Bucs Among 11 With $20 Million+ Available
August 3rd, 2011
By now most fans have learned there’s no salary cap floor in 2011. So the Bucs don’t have to spend another nickel in free agency this year. But with hundreds of players unsigned and hopefully Tim Crowder and Cadillac Williams still on their radar, Joe hopes they will.
So how far under the cap are the Bucs? Mike Florio, creator and curator of ProFootballTalk.com, says the Bucs join 10 other teams that are $20 million or more under the new cap.
Leading the way are the Bengals, with more than $41 million in cap room. The Jaguars have more than $34 million.
And the bronze goes, surprisingly, to the Browns, with more than $30.4 million.
The others are: the Buccaneers (more than $30.2 million); the 49ers (more than $30.0 million); the Chiefs (more than $28.7 million); the Broncos (more than $26.7 million); the Bills (more than $26.5 million); the Bears (more than $24 million); the Cardinals (more than $23.6 million); and the Seahawks (more than $21.2 million).
Joe reached out to Florio, who said the data is good through Monday night. The likely $1 million and change the Bucs are paying Adam Hayward in 2011, may or may not be included. Hayward signed Monday.
Joe knows some fans are surprised because they expected the Bucs to be sitting at rock bottom of this list. And Joe knows some fans are enraged that the Bucs are even on this list. Though calling the Seahawks a playoff team still sickens Joe, 25 percent of the NFL playoff teams are listed, which is worth noting.
Joe’s not an accountant, and Joe’s not excited by salary cap data, especially if there’s no floor and Rachel Watson isn’t sharing a spreadsheet with Joe in a hot tub. If there were a floor, then it would at least be somewhat interesting calculating how the Bucs would be forced to add to the roster or restructure contracts.
Winning in the NFL isn’t tied to payroll.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:07 am
They are $200,00 out of third from the bottom after paying DJ’s bonus and having signed all draft picks. I dont think that Cincy has signed all draft picks yet.
Also, $ will start coming off as the team gets down to 53 we will see where they end up – undoubtedly it will be at or near the bottom.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:17 am
Who cares, as long as we win. I love the guys we have, GO BUCS!!!!!
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:28 am
Who’s the smarter owner…the guy who spends wisely and gets 10 wins with huge profit margin, or the guy who spends everything he has (cap-wise) and only gets 5 or 6 wins? You tell me.
2.2 and others who hate the Glazers need to be realists. Nothing wrong with learning from past mistakes in free agency, learning from owners like Snyder & Jones who get very little bang for their buck, and following a smarter fiscal policy of building through the draft and keeping your own core players through most or all of their career.
Some folks just need to get over it, because it’s not changing anytime soon. And it doesn’t need to change, either.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:41 am
100% agree, Joe.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:58 am
To dispel the myth: Only 3 (KC, Seattle and Philly – all over 70 million) out of 12 teams with payrolls under 100 million made the playoffs last year. Philly is well over 100 million now; The bucs had 59 million, horribly low:
The Super Bowl Champs GB: 130 million – 2nd Highest (more than double the bucs):
NFL Team Salaries 2011, Total NFL Payroll 2011 as of lockout:
NFL Arizona Team Salaries $ 83 million
NFL Atlanta Team Salaries $ 102.1 million (Playoffs)
NFL Baltimore Team Salaries $ 101.3 million (Playoffs)
NFL Buffalo Team Salaries $ 96.4 million
NFL Carolina Team Salaries $ 73 million
NFL Chicago Team Salaries $ 104.9 million (NFC Championship Game)
NFL Cincinnati Team Salaries $ 90.7 million
NFL Cleveland Team Salaries $ 99.2 million
NFL Dallas Team Salaries $ 136.6 million (Lost starting QB)
NFL Denver Team Salaries $ 125 million
NFL Detroit Team Salaries $ 113.8 million
NFL Green Bay Team Salaries $ 129.8 million (Super Bowl Winner)
NFL Houston Team Salaries $ 118.4 million
NFL Indianapolis Team Salaries $ 115.5 million (Playoffs)
NFL Jacksonville Team Salaries $ 78.1 million
NFL Kansas City Team Salaries $ 74.7 million (Chiefs)
NFL Miami Team Salaries $ 103.1 million
NFL Minnesota Team Salaries $ 108.4 million
NFL New England Team Salaries $ 102.3 million (Playoffs)
NFL New Orleans Team Salaries $ 105.2 million (Playoffs)
NFL New York Giants Team Salaries $ 126.3 million
NFL New York Jets Team Salaries $ 128.5 million (Playoffs)
NFL Oakland Team Salaries $ 85.8 million
NFL Philadelphia Team Salaries $ 80.8 million (Playoffs)
NFL Pittsburgh Team Salaries $ 116 million (Playoffs)
NFL San Diego Team Salaries $ 85.8 million
NFL San Francisco Team Salaries $ 100.9 million
NFL Seattle Team Salaries $ 81.1 million (Seattle)
NFL St. Louis Team Salaries $ 102.4 million
NFL Tampa Bay Team Salaries $ 59.7 million
NFL Tennessee Team Salaries $ 107.4 million
NFL Washington Team Salaries $ 115.2 million
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:05 am
I am a little confused. Are they 20 mil under the salary floor or the salary cap?
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:20 am
The Bucs came one game away from making the playoffs last year, Thomas. If not for two bad calls by the refs, they would have made them.
