Non-monetary perks against the Salary Cap.

[unbillievable]

How do team perks affect the salary Cap?

I tried to look it up and couldn't find anything.

 

For example:

 

If a team provides free food, trainers, gyms, limo service, private jets, massage therapists, babysitters....

Will the costs count against the team's salary cap?

 

If it doesn't, Why don't teams provide these perks to help players perform better? or attract Free Agents?

I remember Dez Bryant getting assigned a chaperone by Dallas, was that charged to his salary?

[HOUSE]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786655-nfl-teams-need-to-open-the-books-and-show-players-and-taxpayers-the-money

[Fleezoid]

1 hour ago, unbillievable said:

How do team perks affect the salary Cap?

I tried to look it up and couldn't find anything.

 

For example:

 

If a team provides free food, trainers, gyms, limo service, private jets, massage therapists, babysitters....

Will the costs count against the team's salary cap?

 

If it doesn't, Why don't teams provide these perks to help players perform better? or attract Free Agents?

I remember Dez Bryant getting assigned a chaperone babysitter by Dallas, was that charged to his salary?

 

The individual's label needed a little tweaking. 

[HOUSE]

Appears each team can spent what ever they want , it's up to the owner.

[Tuco]

Mostly, if the team gives it to the player it's supposed to count. Tom Brady and his TB12 business were looked into under section (4) to see if it was skirting the salary cap but was found not to be (of course).

 

(iv) Non-Cash Provisions.

(1) The fair market value of all non-cash provisions (e.g., automobiles, houses, insurance policies) shall be included in Team Salary during the year in which such provision is made. If the parties cannot agree on the fair market value of such provisions, such dispute will be submitted to the Impartial Arbitrator.

(2) Any tangible item of value provided to unsigned players (or their affiliates) recruited by Clubs will be included in Salary. Reasonable travel cost, lodging and entertainment, incurred in connection with recruiting an unsigned player (or his affiliate) at a Club facility or Club geographic area will not be included in Team Salary or Benefits. Miscellaneous costs associated with recruiting unsigned players but not paid to players (or their affiliates) are not included as part of Salary or Benefits, except as set forth above.

(3) Expenses for travel, board and lodging for a player participating in an offseason workout program or classroom instruction shall not be included in Salary or Team Salary, so long as such expenses are reasonable and customary and generally offered to all players by that club. Any such expenses in excess of reasonable and customary levels, or not generally offered to all players by that Club, shall immediately be included in Salary and Team Salary.

(4) The voluntary provision to all players on a Club of meals, team apparel, or one team trip for celebrations in each League Year (plus any trips to the White House for the Super Bowl Champions) will not be included in Team Salary or Player Costs. This Subsection does not affect the treatment of consideration paid to a player for services other than football playing services, as provided in Section 4(b) above.

(5) Except as provided in Subsections 6(e)(iv)(2)–(4) above, if any money or tangible item of value is provided by any Club to any player (or his affiliate) not pursuant to this Agreement or a Player Contract, the value of the money or item shall immediately be included in Salary and the Team Salary of the Club making such provision. This Subsection does not apply to consideration paid to a player (or his affiliate) for nonfootball playing services, which are subject to Section 4(b) above.

(6) If a Club provides one or more gifts to a player during the term of the player’s Player Contract to commemorate the player’s retirement, and the player has been under contract with the Club in three or more seasons, the fair market value of such gifts up to $15,000 shall not be counted as Salary, and any excess fair market value above $15,000 shall be counted as Salary. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, if the player has been under contract with the Club in less than three seasons, the entire fair market value of any such gifts shall be counted as Salary.

(7) Without limiting Subsection (4) above or any other provision of this Agreement, each Club participating in the Super Bowl may elect to provide its players with a gift or gifts, the value of which shall not, in the aggregate, exceed a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (less an imputed discount of 10%) of $1,350 in the 2020 League Year, increasing $50 per League Year thereafter. The total amount of such gifts provided to players shall be charged to the Club’s Team Salary for that League Year (or, if the Club does not have adequate Room to absorb the full charge, then the difference shall be carried over and charged to the Club’s Team Salary for the following League Year). The Club shall provide the Management Council and the NFLPA with a description of the gifts provided, proof of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, and a list of the players receiving the gift. The terms of this Subsection shall not affect in any way the status or any treatment of Super Bowl rings provided to players, and this Subsection may not be referred to in any dispute regarding such rings.

