Uncapped years coming up? (1 Viewer)

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Earlier in the week I saw reports that Jerry Jones was saying it could well come to pass that the current contract with the players association may not get renewed and that we could go back to the no salary cap era. I have no doubt there are some owners who would love to crap all over the NFL like Steinbrenner has baseball, Jones among them since the Cowboys succcess in the 90's was the result of no cap and the idiocy of Mike Lynn (Not the acumen of Jones or Johnson as Dallas fans like to tell it).

My question is are the contracts we are seeing right now protecting the players with opt out provisions should the salary cap expire? I have not heard anything along those lines yet.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

Earlier in the week I saw reports that Jerry Jones was saying it could well come to pass that the current contract with the players association may not get renewed and that we could go back to the no salary cap era. I have no doubt there are some owners who would love to crap all over the NFL like Steinbrenner has baseball, Jones among them since the Cowboys succcess in the 90's was the result of no cap and the idiocy of Mike Lynn (Not the acumen of Jones or Johnson as Dallas fans like to tell it).

My question is are the contracts we are seeing right now protecting the players with opt out provisions should the salary cap expire? I have not heard anything along those lines yet.

So is this about an uncapped league or your envy of the Cowboys?

 

[twitch]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

 

[twitch]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Those arent the only 2 teams in the league with rich owners and deep pockets. We both know enough about football to know the Redskins dont know what to do with their money to begin with. All they'd do is continue to drive up player salaries with illogical contracts like those of Adam Archuletta and Brandon Lloyd. Just another reason cap restrictions in the NFL make too much sense. The teams with worthless FOs would kill it for everyone else. Dallas would be fine and would of course flourish because no matter how hard people often hammer Jerry Jones, the man knows talent.

 

[mad sweeney]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Those arent the only 2 teams in the league with rich owners and deep pockets

. We both know enough about football to know the Redskins dont know what to do with their money to begin with. All they'd do is continue to drive up player salaries with illogical contracts like those of Adam Archuletta and Brandon Lloyd. Just another reason cap restrictions in the NFL make too much sense. The teams with worthless FOs would kill it for everyone else. Dallas would be fine and would of course flourish because no matter how hard people often hammer Jerry Jones, the man knows talent.

Yeah, I think Paul Allen could buy both the Cowboyz and the Skins without even noticing the money was gone.

 

[twitch]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Those arent the only 2 teams in the league with rich owners and deep pockets

. We both know enough about football to know the Redskins dont know what to do with their money to begin with. All they'd do is continue to drive up player salaries with illogical contracts like those of Adam Archuletta and Brandon Lloyd. Just another reason cap restrictions in the NFL make too much sense. The teams with worthless FOs would kill it for everyone else. Dallas would be fine and would of course flourish because no matter how hard people often hammer Jerry Jones, the man knows talent.

Yeah, I think Paul Allen could buy both the Cowboyz and the Skins without even noticing the money was gone.

Exactly. Im all for a team deciding what kindof soda it wants to serve or which type of jerseys it wants to wear. But as far as allowing some of these rich, know-nothing about football knucklehead owners run the NFL into the ground with unharnessed, undisciplined spending year after year, that's the last thing that anyone who cares about professional football as we know it wants to see happen. Its the sanity in salary limitations that make it the game it is.

 

[redman]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Those arent the only 2 teams in the league with rich owners and deep pockets. We both know enough about football to know the Redskins dont know what to do with their money to begin with. All they'd do is continue to drive up player salaries with illogical contracts like those of Adam Archuletta and Brandon Lloyd. Just another reason cap restrictions in the NFL make too much sense. The teams with worthless FOs would kill it for everyone else. Dallas would be fine and would of course flourish because no matter how hard people often hammer Jerry Jones, the man knows talent.

You're whistling through the graveyard.

The fact is that while there are other rich owners, not all of them want to spend huge amounts of money on their teams. I do believe that Jones and Snyder would set the market on free agent spending. While Paul Allen would certainly be a player, I've never gotten the impression that he's so interested in building a championship team that he'd break the bank for it. His idea of "economy" in running his team seems different than Snyder's or Jones'.