So that shoots your theory down into the mud. A team SHOULD have made it with just a $59 mill salary.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:28 am
Pete:
The bucs were gifted three or 4 wins – as an example the Botched extra point by the Redskins. The decision to start Max Hall (who?) by the Cards. Catching the Browns with Delhomme and not McCoy, catching the 49ers with Troy Smith and not Alex, catching the Seahawks with Charlie the Worst Whitehurst after Hasselbeck just easily scored against the bucs weak D, catching the Rams early before Bradford got comfortable.
Had the schedule unfolded differently (not just the teams they played but if those teams had the best qb’s healthy and playing) it would have made a big difference.
Some of you sheep argue that the points allowed wasn’t that bad, that is because the schedule gave them inept QB’s in more than 1/2 of the games. Yes, 2nd and 3rd string qb’s do effect Points Allowed kids – in almost every case. When Maning went out of the Colts game, they were moving backwards.
So, you can look at things through rose-colored lenses if you want, but the facts are the facts, the bucs drew an amazingly soft and favorable schedule last year – even getting NO when they could not improve their playoff seeding in week 16, so the pull Brees in a winnable game.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:52 am
I am ok with this building process as long as they do as they promised and keep these guys together. We have 2 potentially big stars in Blount and Mike Williams with short term bargain basement contracts. They will need to be rewarded with big contracts very soon. And by next year, we have to lock up Josh Freeman for the long haul.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Thomas 2.2 do you ever make any sense. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Shut up. Since you are so into facts, the fact of the matter is that we went 10-6. That’s the record, that’s a fact, everything else is speculation. Speculation doesn’t get you to the superbowl, wins do. We had 10. I like how you mention the games we won. How about the ones we didn’t. Detroit refs don’t screw up a call we win. Baltimore, Cody Grimm doesn’t get hurt we have a chance to win. Atlanta, Blount cuts the the other way we win. 2nd atlanta game, stovall makes a tackle, we win. That accounts for the 3-4 games that the luck went our way, but like I said it’s all speculation, so it means nothing. I don’t care if we are at the top of the cap or the bottom as long as we win games, the team continues to play with heart, play hard, and eventually get to the superbowl. You are entitled to your opinion, but keep in mind when a person’s opinions always resonate with negativity they become dismissed as such.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
The cap floor was made for teams like the Bucs. Unfortunately it does not take effect until next year. The Gazers are not going to come off any money until then. You cannot win with a team of all rookies. It never happens. Businesses that thrive have the lowest percentage of turnover.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:53 pm
MTM…They won 10 games last year with a bunch of rookies…
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Thomas, next time you cut and paste, could you do it to your mouth….. and hands.
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
They finished 3rd in the div with kids.
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:55 pm
McBuc the object is not to win 10 games and go home. It is to win the Super Bowl. To improve every year not clean house every year. I don’t blame Dom or Rah for the Bucs not doing anything in free agency. Its the owners that don’t want to spend on FA’s because there is no cap floor this year.
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I am suprised they decided not to have a salary floor this year. I posted early that I thought they would make the salaray floor this year something like 80-85% of the salary cap to give the teams way down the list the chance to gradually come up without just spending like crazy with no real plan.
Regardless, the Bucs are developing there own and it shows all the signs of working so far. So why people are screaming to spend, spend, spend is beyond me.
Those people obvioously know nothing about running a business.
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:45 pm
G’Boyz got it right…
keep your powder dry….
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Joe Thomas FA in 2013…jus sayin
August 3rd, 2011 at 6:36 pm
MTM, and they improved from three wins. 9 out of 10 seasons 10 wins gets you in. If the Lion,s game bounced the other way, Green Bay would have sat home. They have not even practiced for an entire week, and you say they have not improved. Evryone expected either graham or Caddy to be gone, and 98% of fans wanted Ruud to be gone…How is it “cleaning house” when two vets are let walk? Of course the goal is to win the SB, but you play one game at a time. If they drop to 3-13 you have a point, but that remains to be seen.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:05 pm
McBuc- I must not be drinking the Kool-Aid you are. I am glad that your so positive that no veteran FA’s and a large amount of rookies is a recipe for more success and Ruud leaving is a good thing. caddy leaving no sure about that move.
August 4th, 2011 at 8:59 am
MTM…Not what I said, but it is what it is. I was one that supported Ruud, check the last month of posts. I am also a huge fan of C. Williams, but we all knew they would either keep him or EG. I think both would have been better, and it would have been doable based on the Ram’s contract. I think it was either BamBam or Hawaiian Buc that sais maybe Caddy wanted to go where he would have more touches. Since graham is not playing FB, he would have taken the spot from Williams…maybe…I think the loss of Ruud is greater than the loss of Caddy, but I still would not call it cleaning house. If they let Joseph go and cut Penn, that would be more like cleaning house…We still have vets on both sides of the ball, just not too many. I would have liked a vet DE in FA, but it probably will not happen. The new DL coach is going to make a huge difference, let’s just hope it happens fast. I am upbeat about the Bucs, every year since I was a kid. I was born and raised here, so I have seen it akll with the Bucs. These owners are way better then Culerhouse…anyone who tells you different either does is too young or too old to remember. Anyway, I hope you can enjoy some koolade once the season starts…I hope we all can.