[GoBills808]

so basically it's supposed to be written in your contract and if it isn't they try to include it

[boyst]

47 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

so basically it's supposed to be written in your contract and if it isn't they try to include it

And if it is a part of another contract and taxes they're not gonna fuss to much. 

[Punching Bag]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786655-nfl-teams-need-to-open-the-books-and-show-players-and-taxpayers-the-money

 

Article is too anal with author mixing his political opinions with other items.

 

Asking completely about opening books like Packers have to (and reason why no other team will be public) makes no sense despite them requesting public money (jurisdictions can always say no but usually they don't for this sometimes results in political type people including their appointees losing their jobs) but NFL could come up with a standard format and require teams to disclose it as well as a list of items which do not fit into list.   You want to pay the moving costs of a free agent it gets listed, etc.  NFL would need to employee a team of auditors (which would be a good idea with teams like Washington not dividing money properly to other teams) who are good at looking for two sets of books.

 

 

[unbillievable]

If a team provides a perk for all players, then it's not counted against the salary cap.

I'm surprised this hasn't been exploited by the richer team owners. I wonder if there is a handshake agreement among the clubs to not embarrass the cheaper owners.

 

Paying for first class seats, especially for the big fellas, on road trips, should be an obvious perk, but that article says they still make players sit in economy.

 

[ticketssince61]

I know someone who was part  owner of a MILS team years ago.

 

There was an international player who had horrible teeth so they paid $30K for hist dental work and kept it out of the salary cap

[Tuco]

40 minutes ago, unbillievable said:

If a team provides a perk for all players, then it's not counted against the salary cap.

I'm surprised this hasn't been exploited by the richer team owners. I wonder if there is a handshake agreement among the clubs to not embarrass the cheaper owners.

 

Paying for first class seats, especially for the big fellas, on road trips, should be an obvious perk, but that article says they still make players sit in economy.

 

The article seems to be written by an idiot. First of all, teams charter a whole plane just to fly to a road game. But even if the plane is a 767 it still maybe has 30 first class seats. 

 

Plus, the author seems to think that because the books aren't open to the public that they also aren't open to the NFLPA, and that the union just takes the league's word for it when its time to figure the salary cap. Garbage article.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

5 minutes ago, Tuco said:

The article seems to be written by an idiot. First of all, teams charter a whole plane just to fly to a road game. But even if the plane is a 767 it still maybe has 30 first class seats. 

 

Plus, the author seems to think that because the books aren't open to the public that they also aren't open to the NFLPA, and that the union just takes the league's word for it when its time to figure the salary cap. Garbage article.

Well that is a major issue in baseball. The players union is always accusing MLB owners of hiding the money when they claim small market teams lose money. MLB won't show them the books.

I dont think it is the same in NFL though

[Punching Bag]

1 minute ago, Tuco said:

The article seems to be written by an idiot. First of all, teams charter a whole plane just to fly to a road game. But even if the plane is a 767 it still maybe has 30 first class seats. 

 

Plus, the author seems to think that because the books aren't open to the public that they also aren't open to the NFLPA, and that the union just takes the league's word for it when its time to figure the salary cap. Garbage article.

 

First they cut out the editors to save money since software has spell and grammar checks which writers ignore.

Next they cut out the printing presses and layout staff to central production to make the news old when delivered.

Next they eliminate delivery telling readers to get it on internet like you do doctor's visit.

Next they fire the writers using automation to write the articles.

Result will be articles like the Bleacher Report everywhere.

[Thurman#1]

6 hours ago, Tuco said:

Mostly, if the team gives it to the player it's supposed to count. Tom Brady and his TB12 business were looked into under section (4) to see if it was skirting the salary cap but was found not to be (of course).

 

(iv) Non-Cash Provisions.

(1) The fair market value of all non-cash provisions (e.g., automobiles, houses, insurance policies) shall be included in Team Salary during the year in which such provision is made. If the parties cannot agree on the fair market value of such provisions, such dispute will be submitted to the Impartial Arbitrator.