Also, the key issue in eliminating the cap is not so much money spent, it's the ability of teams to keep a core of players around for a long time, which is what made the dynasties of the 70's and 80's possible. You don't have to be a football genius to decide that signing a FA like Steve Hutchinson to a ten-year deal is a great idea. Do you really think that your favorite team would be able to hold onto Randy Moss if Snyder wasn't accountable to the salary cap this year?

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

 

[redman]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts which, let's face it, it's ridiculous that this league of all professional leagues doesn't have. In order to keep the cap, I think the league's going to have to give in on contract guarantees.

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts which, let's face it, it's ridiculous that this league of all professional leagues doesn't have. In order to keep the cap, I think the league's going to have to give in on contract guarantees.

Yeah, that's why I said the NFLPA doesn't get good deals. They have pretty much gotten rolled by management up to this point. Their only gains are with the cap being tied to TV contracts and they get a big bump because the owners get good deals with the networks.I absolutely hate guaranteed contracts but I don't think the union will even have to play a role in that. With the hard cap teams are guaranteeing more and more $ to entice FA's. I remember when QB's were the only ones that might get some of their salary guaranteed(besides their signing bonus), but you see just about every position having at least part of their contracts guaranteed now. Florence was signed to be a nickel back in JAX and he got $13mil guaranteed to begin the game on the bench.

 

[Gatorman]

Don't see it happenning. I think the issues coming up will be the guarantees and the draft (especially the top 10 picks). I think the owners would like to see the top picks lose some of that up front money that is making having a top pick less valuable (to trade that is) vs. giving more money to veterans and the like.

I could see something like making the entire first round a certain number (or splitting it up in some way first 8 picks get $$$, second 8 get $$, last 16 get $, etc) But with more money and guarantees for veterans.

Uncapped years exist to get the owners to the bargaining table. We have had 2 of those deadlines already happen (I believe) and both times things were solved quickly.

Also, the Sal cap is up, what 40 mill since the last time they signed one? It is not like everyone in the NFL is not making money. Hell, even the bears made a SB run with money to spare, and they tend to be the cheapest team out there.

You uncap this league, and 20 teams will probably start to go into the red.

 

[Riffraff]

Uncapped also means the opposite side of the coin: no bottom cap level.

Some teams will save as much coin on players in order to turn a greater profit.

Bad idea for players.

High end cap is good for owners; low end cap is good for players.

 

[BoltBacker]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.

If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

 

[redman]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

 

[moondog]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Are you forgetting that is also when the FA rules were implemented along with the salary cap, which by the way is what the OWNERS wanted.

 

[David Yudkin]

This is the threat every time the CBA comes up for review, modification, and potential termination. This sceanrio has always been a potential outcome each and every time the league and the NFLPA have had to pound out a new CBA. Both sides normally talk a good game, but up until now for the two sides normally iron something out hours before the CBA was set to expire (sometimes even extending the deadline).

 

[BelichicksRevenge]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Kraft is a billionaire who owns his own stadium. Teams like the Bears should be more worried.

 

[redman]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Are you forgetting that is also when the FA rules were implemented along with the salary cap, which by the way is what the OWNERS wanted.

No. So what?

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Upshaw is on the record that if the NFL ever goes uncapped, even for a season, the players will never agree to re-establish the cap.

 

[scott72]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

I couldn't agree more. The last thing we (and most owners) want is for the NFL to turn into MLB where players are getting ridiculous contracts because of no cap. I think some sort of agreement will be reached before this "cap-free" anarchy begins.

 

[scott72]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts

I do too unfortunately..

 

[massraider]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Upshaw is on the record that if the NFL ever goes uncapped, even for a season, the players will never agree to re-establish the cap.

That's like getting threatened by a teddy bear. The NFLPA has no juice.

