Updated Cap after the rookie pool

[joeshmo]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1792396
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1510617

     Team		            Cap	        Rookie Cap	   Total
Minnesota Vikings 		$13,500,000	$3,538,788	$9,961,212
New Orleans Saints 	        $11,300,000	$2,960,636	$8,339,364
Dallas Cowboys 		        $10,100,000	$2,895,414	$7,204,586
Philadelphia Eagles 		$10,400,000	$3,748,154	$6,651,846
Kansas City Chiefs 		$7,190,000	$2,704,631	$4,485,369
Jacksonville Jaguars 		$7,940,000	$5,050,059	$2,889,941
Miami Dolphins 		        $5,100,000	$2,491,245	$2,608,755
Detroit Lions 		        $7,130,000	$4,580,926	$2,549,074
Cleveland Browns 		$5,990,000	$3,612,999	$2,377,001
Indianapolis Colts 	        $5,500,000	$3,129,590	$2,370,410
Arizona Cardinals 	        $6,900,000	$4,706,896	$2,193,104
Baltimore Ravens 		$4,190,000	$2,202,960	$1,987,040
Seattle Seahawks 		$5,100,000	$3,106,600	$1,993,400
Cincinnati Bengals 		$5,300,000	$4,639,928	$660,072
Chicago Bears 		        $4,160,000	$3,738,616	$421,384
San Diego Chargers 	        $6,400,000	$6,024,776	$375,224
Houston Texans 		        $4,400,000	$4,449,138	-$49,138
**Tampa Bay Buccaneers 	        $2,980,000	$3,289,627	-$309,627
New York Jets 		        $3,200,000	$3,999,265	-$799,265
Carolina Panthers 		$1,700,000	$2,608,614	-$908,614
Green Bay Packers 	        $1,600,000	$2,733,855	-$1,133,855
Buffalo Bills 		        $2,320,000	$3,640,573	-$1,320,573
Washington Redskins 		$1,630,000	$3,098,865	-$1,468,865
New England Patriots 		$2,250,000	$4,130,090	-$1,880,090
St. Louis Rams 		        $737,000	$2,763,323	-$2,026,323
*New York Giants 		$1,900,000	$4,370,100	-$2,470,100
San Francisco 49ers 		$1,600,000	$4,143,162	-$2,543,162
Atlanta Falcons 		$1,770,000	$4,329,933	-$2,559,933
Oakland Raiders 		$2,000,000	$5,170,440	-$3,170,440
Pittsburgh Steelers 		$326,000	$3,904,326	-$3,578,326
Denver Broncos 		        $287,000	$4,296,669	-$4,009,669
Tennessee Titans		$532,000	$4,702,937	-$4,170,937

* Giants should have a lot more after cutting Collins about 7 mill. More				
** Bucs will have less due to the signing of Ian Gold, as of right now the contract detials are not known yet

 

[AdamJT13]

The problem with your chart is that it ignores the Rule of 51, which says that the only base salaries that count against the cap in the offseason are those of the players with the 51 highest cap numbers on the team. At this point in the offseason, most teams' 51st-highest cap number is in the neighborhood of $305,000 (the minimum salary for a second-year player).

If a rookie who signs a contract doesn't have a high enough cap number to crack the top 51, his base salary doesn't count against the cap. And if he does crack the top 51, he knocks another player out of the top 51, and that player's base salary no longer counts against the cap. For teams whose top 51 ends at about $305,000, a player taken in the first 120-130 picks of the draft will make the top 51, while any players drafted later will not.

One way to estimate how much CAP ROOM most teams' rookies will cost is to start with the team's rookie pool allocation, subtract $305,000 for each draftee who should make the 51 highest cap numbers, then subtract $230,000 for each draftee who won't. (For some teams, players knocked out of the top 51 will have base salaries of $455,000, $380,000 or $230,000, but most will be $305,000).

For the Cardinals, unless they cut some veterans, only their first two draftees will be among their top 51 after they sign -- one will knock out Jason McAddley, whose base salary is $380,000, and one will knock out one of the Cardinals' several players with a base salary of $455,000. So while the Cardinals' rookie pool is $4,706,896, using their entire rookie pool would cost them only $2,721,896 of cap room ($4,706,896 minus $455,000, minus $380,000, minus $230,000 apiece for five other draftees).