Could Cards sign Cousins to Back Loaded Contract

Cards Czar

The Bird is the Word
Joined
May 14, 2002
Posts
3,171
Reaction score
370
Location
Alton, Ill
AZ Jam is like my math homework; right answer, wrong explanation sort of. NFL players typically get sign bonuses with new contracts. Those bonuses are counted against the cap by dividing the bonus by the number of years in the contract and the counting that result against the cap year by year. When a player retires typically however much hasn’t been charged accelerates and is charged that year. By waiting until after June 1 you can charge a year worth to the next year. This is why there are often players released June 1. Bonuses are the primary cause of dead money, but other guaranteed money can also be dead.


Harry is correct. Even though Palmer has retired he still had 1 year left on his contract, he had a $4.25M signing bonus and a restructured bonus of $2.375M left on his contract. Those amounts will count against the 2018 Cap (Dead Cap Space of 6.625M). Good thing though is we recoup $14M back into the Cardinals Cap.
 

cardpa

Have a Nice Day!
Joined
Mar 14, 2003
Posts
7,410
Reaction score
4,155
Location
Monroe NC
Okay, now I get it. In other words any guaranteed money still goes to the player even if he retires.
 

CardsFan88

ASFN Addict
Joined
May 28, 2002
Posts
7,544
Reaction score
4,526
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Posts
10,462
Reaction score
7,416
Location
Chandler
This is getting insane.

So far we have a 'deal done' in Denver and also one where he says he'd love to play for Denver. Another report that he's likely to go to the Jets. Vikings are his #1 choice. Then there's us and others.

There's lots of people who are going to be wrong.

I think he is wise to do this to drive up his asking price. The more competition the better.
 
OP
OP
az jam

az jam

ASFN Icon
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
Posts
12,989
Reaction score
5,215
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
qB Case Keenum would be the smart move the Vikings. He did well with them and would costs them a lot less than Cousins.
 

oaken1

Stone Cold
Supporting Member
Banned from P+R
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Posts
18,198
Reaction score
16,298
Location
Modesto, California
qB Case Keenum would be the smart move the Vikings. He did well with them and would costs them a lot less than Cousins.
but they no longer have the OV Keenum did well with. It is likely he reverts back to who he was prior to 2017
 

Harry

ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Posts
11,929
Reaction score
26,064
Location
Orlando, FL
are there whispers in your circle that stafford might come available? I havent heard anything.

Yes, his contract looks awful if released, but he won’t want to be the backup and it looks like they’re in on Cousins. So what would happen is they “trade” Stafford to get the cap release, but they let him go for a 7th round pick for example, because of the contract size.
 

Cards Czar

The Bird is the Word
Joined
May 14, 2002
Posts
3,171
Reaction score
370
Location
Alton, Ill
Yes, his contract looks awful if released, but he won’t want to be the backup and it looks like they’re in on Cousins. So what would happen is they “trade” Stafford to get the cap release, but they let him go for a 7th round pick for example, because of the contract size.


At the present time Detroit has around 50M available in cap space, so if they released Stafford the could increase there cap space for Cousins.

Here is Stafford's cap hits:

Pre-6/1 Release:
2018 Dead Cap: $49,500,000
2018 Cap Savings: $-23,000,000

Pre-6/1 Trade
:
2018 Dead Cap: $40,000,0002018
Cap Savings: $-13,500,000

Post-6/1 Release:
2018 Dead Cap: $19,500,000
2019 Dead Cap: $30,000,000
2018 Cap Savings: $7,000,000

Post-6/1 Trade:

2018 Dead Cap: $10,000,000
2019 Dead Cap: $30,000,000
2018 Cap Savings: $16,500,000
 

oaken1

Stone Cold
Supporting Member
Banned from P+R
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Posts
18,198
Reaction score
16,298
Location
Modesto, California
Yes, his contract looks awful if released, but he won’t want to be the backup and it looks like they’re in on Cousins. So what would happen is they “trade” Stafford to get the cap release, but they let him go for a 7th round pick for example, because of the contract size.

Thats interesting. If traded Detroit still has to absorb some of his cap hit this year right?
I could see that shaking things up a bit. That could get Denvers attention.
 

oaken1

Stone Cold
Supporting Member
Banned from P+R
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Posts
18,198
Reaction score
16,298
Location
Modesto, California
Okay, now I get it. In other words any guaranteed money still goes to the player even if he retires.
they get their signing bonus up front but for cap management purposes the team is allowed to spread it out over the life of the contract if they choose to. They do not always choose to, sometimes they will just spread it over a couple of years but in the case of huge money they usually spread it across five or six years.
If the team has, say... $15mil of a guys bonus set to hit the 2018 cap plus 15mil in salary, but the guy retires in 2017... that 15mil still counts against the 2018 cap.... the only money saved is whatever salary he may have gotten in 2018,... 15mil...so that guy would go from being a 30mil hit to only being a 15mil hit...called dead money since he is no longer with the team
 

gimpy

ASFN Lifer
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Posts
3,355
Reaction score
2,975
Location
Flagstaff, Az
Thx, oaken. That explains it pretty well to me. I think I can understand the terminology and workings of it a little better now than before. I really had no idea how the term was meant and used.
 

oaken1

Stone Cold
Supporting Member
Banned from P+R
Joined
Mar 13, 2004
Posts
18,198
Reaction score
16,298
Location
Modesto, California
Thx, oaken. That explains it pretty well to me. I think I can understand the terminology and workings of it a little better now than before. I really had no idea how the term was meant and used.

in the case of retirement a guys "guaranteed money can get sketchy. Depending how the contract is written if a guy gets $10mil per year guaranteed, collects his guarantees up front, then retires before the end of the contract,... there have been cases where a guy has to pay money back to the team.
That happened to Barry Sanders. I am sure the wording of the contract gets more specific as a player gets closer to retirement... who wants to have a retirement party then get a bill in the mail for a few million from their exe employer?
 

GuernseyCard

ASFN Icon
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Posts
10,123
Reaction score
5,681
Location
London UK
in the case of retirement a guys "guaranteed money can get sketchy. Depending how the contract is written if a guy gets $10mil per year guaranteed, collects his guarantees up front, then retires before the end of the contract,... there have been cases where a guy has to pay money back to the team.
That happened to Barry Sanders. I am sure the wording of the contract gets more specific as a player gets closer to retirement... who wants to have a retirement party then get a bill in the mail for a few million from their exe employer?

It also happened to Jake the Snake.
 
Top