simpleman Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) Sal estimates we were at $157 million before the Clay restructure, $150 million after. Mario release would drop that to $137 million, leaving $18 million in cap space, plus the $4.4 million in carry over cap from last year would total around $22 million in space. So yeah, what you said. Still not enough, though. With Leo and Graham and perhaps some others, we need to get that closer to $30 million if possible. I can not believe the logic of everyone saying that all the savings from cutting Mario will be available for new contracts to keep our FAs. You are paying a lot of dead money to release him and not getting anything to help the team this year in return. You have to spend real money to replace him, or suffer the same consequences as we have for 15 years of dumpster diving on still semi lukewarm bodies. And you have to waste valuable early round draft picks on a "could be, maybe" replacement when we already have so many critical needs at LB, OL, WR, S, K, etc. It makes more sense financially and practically to rework his contract with restructuring and a pay cut and give him a chance to shine this year as trade bait, so he can increase his value and hopefully give the Bills a chance to work on a trade to somewhere that benefits both the Bills and Mario, while actually getting something in return from him leaving Buffalo. If you want him gone, do it sensibly, don't just cut off your arm to satisfy your need for a scapegoat for Rex ruined defense. Mario was not the biggest factor in the decline of our defense, just tiny piece of a much larger problem than Mario. (see Rex, and his mega maniac ego). I see this Mario hate as the driving force here, not financial, business logic. Edited February 27, 2016 by simpleman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Sal estimates we were at $157 million before the Clay restructure, $150 million after. Mario release would drop that to $137 million, leaving $18 million in cap space, plus the $4.4 million in carry over cap from last year would total around $22 million in space. So yeah, what you said. Still not enough, though. With Leo and Graham and perhaps some others, we need to get that closer to $30 million if possible. Even at 22 you just structure Glenn/Gilmore to be moderate hits this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Apologies if this already has been posted, but overthecap.com has an offseason preview of the Bills which includes the following quote that sums up our current situation perfectly: "the Bills are an example of a mediocre team in a poor cap situation encountering a lack of flexibility as a result of a failed attempt to transition from mediocre to something more than that." I continue to believe that our front office is incompetent. Our front office has made too many poor decisions that will begin to hurt us starting with this offseason. Bottom line is that we are not good enough to be in this poor of a situation, particularly since our cap constraints are not partially the result of paying a franchise QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Apologies if this already has been posted, but overthecap.com has an offseason preview of the Bills which includes the following quote that sums up our current situation perfectly: "the Bills are an example of a mediocre team in a poor cap situation encountering a lack of flexibility as a result of a failed attempt to transition from mediocre to something more than that." I continue to believe that our front office is incompetent. Our front office has made too many poor decisions that will begin to hurt us starting with this offseason. Bottom line is that we are not good enough to be in this poor of a situation, particularly since our cap constraints are not partially the result of paying a franchise QB. Care to cite examples of these poor decisions and how they'll adversely impact the team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockinon Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) With Charles Clay's restructure we are in a bit better shape. A new deal for Gilmore could be coming that would also save money this year on the cap. I wonder what else the brass is considering for this year. Mario is likely history but there could possibly be some other moves. It really is amazing how just restructuring contracts frees up cap money. Thing is, down the road, we could be in even worse shape than this year because these restructures are generally offering big bonuses up front that don't count against the cap this year but they are also pushing back bigger cap payouts in later years. Wonder how this is going to play out? Edited February 27, 2016 by Rockinon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 With Charles Clay's restructure we are in a bit better shape. A new deal for Gilmore could be coming that would also save money this year on the cap. I wonder what else the brass is considering for this year. Mario is likely history but there could possibly be some other moves. It really is amazing how just restructuring contracts frees up cap money. Thing is, down the road, we could be in even worse shape than this year because these restructures are generally offering big bonuses up front that don't count against the cap this year but they are also pushing back bigger cap payouts in later years. Wonder how this is going to play out? I wouldn't worry about any of it given the way the cap continues to rise. It was $123M in 2013 and it's now over $155M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I think others have done a better job than I will do here in a very summary fashion, but the McCoy extension and signing Harvin were poor decisions. I like Clay, but we overpaid and his contract will be a problem in the future as restructured if he continues to have issues with his knees. In terms of adverse impacts, I would suggest that having no flexibility to sign free agents is a significant negative impact, particularly since we have a number of holes that need to be addressed. Moreover, we may not even have the ability to re-sign our own free agents (Glenn and Incognito) if the many teams with significant salary cap room decide to overpay for our free agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Apologies if this already has been posted, but overthecap.com has an offseason preview of the Bills which includes the following quote that sums up our current situation perfectly: "the Bills are an example of a mediocre team in a poor cap situation encountering a lack of flexibility as a result of a failed attempt to transition from mediocre to something more than that." I continue to believe that our front office is incompetent. Our front office has made too many poor decisions that will begin to hurt us starting with this offseason. Bottom line is that we are not good enough to be in this poor of a situation, particularly since our cap constraints are not partially the result of paying a franchise QB. http://overthecap.com/bills-2016-offseason-preview/#more-11579 Thanks for posting. I've been waiting and watching for this article. Everyone posting about the Bills' cap or cap moves should read it. It sums up the situation very well. It is very much in line with my opinion, But they hit upon some things that hadn't considered. And they make good cases. One is why the Bills might be forced to try to extend Taylor now instead of waiting. It is simply that it will be so difficult to afford him after this season if he performs well so they might feel forced to take