(2) Any tangible item of value provided to unsigned players (or their affiliates) recruited by Clubs will be included in Salary. Reasonable travel cost, lodging and entertainment, incurred in connection with recruiting an unsigned player (or his affiliate) at a Club facility or Club geographic area will not be included in Team Salary or Benefits. Miscellaneous costs associated with recruiting unsigned players but not paid to players (or their affiliates) are not included as part of Salary or Benefits, except as set forth above.

(3) Expenses for travel, board and lodging for a player participating in an offseason workout program or classroom instruction shall not be included in Salary or Team Salary, so long as such expenses are reasonable and customary and generally offered to all players by that club. Any such expenses in excess of reasonable and customary levels, or not generally offered to all players by that Club, shall immediately be included in Salary and Team Salary.

(4) The voluntary provision to all players on a Club of meals, team apparel, or one team trip for celebrations in each League Year (plus any trips to the White House for the Super Bowl Champions) will not be included in Team Salary or Player Costs. This Subsection does not affect the treatment of consideration paid to a player for services other than football playing services, as provided in Section 4(b) above.

(5) Except as provided in Subsections 6(e)(iv)(2)–(4) above, if any money or tangible item of value is provided by any Club to any player (or his affiliate) not pursuant to this Agreement or a Player Contract, the value of the money or item shall immediately be included in Salary and the Team Salary of the Club making such provision. This Subsection does not apply to consideration paid to a player (or his affiliate) for nonfootball playing services, which are subject to Section 4(b) above.

(6) If a Club provides one or more gifts to a player during the term of the player’s Player Contract to commemorate the player’s retirement, and the player has been under contract with the Club in three or more seasons, the fair market value of such gifts up to $15,000 shall not be counted as Salary, and any excess fair market value above $15,000 shall be counted as Salary. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, if the player has been under contract with the Club in less than three seasons, the entire fair market value of any such gifts shall be counted as Salary.

(7) Without limiting Subsection (4) above or any other provision of this Agreement, each Club participating in the Super Bowl may elect to provide its players with a gift or gifts, the value of which shall not, in the aggregate, exceed a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (less an imputed discount of 10%) of $1,350 in the 2020 League Year, increasing $50 per League Year thereafter. The total amount of such gifts provided to players shall be charged to the Club’s Team Salary for that League Year (or, if the Club does not have adequate Room to absorb the full charge, then the difference shall be carried over and charged to the Club’s Team Salary for the following League Year). The Club shall provide the Management Council and the NFLPA with a description of the gifts provided, proof of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, and a list of the players receiving the gift. The terms of this Subsection shall not affect in any way the status or any treatment of Super Bowl rings provided to players, and this Subsection may not be referred to in any dispute regarding such rings.

 

 

Interesting stuff, man, thank you.

 

(This is not sarcasm.)

 

Hadn't thought of things like insurance policies.  I doubt most players would want the team giving them stuff like this, as it's the team spending the player's money for them.

 

And it sounds like the team is paying for travel, board and lodging for offseason workout programs and such. Which seems fairly obvious, but I hadn't thought of it at all. Makes total sense, particularly for players way down the roster. That would be necessary for a lot of them to even come.

[The Wiz]

8 hours ago, HOUSE said:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786655-nfl-teams-need-to-open-the-books-and-show-players-and-taxpayers-the-money

Oh look, the guy that never has his wallet is posting about how other people should pay for things. Shocker 🤣

Edited July 15, 2023 by The Wiz

[Big Turk]

4 hours ago, unbillievable said:

If a team provides a perk for all players, then it's not counted against the salary cap.

I'm surprised this hasn't been exploited by the richer team owners. I wonder if there is a handshake agreement among the clubs to not embarrass the cheaper owners.

 

Paying for first class seats, especially for the big fellas, on road trips, should be an obvious perk, but that article says they still make players sit in economy.

 

 

Don't teams charter planes? 

[Punching Bag]

21 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Don't teams charter planes? 

 

Some do and some do not; Cheaters and Cardinals had own plane(s). 

Some charters have been cancelled   

Old article: https://onemileatatime.com/nfl-charter-flights/?utm_sourcemedium=Twitter

 

There is a site which keeps track of it but it is down for maintenance.

https://jettip.net/

 

Cool Concept: Special Nike Boeing 787 For Athletes

https://onemileatatime.com/nike-boeing-787-athletes/

 

Some more articles from my search bot:

Fascinating: Miami Dolphins’ Atlas Air Boeing 747 Charters

Cool: Arizona Cardinals Acquire Former Delta Boeing 777

A Look At The New England Patriots’ Boeing 767

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Big Turk]

22 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Some do and some do not; Cheaters and Cardinals had own plane(s). 