 

[Phurfur]

Earlier in the week I saw reports that Jerry Jones was saying it could well come to pass that the current contract with the players association may not get renewed and that we could go back to the no salary cap era. I have no doubt there are some owners who would love to crap all over the NFL like Steinbrenner has baseball, Jones among them since the Cowboys succcess in the 90's was the result of no cap and the idiocy of Mike Lynn (Not the acumen of Jones or Johnson as Dallas fans like to tell it).

My question is are the contracts we are seeing right now protecting the players with opt out provisions should the salary cap expire? I have not heard anything along those lines yet.

So is this about an uncapped league or your envy of the Cowboys?

It is hard to be envious of a team that hasn't won a playoff game since I can remember!

 

[Phurfur]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

It would be like the NYY and Boston in baseball, if they don't win they are a joke and if they do win no one else cares.

 

[massraider]

The only thing I have heard is that if the owners opt out of the CBA, 2010 will be an uncapped year. I haven't heard anything about no cap ever again.

 

[BoltBacker]

The only thing I have heard is that if the owners opt out of the CBA, 2010 will be an uncapped year. I haven't heard anything about no cap ever again.

What's to stop the NFL from locking out the players if 2010 is uncapped? Don't say $, because the owners have done it before. The NFLPA has a track record of folding in just about every single instance.I don't think the owners ever allow the NFL to be uncapped. Even for one year.

 

[BoltBacker]

I wouldnt expect cap-free anarchy to reign again in the NFL. There are just far more teams that would oppose a vote. It does seem certain that the owners will be looking at getting out of the current collective bargaining deal later this season, but they'll figure something out. As a NE fan, it wouldnt hurt my feelings one bit to see every team fending for themselves in way of mass media profits or cap limitations, but it just wouldnt be good for the league, and for that reason, I hope they maintain the essence of what has become pretty sound equitable balance. Changes will be made to tweak the system. But limitless caps are not what the NFL needs.

It should.The ONLY two team in the league that would be able to compete with each other would be the Cowboys and Redskins.

Kraft is a billionaire who owns his own stadium. Teams like the Bears should be more worried.

At least CHI is a major market. Teams like GB would never threaten for a SB ever again. They'd be like the Montreal Expos drafting high and developing players for the rest of the teams to sign when they mature into stars.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

The only thing I have heard is that if the owners opt out of the CBA, 2010 will be an uncapped year. I haven't heard anything about no cap ever again.

Gene Upshaw has been on record saying that once they have an uncapped year, the cap will never come back

 

[BoltBacker]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

I thought that the cap was higher than any teams payroll at the time. Was any team forced to cut players because of a the new salary cap? That's the scenario I'm asking about. What if you have a hand full of teams over the cap by $30mil or more?

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts

I do too unfortunately..

Aren't more and more players getting guaranteed $ with each passing years? Look at my example earlier in the thread, now nickel backs are getting large portions of their contracts guaranteed. I'd argue that NFL contracts are guaranteed right now in that the only #'s that really matter are the guaranteed $'s of a deal and the length of the deal. The $'s are good for the player and the years are good for the team and the "possible" $'s of the deal are just to fluff the agent and the players ego. For years people have rolled their eyes at Rich Gannon type deals that are heavily back loaded and nobody on earth expects the team to ever actually pay the last several years of the deal.

 

[scott72]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts

I do too unfortunately..

Aren't more and more players getting guaranteed $ with each passing years? Look at my example earlier in the thread, now nickel backs are getting large portions of their contracts guaranteed. I'd argue that NFL contracts are guaranteed right now in that the only #'s that really matter are the guaranteed $'s of a deal and the length of the deal. The $'s are good for the player and the years are good for the team and the "possible" $'s of the deal are just to fluff the agent and the players ego. For years people have rolled their eyes at Rich Gannon type deals that are heavily back loaded and nobody on earth expects the team to ever actually pay the last several years of the deal.

I think the trend is going towards front loading the signing bonuses to get the player to sign. Instant gratification works a lot better towards signing a player versus back loading the deal and making the player wait for his money and if it's not a signing bonus or guaranteed roster bonus then he of course risks not getting the money at all. Not only does front loading the deal work great for the player, it works great for the team as they can cut the player after a couple years without taking such a big hit on the cap. This is how the Packers have been signing players of late anyways, which is why they are in terrific cap shape every year.

