great fa article from profootballweekly WITH UPDATED CAP NUMBERS FOR ALL TEAMS!

[sundevil04]

Go

updated at 3:05 p.m. EST, Feb. 21, 2006

The 2006 free-agency class, as assembled on Feb. 20, lacks the luster of years past.

There are no absolutes. No player who is the right fit for every team regardless of existing personnel and/or system.

Given this and the other significant factors at play ? divided negotiations in talks to reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement have NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw using words like ?lockout? ? expect the number of free spenders to be critically low. Only the few teams with an excess of salary-cap space can afford to enter the free-agent pool without lightly dipping their toes into the water to gauge the temperature.

To find out which teams will be the players when the free-agency frenzy begins on March 3, we asked an NFL personnel director where each of the league?s 32 teams stand with regard to the projected 2006 salary cap of $93.25 million. At this writing, there was a sliver of hope held by the league?s owners ? and salary-cap experts ? that free agency could be pushed back to April 1 in an effort to put in place a new CBA. The reason that cap gurus want the new deal? The rolling wake of the new TV deal is about $7 million to $9 million more per team beneath the salary cap, meaning each team could have a payroll of just above $100 million if a CBA is stamped and approved before March 3. Operating under the assumption that, as Upshaw put it, a new deal was ?doubtful,? here are the current players and bystanders based on up-to-date salary-cap data provided by an NFL club.

(Team, amount below the projected cap)

1. Cleveland Browns: $25 million
2. Arizona Cardinals: $24.5 million
3. Minnesota Vikings: $24 million
4. Green Bay Packers $22 million
5. Seattle Seahawks: $20 million
6. San Francisco 49ers: $18 million
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: $17 million
Chicago Bears: $17 million
Cincinnati Bengals: $17 million
10. San Diego Chargers: $16.5 million
11. Baltimore Ravens: $16 million
12. St. Louis Rams: $14 million
13. Houston Texans: $14 million
14. Buffalo Bills: $11 million
15. New Orleans Saints: $10 million
16. Detroit Lions: $9 million
17. Philadelphia: $6.5 million
18. New York Giants: $3.5 million
19. Dallas Cowboys: $3 million
20. New England Patriots: $500,000
21. Indianapolis Colts: Even with cap at $93.25 million
22. Carolina Panthers: $2 million over
23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $4.5 million over
24. Miami Dolphins: $5 million over
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $9 million over
26. Atlanta Falcons: $10 million over
27. Tennessee Titans: $14.7 million over
28. Washington Redskins: $19 million over
29. Kansas City Chiefs: $19 million over
30. Denver Broncos: $23 million over
31. New York Jets: $26 million over
32. Oakland Raiders: $27 million over

As each team balances its own checkbook in the next two weeks, a few marquee names may become available. Drew Brees, Chad Pennington, Kerry Collins, Curtis Martin, Eric Moulds, Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice, La?Roi Glover ? all have brimming cap figures that could render them expendable. By dropping these highly paid players, teams get their own cap situations in order and might even create enough room to make an addition or two. For example, when Jerome Bettis? retirement becomes official, Pittsburgh will be right at the cap limit.

Cleveland won?t spend merely for the sake of breaking a $100 bill. The Browns could have a deal in mind for 49ers OLB Julian Peterson and should make an offer to a top back such as Jamal Lewis, whom Browns GM Phil Savage endorsed when the Ravens drafted him. And now that Jets DE-OLB John Abraham has been franchised, the Browns may try to get him in a trade. But in a class that is very heavy at the top and light on impact players, they?ll have to strike early.

Minnesota and Arizona could be competing for Colts RB Edgerrin James. Inevitably, the Colts were going to have to squeeze a star out of the budget to continue making improvements elsewhere with limited turnover, and James is on the verge of hiring the moving truck. Winning seems to matter to James, and the Vikings could give him the chance to play much the same role as he did with the Colts.

Shaun Alexander could shake loose from Seattle, which has the money to keep him around but might look to fill other needs rather than invest a $15 million guarantee in one soon-to-be 29-year-old back.

Being a year short of 30 makes Alexander anything but a safe hire. But in this market, there are zero absolutes
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Avandia Problems

 

[Scott MS]

Amazing that the New York Jets are not so good, yet $26M over the cap. Going to be some tough years ahead for them.

I hope the Cards go after at least one marquee name -- still in his prime -- to help generate national interest. A guy like Edgerin James would give instant credibility.

 

[overseascardfan]

Where is Minnesota getting their money, they sign big contracts last year and still have 24 million to spend.

I would prefer to get 3 big name FA's like Hutch, Bentley, and James but I think we are more likely to go for cheaper OL and target James who will probably sign elsewhere probably with a Florida team. Fill positions with FA and draft BPA every round.

 

[AntSports Steve]

Min is much like the Cards, year in and year out, they haven't spent all their cap money and have not spent for the future. So, with cap inflation alone, they have an extra 10M. Also, R.Moss is probably completely off the books this year (last year they took a hit for trading him probably). They also gave some rookie two years ago a most likely to be made bonus for playing time and then he only played special teams. (That's the Philly loophole and they saved 7M for 2005 using that so I would expected they did a simular trick last year as well).

 

[Totally_Red]

Interesting that the Iggles only have $6.5 million. Wonder how the imminent release of T.O. affects that figure? It probably goes up what with the arbitrator ruling against Owens last season.

 

[vinnymac]

i would like the cardinals to go after julian peterson, bentley, and james. going after all three would tie up most of this season cap number. so i would go after peterson and bently. get a decent o-line and i believe arrington will get the job done.

can everyone imagine having dansby and peterson as the olb. the defense would be awesome.

 

[john h]

i would like the cardinals to go after julian peterson, bentley, and james. going after all three would tie up most of this season cap number. so i would go after peterson and bently. get a decent o-line and i believe arrington will get the job done.

can everyone imagine having dansby and peterson as the olb. the defense would be awesome.

It seems every year we all have great hopes and plans for who the Cards will sign. We always seem to have a lot of CAP money. In the end we never seem to make much progress in signing difference makers. Yes, we signed a pair of decent pass rushers last year but look at the last ten years and we have not made much progress. I just hope we are not once again in for a big letdown with such high expectations I am seeing on the board. We will know soon enough.

 

[vinnymac]

It seems every year we all have great hopes and plans for who the Cards will sign. We always seem to have a lot of CAP money. In the end we never seem to make much progress in signing difference makers. Yes, we signed a pair of decent pass rushers last year but look at the last ten years and we have not made much progress. I just hope we are not once again in for a big letdown with such high expectations I am seeing on the board. We will know soon enough.

i share your feelings. i don't expect a big let down this season. we will see.