Some charters have been cancelled   

Old article: https://onemileatatime.com/nfl-charter-flights/?utm_sourcemedium=Twitter

 

There is a site which keeps track of it but it is down for maintenance.

https://jettip.net/

 

Cool Concept: Special Nike Boeing 787 For Athletes

https://onemileatatime.com/nike-boeing-787-athletes/

 

Some more articles from my search bot:

Fascinating: Miami Dolphins’ Atlas Air Boeing 747 Charters

Cool: Arizona Cardinals Acquire Former Delta Boeing 777

A Look At The New England Patriots’ Boeing 767

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like all 31 other teams travel via charters as of Dec 30th of last year. That article that came out in 2017 that said a bunch of teams likely were going to lose their charter flights did not come to fruition.

 

 

 

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

Looks like all 31 other teams travel via charters as of Dec 30th of last year. That article that came out in 2017 that said a bunch of teams likely were going to lose their charter flights did not come to fruition.

 

 

I know it was an old article but it explained why teams may not take charters.  Latest I could find.

 

Did the Cardinals lose plane they purchased?  If not there are two that fly from private planes.

[unbillievable]

Imagine a team chartering a space plane from Elon Musk, then getting to London (or Tokyo) in an hour while their opponent takes 12 hrs.

 

 

Also some teams have private chefs that provide specific meals for every player.

[Chaos]

11 hours ago, unbillievable said:

If a team provides a perk for all players, then it's not counted against the salary cap.

I'm surprised this hasn't been exploited by the richer team owners. I wonder if there is a handshake agreement among the clubs to not embarrass the cheaper owners.

 

Paying for first class seats, especially for the big fellas, on road trips, should be an obvious perk, but that article says they still make players sit in economy.

 

Meals and first class upgrades are trivial compared to salaries and state taxes. You need to eat a lot of food to compensate for the differernce in taxes between Florida and NY for example.  No player is making his FA decision on who pays for his meals.  Separately, I am not sure how many planes have room to put an entire active roster in first class. 

[Big Turk]

6 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

I know it was an old article but it explained why teams may not take charters.  Latest I could find.

 

Did the Cardinals lose plane they purchased?  If not there are two that fly from private planes.

 

It says only the Patriots have their own plane 

[Nextmanup]

14 hours ago, unbillievable said:

If a team provides a perk for all players, then it's not counted against the salary cap.

I'm surprised this hasn't been exploited by the richer team owners. I wonder if there is a handshake agreement among the clubs to not embarrass the cheaper owners.

 

Paying for first class seats, especially for the big fellas, on road trips, should be an obvious perk, but that article says they still make players sit in economy.

 

Dude, these players aren't flying on the same airline you are! 

 

They are flying on custom layout privately booked airliners where EVERY SEAT ON THE PLANE is first class, with reclining capability and HUGE amounts of space all around and TONS of luxury amenities/materials not found on a commercial plane. 

 

Come on man.

 

 

[unbillievable]

4 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Dude, these players aren't flying on the same airline you are! 

 

They are flying on custom layout privately booked airliners where EVERY SEAT ON THE PLANE is first class, with reclining capability and HUGE amounts of space all around and TONS of luxury amenities/materials not found on a commercial plane. 

 

Come on man.

 

 

I'm reading the article cited in this thread. Some teams travel better than others. The player mentioned that some seats turn into beds, while most just recline a few inches.

 

Yes, they are probably still better than the seats we riff-raff are forced to endure.

 

7 hours ago, Chaos said:

Meals and first class upgrades are trivial compared to salaries and state taxes. You need to eat a lot of food to compensate for the differernce in taxes between Florida and NY for example.  No player is making his FA decision on who pays for his meals.  Separately, I am not sure how many planes have room to put an entire active roster in first class. 

Human nature still applies.

Culture also means how a player is treated.

If an owner treats the players like VIP's rather than employees, It can sway Free Agents to sign and those under contract to give home-team discounts.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by unbillievable