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't think the league will ever be uncapped. The NFLPA just doesn't get very good deals. Maybe they need to talk about having no cap to get rid of the ridiculous franchise tag but of all the major sports unions it seems to me the NFL union gets the least done for it's members. I'd be surprised if they even get rid of the franchise tag though.

The truth is that the cap is good for the league, but bad for the union. The league will want to keep the cap. Ultimately, I think we're going to see a major work stoppage over the issue of guaranteed contracts

I do too unfortunately..

Aren't more and more players getting guaranteed $ with each passing years? Look at my example earlier in the thread, now nickel backs are getting large portions of their contracts guaranteed. I'd argue that NFL contracts are guaranteed right now in that the only #'s that really matter are the guaranteed $'s of a deal and the length of the deal. The $'s are good for the player and the years are good for the team and the "possible" $'s of the deal are just to fluff the agent and the players ego. For years people have rolled their eyes at Rich Gannon type deals that are heavily back loaded and nobody on earth expects the team to ever actually pay the last several years of the deal.

I think the trend is going towards front loading the signing bonuses to get the player to sign. Instant gratification works a lot better towards signing a player versus back loading the deal and making the player wait for his money and if it's not a signing bonus or guaranteed roster bonus then he of course risks not getting the money at all. Not only does front loading the deal work great for the player, it works great for the team as they can cut the player after a couple years without taking such a big hit on the cap. This is how the Packers have been signing players of late anyways, which is why they are in terrific cap shape every year.

Agreed. Which is why I don't think it's a probable reason for a work stoppage.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Upshaw is on the record that if the NFL ever goes uncapped, even for a season, the players will never agree to re-establish the cap.

That's like getting threatened by a teddy bear. The NFLPA has no juice.

Well, they took a pretty nice financial pound of flesh out of the owners in the last negotiation. They're not the baseball union, but they've come a long way from the mid to late 90's

 

[redman]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

I thought that the cap was higher than any teams payroll at the time. Was any team forced to cut players because of a the new salary cap? That's the scenario I'm asking about. What if you have a hand full of teams over the cap by $30mil or more?

I know the Redskins had to jettison a lot of veterans in the offseason between 1993-94. In truth, though, they had an aging roster that was past its prime and needed to be rebuilt so it's not clear how much difference the cap made in that regard. I know I wanted them to enter the Reggie White sweepstakes but that they didn't do that.

 

[BoltBacker]

I still can't believe that people honestly think that the NFL is going to be uncapped in the near future. My guess is the owners would lock the players out before opening that pandora's box. For those of you that think there will be an(many?) uncapped years ahead I have a question for you; If the NFL was uncapped even for one season and <owner x&gtlet's just use Snyder or Jerry Jones as an example) spend $150mil when the cap the previous season was only $120mil.... how do you ever go back to having a capped league? Are those teams going to be forced to cut players to get back under the cap.... $30mil a piece? I can't believe so many people think this is even a possibility.If the league ever goes uncapped then the Packers will have a fraction of a chance the Brewers have to win the World Series. That, in a nut shell is the reason I don't think the NFL will ever go uncapped. It just wouldn't make good business sense and the players union simply isn't strong enough to ever make it happen.

They went from uncapped to capped in 1993-94, so what's the problem here?

Upshaw is on the record that if the NFL ever goes uncapped, even for a season, the players will never agree to re-establish the cap.

That's like getting threatened by a teddy bear. The NFLPA has no juice.

Well, they took a pretty nice financial pound of flesh out of the owners in the last negotiation. They're not the baseball union, but they've come a long way from the mid to late 90's

I think that had more to do with the size of the TV contracts the NFL got. The players may have gotten a very slight increase in % of revenues but the bulk of the $ came from the fact the TV rights skyrocketed. The players only got a lot more $ because the owners got a lot more $. The owners didn't really have to give up anything.

 

[cstu]

The system is working for everybody, not sure why anyone would want to change it.