Cap Room - 2004?

[Northern Card]

Noticed the following reference (ESPN) to the CARDS cap room for this year... does anyone know if this is true? What are the numbers?

Arizona Cardinals

Cap and free agency status: Even with a modest spending spree over the final month of the season, a stretch in which the Cardinals extended the contracts of a lot of mid-level veterans, Arizona is nearly $20 million under the projected 2004 salary cap. The club has only one pending unrestricted free agent of note, cornerback David Barrett, and he is coming off a pretty miserable season. With the possible exception of star-crossed kicker Billy Gramatica, there probably won't be any key veterans released.

 

[Mr.Dibbs]

Originally posted by Northern Card
Noticed the following reference (ESPN) to the CARDS cap room for this year... does anyone know if this is true? What are the numbers?

Arizona Cardinals

Cap and free agency status: Even with a modest spending spree over the final month of the season, a stretch in which the Cardinals extended the contracts of a lot of mid-level veterans, Arizona is nearly $20 million under the projected 2004 salary cap. The club has only one pending unrestricted free agent of note, cornerback David Barrett, and he is coming off a pretty miserable season. With the possible exception of star-crossed kicker Billy Gramatica, there probably won't be any key veterans released.

The cap to me is like meta-physics or women: I just don't understand how it works.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Originally posted by Northern Card
Noticed the following reference (ESPN) to the CARDS cap room for this year... does anyone know if this is true? What are the numbers?

Arizona Cardinals

Cap and free agency status: Even with a modest spending spree over the final month of the season, a stretch in which the Cardinals extended the contracts of a lot of mid-level veterans, Arizona is nearly $20 million under the projected 2004 salary cap. The club has only one pending unrestricted free agent of note, cornerback David Barrett, and he is coming off a pretty miserable season. With the possible exception of star-crossed kicker Billy Gramatica, there probably won't be any key veterans released.

you know I've been wondering about that also - I mean I remember seeing articles about how we were gonna be like 18 million dollars under the cap for 2004 -but that we had a lot of free agents coming up - then I thought the whoile thought process in spending all the rest of thi year's cap was to save as much of that space for the coming year - anyone know a site that has the correct breakdown. I don't buy that we will only have 8 million to spend on FAs - that just doesn't sound right to me.

 

[WizardOfAz]

Originally posted by Northern Card
The club has only one pending unrestricted free agent of note, cornerback David Barrett, and he is coming off a pretty miserable season.

Well according to his agent, he is due Top 5 CB money.......

 

[Mr.Dibbs]

Re: Re: Cap Room - 2004?

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
Well according to his agent, he is due Top 5 CB money.......

His agent probably gets 10 -15% of the money, hence you'll never hear an agent say "Yeah, my client doesn't deserve a lot of dinero. He'll work for room and board."

After the season he had, Barrett should sign a one year deal for whatever we'll give him, and if he really thinks a top 5 CB, he should show it in 2004.

 

[pinnacle]

I Think $18 - $20 mil is way too much - I think it was done perhaps at the beginning of the season.. why?

1.we signed some guys who would have been either unrestricted or restricted free agents at the end of this season (thompson, shelton). While at the beginning of the 2003 season their cap hits for 2004 would have been $0 - it is now something as we committed to them for a few years during the season..

2. In theory....we ended up the year how much under the cap? $2 or $3 million? And if we are not losing many guys....not sure how it can plunge next season. It plunged alot from 2002 to 2003 because guys like Plummer and Boston went away - but we really do not have any high priced guys that will be leaving (pretty much all of the expensive salaries are under contract for next season). And..there are some raises in some contracts next season....so it should tick up all by itself....

So..I think the $8 - $10 mil sounds more likely....which probably takes into account the increase in the cap, etc..

 

[cardsfan473]

That figure could be close to acurate... I recall Mike Bidwill durring the press conference indicate the $8 million was AFTER the rookie pool. so that number excluded the money set asside for our draft picks. we could be close to the $18 million mark when you count that all in.

Also, all the contracts that were redone get accelerated into this years cap, not next years. That frees up alot of space for next year...

I agree though, it is all too confusing.

 

[Tangodnzr]

...also remember, that resigning all the players when they did, not only accelerated the cap allocations to this year.

But all those guys who were given new contracts were "taking up cap room 'already'," thereby the net "difference" in cap hit would only be the difference between their new "salary" and the old one.

So (purely for example, not actual #'s), let's say L. J. Shelton was making 2 mill per year under his old contract. He signs the new one for 3 mill per year. So the net result is an increase in cap hit next year of 1 mill, PLUS...part of the bonus paid is deducted from this years cap rather than next.


It was actually very good "planning" by the Cards. (at that point anyway.)

 

[Northern Card]

I just listened to Mike Bidwill.. and yes... he indicated that they'd have about 8 million... after subtracting monies for the draft selections - as well as - tendering to restricted Free agents.