the chance now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I think others have done a better job than I will do here in a very summary fashion, but the McCoy extension and signing Harvin were poor decisions. I like Clay, but we overpaid and his contract will be a problem in the future as restructured if he continues to have issues with his knees. In terms of adverse impacts, I would suggest that having no flexibility to sign free agents is a significant negative impact, particularly since we have a number of holes that need to be addressed. Moreover, we may not even have the ability to re-sign our own free agents (Glenn and Incognito) if the many teams with significant salary cap room decide to overpay for our free agents. The McCoy extension is fine. The Harvin decision was a bad short term one and the Clay contract was a bad long term one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I wouldn't worry about any of it given the way the cap continues to rise. It was $123M in 2013 and it's now over $155M. The article considers cap increases. You really should should read it. The OTC and Spotrac people really know their stuff. I've conversed online off and on with Ian Whetstone of OTC for well over a decade. I've leaned a ton from him regarding how the salary cap works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 The article considers cap increases. You really should should read it. The OTC and Spotrac people really know their stuff. I've conversed online off and on with Ian Whetstone of OTC for well over a decade. I've leaned a ton from him regarding how the salary cap works. Thanks for the post and the recommendation. I'll check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 NFC GM on Bills: "They have a lot to envy, but their salary-cap situation is the worst in the NFL. ... It's criminal mismanagement." http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-analysis-all-22/2016/2/27/11120330/buffalo-bills-2016-salary-cap-criticism-joe-banner-anonymous-nfc-gm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 How refreshing this thread is. After decades of "Ralph is cheap" and having a low payroll and tons of cap room we're finally experiencing owners and management that can and does open up the checkbook. It's a new set of clothes for Bills fans to be wearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 How refreshing this thread is. After decades of "Ralph is cheap" and having a low payroll and tons of cap room we're finally experiencing owners and management that can and does open up the checkbook. It's a new set of clothes for Bills fans to be wearing. With some it's anti-Whaley sentiment disguised as cap concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 On the cap stuff, I am not really sure Whaley is entirely to blame, assuming that one thinks that our cap situation is a problem. Ryan clearly had a plan and wanted to target certain players after he became our new head coach, including Harvin, Clay and Taylor. Who knows if Whaley would have pursued any of these players if someone other than Ryan had been selected to be our head coach. Not sure about McCoy, that seemed like it was a group decision. It really comes down to how much power Whaley has as our GM. Is the team's decision making a collective kind of thing or all in his control? Kind of wonder about the draft as well. Did Ryan push for Darby or was it all Whaley and his staff? I have no idea how things work with free agency and drafting decisions with the front office/coaching staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I wouldn't worry about any of it given the way the cap continues to rise. It was $123M in 2013 and it's now over $155M. This year was an expected bump with the last set of tv deals going into the calculation. The Thursday night contract will effect 2 years from now I believe. I'd expect growth rates to slow a bit but generally still think we are in fine shape On the cap stuff, I am not really sure Whaley is entirely to blame, assuming that one thinks that our cap situation is a problem. Ryan clearly had a plan and wanted to target certain players after he became our new head coach, including Harvin, Clay and Taylor. Who knows if Whaley would have pursued any of these players if someone other than Ryan had been selected to be our head coach. Not sure about McCoy, that seemed like it was a group decision. It really comes down to how much power Whaley has as our GM. Is the team's decision making a collective kind of thing or all in his control? Kind of wonder about the draft as well. Did Ryan push for Darby or was it all Whaley and his staff? I have no idea how things work with free agency and drafting decisions with the front office/coaching staff. I think we have 10 win talent, but our coaches cost us a game or two though, which is another layer to the discussion. If we put these same guys in optimum situations to win games the talent is there. It's not like we paid Albert haynesworth and are in a redskins circa 5-10 years ago situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 And we still can't win. Good grief. We've gone 9-7 an 8-8 in the two seasons since Mr. Wilson passed. But don't let that ruin your day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 NFC GM on Bills: "They have a lot to envy, but their salary-cap situation is the worst in the NFL. ... It's criminal mismanagement." http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-analysis-all-22/2016/2/27/11120330/buffalo-bills-2016-salary-cap-criticism-joe-banner-anonymous-nfc-gm You had me until I saw that came from a Tim Graham tweet. How refreshing this thread is. After decades of "Ralph is cheap" and having a low payroll and tons of cap room we're finally experiencing owners and management that can and does open up the checkbook. It's a new set of clothes for Bills fans to be wearing.It's how we roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Apologies if this already has been posted, but overthecap.com has an offseason preview of the Bills which includes the following quote that sums up our current situation perfectly: "the Bills are an example of a mediocre team in a poor cap situation encountering a lack of flexibility as a result of a failed attempt to transition from mediocre to something more than that." I continue to believe that our front office is incompetent. Our front office has made too many poor decisions that will begin to hurt us starting with this offseason. Bottom line is that we are not good enough to be in this poor of a situation, particularly since our cap constraints are not partially the result of paying a franchise QB. They've already shown flexibility by now having $22M in cap space...they will most likely do more with other contracts to increase it for this year. The NFL cap in the easiest to manage. Teams do this all the time...People need to relax about the salary cap and worry about the team on the field. The Bills will be able to sign whomever they choose, if those players want to be here of course. Whether it makes them a winning team is something we will watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) How refreshing this thread is. After decades of "Ralph is cheap" and having a low payroll and tons of cap room we're finally experiencing owners and management that can and does open up the checkbook. It's a new set of clothes for Bills fans to be wearing.it is just a different level of "wah" Edited February 27, 2016 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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