the playoffs, for my current opinion:

"In free agency the 2017 Texans have signed Ndamukung Suh, Richard Okung, and Eric Berry..."--(cause nobody busts ;p )--"while the Jaguars have went big this year and signed "Zoltan 'the above average punter' Mesko."

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Keith

And as much as we all like and appreciate what Daniels can do, imagine if he signed that huge contract a year ago with his big injury now?

OD and his agent are big boys and knew this "no CBA extension" scenario could materialize for him and I think OD also blew out a knee once before in his career (back in HS maybe ?) and they also knew OD benefited from the Texans small-athletic-TE-friendly system which few other NFL teams operated and still they decided to roll the dice and go for an even bigger payday in the 2009-2010 offseason (aka as as shooting for 2 in the bush when perhaps "a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush"), so I say let them live with their decision even though its looking real dumb about now.

[NBT]

You are right in a way, but I really think OD and his agent were listening too much to the NFLP last year, instead of taking care of their own business. Whatever, I don't want to piss OD off this year, like we did dRob last year. We need OD a lot more than we did dRob. After OD hurt his knee we weren't really the same team for about 3-4 games. Although we did finally pick up the pace again.

[Nconroe]

I guess DelJuan Robinson, Bryan Pittman, and Ephraim Salaam are also unrestricted free agents at this time.

It will be interesting which of their own UFA and RFA they sign in the next month or is there a date to sign by this year?

[Keith]

So teams have until the start of the new league year (March 5th this year) to sign their own free agents before they are (officially) able to negotiate with other teams.

http://www.nfl.com/more/nflcalendar

Fwiw, teams can begin tagging players on Feb 11 and must do so by Feb 25.

[Keith]

According to this report, no teams have carried forward unused cap space (remember the Philly Loophole?) into the 2010 season. Just another sign of stalled CBA talks and a definite sign to expect an uncapped year for 2010.

In an amazingly backward state of affairs, the NFL appears to embracing life without a salary cap, a cap it fought so hard to have and maintain. And the union appears to be hoping against hope for life with a cap, something every union has fought hard to keep out (with only the baseball union succeeding).

The reason for both stances is that without a salary cap there is no salary floor, which is presently at $108M. Without a salary floor, teams can spend as little as they want, meaning there may be teams spending as little as perhaps $75-$80M on players, even less.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/...toughness.html

[NBT]

So the small market teams like Buffalo will suffer, while the big market teams (of which we are one?) will prosper? The meek will certainly not inherit this particular earth!

[kravix]

Originally Posted by NBT

So the small market teams like Buffalo will suffer, while the big market teams (of which we are one?) will prosper? The meek will certainly not inherit this particular earth!

Yes it looks as though one of the things I hate the most about the MLB will become common place in the NFL. Parity will go down the drain. Although everyone speculates that an ucapped year means there will never be another cap, I am not so certain.

When small market teams like Buffalo, St Loius, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Tampa and maybe a few more of the poorly run teams begin to fold and close shop both players and owners may see their folly. Unlike baseball the football season is extremely short, this leaves alot less time to generate revenue. These teams will end up with bad coaches and bad players. The competition between a bad team and a good team in baseball is less noticable, but in football it will be glaring. People will not pay the high prices to watch that. At least baseball can be a very inexpensive experience to take the family to, football cannot and wont be able to compete.

After the thrid team shuts down and there in no interest in owenership outside of the largest markets it will come full circle. This is just how I see it.

[Keith]

2010 Franchise and Transition Tag Amounts:

CORNERBACK: $9.566 million (franchise), $8.056 million (transition)
DEFENSIVE END: $12.398m, $10.193m
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: $7.003m, $6.353m
LINEBACKER: $9.680m, $8.373m
OFFENSIVE LINE: $10.731m, $9.142m
PUNTER/KICKER: $2.814m, $2.629m
QUARTERBACK: $16.405m, $14.546m
RUNNING BACK: $8.156m, $7.151m
SAFETY: $6.455m, $6.011m
TIGHT END: $5.908m, $5.248m
WIDE RECEIVER: $9.521m, $8.651m
The franchise tag is an average of the top five salaries at a position for the 2009 season. (Or, in the case of "exclusive" franchise tags, the average of the top five salaries as of a TBD date this coming April.) The transition tag is an average of the top 10.

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2...nsition_t.html

[Nconroe]

Interesting numbers. Top 5 guys do pretty well.

I find it a little interesting that OL is second highest, or highest other than QB.

And more surprising that TE is lowest of the position players given how much impact TE seem to have in offenses these days.

[Keith]

2010 restricted free agent tender levels:

- Low tender: $1,176,000
- 2nd round tender: $1,759,000
- 1st round tender: $2,521,000
- 1st and 3rd round tender: $3,168,000

...or 110% of the 2009 salary if higher.

There's a new site worth checking periodically, NFLLabor.com. Browse at your convenience, but I am listing below those Texans players caught as RFAs due to the lack of a new CBA...mostly because this site also notes their current agents:

4 - HST - Ryans, DeMeco - MLB - 16 starts in 2009 - Dogra R.K. Ben
4 - HST - Pollard, Bernard - SS - 13 - Parker, Eugene E.
4 - HST - Daniels, Owen - TE - 8 - Butz, David R.
5 - HST - White, Chris - C - 8 - Weatherell, Donald Arthur
4 - HST - Busing, John - FS - 4 - Canter, David E.
5 - HST - Moats, Ryan - RB - 2 - Woy, Jordan
4 - HST - Butler, Rashad - T - 0 - Sarnoff, Kenneth R.

http://nfllabor.com/2010/02/03/playe...crued-seasons/

[Keith]

Someday I'll update the cap page again. Until then...

Zac Diles and Fred Bennett are getting base salary increases not yet reflected on the 2010 cap page. Both are entering the final year of their rookie contracts and were scheduled to get $550,000. Salary escalators have kicked in though per the NFLPA, so both now have base salaries of $1,101,000.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Keith

Someday I'll update the cap page again. Until then...

Zac Diles and Fred Bennett are getting base salary increases not yet reflected on the 2010 cap page. Both are entering the final year of their rookie contracts and were scheduled to get $550,000. Salary escalators have kicked in though per the NFLPA, so both now have base salaries of $1,101,000.

If Bennett does not step it back up, I can see him off the roster at the new salary. Diles is a bargain.

[NBT]

Yeah....Bennet had one good year, then has not performed to expectations. I thought Gibbs the new DB coach would get more ouit of Bennet, but doesn't look that way now. I also think this is the year that Moulden better get off the training room table and prove he was worth that 3rd round pick.

[Bigtinylittle]

Originally Posted by NBT

Yeah....Bennet had one good year, then has not performed to expectations. I thought Gibbs the new DB coach would get more ouit of Bennet, but doesn't look that way now. I also think this is the year that Moulden better get off the training room table and prove he was worth that 3rd round pick.

There seems to be something strange going on with Bennett. I have heard mentions of personal problems off the field but can't get a fix on what they might be.