Is There Any Money Left?
March 13th, 2014
The Bucs have been spending furiously since the free agency bell rang
The Bucs have rolled out six significant free-agent signings in the past two days. Add up roughly the annual pay of starting quarterback Josh McCown, new left tackle Anthony Collins, Michael Johnson, Alterraun Verner, Brandon Myers and Clinton McDonald, and you’re looking at about $31 million.
The Bucs entered free agency with roughly $25 million in 2014 salary cap room following Saturday’s cutting of Davin Joseph.
Releasing all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis added $16 million to the mix, and the ousting of Donald Penn today added another $7 million.
Do the math and the that’s about $17 million still available. However, the Bucs did re-sign Eric Page, Jamon Meredith, Jonathan Casillas and Danny Gorrer. So subtract at least $3 million right there, plus the Bucs still have their draft picks to sign and need to fill lots of bottom-of-the-roster holes.
There’s not a lot of cash left for a major signing.
Joe asked general manager Jason Licht whether he had room now to ink another significant free agent like he had today in Collins. Licht was a little vague, saying he and Lovie can reach their goals.
Digging a little deeper around One Buc Palace, the Bucs can still make major moves, but they would require additional roster shuffling. Keep in mind there’s still a very expensive punter on the team.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
Im thinking we sign Alex Mack next
March 13th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
I guess Lorig is not coming back
March 13th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
We make a more cuts-Looks like we have around $20 million lift over
March 13th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Yeah not bringing Lorig back would be pretty dumb. If you watched in recent years you know how good a FB he is.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Alex mack (WOULD BE AWESOME)….but way to expensive for us. Browns have the money to match anyone! Its gonna be Emanuel sanders or nobody else IMO
March 13th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Alex mack for carl nicks easy!
March 13th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Loris has been signed by another team
March 13th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Michael Koenen needs to go, I’m somewhat surprised that he’s still on the roster, but for a punter who’s best asset is booting the ball out of the endzone on most kickoffs, the team could do a lot better for a third of the price. Zuttah could be a cap casualty, but I’m thinking he’ll slide over to replace Davin at RG, unless another guard is picked up in the coming weeks. Goldson and Nicks will be here for at least one more season, with Nicks possibly sticking around longer if he can ever return to form (I’m not holding my breath, sadly).
If the Bucs land Emmanuel Sanders or another top wideout, I could easily see Mike Williams being kicked to the curb. It’s a shame, as I’ve been a big time supporter of the guy, but he’s been acting like a clown as of late, and there is no place for that behavior on this team.
For those of you that pay attention to my comments, I’ve often stated that I live in Buffalo, NY. I’m not going to divulge any personal details, but my brother is friends with the brother of Mike Williams, they used to play ball together quite a bit. From what he’s shared with me, I regret to say that Mike has been acting pretty wild for a few years now. Nothing illegal or anything, but let’s just say he’s definitely living the life of a young man in his 20’s who has money to spend (again, nothing wrong with that, but you have to limit yourself). I really hope he puts it together and gets a chance to show Lovie that he still has the goods, because he would be nasty in the slot with VJax and a guy like Sanders lining up with him. We’ll see what happens.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Can’t teams go over the cap when it comes to signing rookies? Thought that was part of the newest CBA.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:26 pm
There will be more cuts, almost certainly. They’ll probably use the draft to nab a few guys they like, then move quickly on two or three veterans by releasing them and ultimately end up just shy of 20 million under the cap.
The Bucs will go into the season closer to the salary floor than a majority of teams, and probably in the bottom ten in spending. It’s what they.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:27 pm
*are
March 13th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
I would think the remaining cap space will depend on the structure of the new contracts and their related cap hit for 2014. There might be more or less cap room than what’s on the surface. It will be interesting to see how the contracts are structured this year and future years to see how good Licht is at managing the cap.
March 13th, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Plus we need $$ to resign GMC
March 13th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Lion: I’m pretty sure GMC’s next contract won’t be a lot morw than his current cap hit because he signed his rookie deal under the old CBA where rookies made a lot of money especially number 3 overall picks
March 13th, 2014 at 4:55 pm
GMC’s total number against the cap this year is $15,627,253. I hope it doesnt cost any more than that to lock him up
March 13th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
If the Buc extends GMC, they will gain cap space. His 2014 cap hit is over 13mil.
March 13th, 2014 at 5:00 pm
@james
Who has Lorig signed with? Link?
Would be a real shame to see him go, versatile, has developed very quickly into a solid blocker, and a real asset in the run game. Plus, only two years into his career at fullback, plenty more improvement expected.
March 13th, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Licht just told Joe to tend to his business! Lol.
March 13th, 2014 at 5:05 pm
If there’s any more room for one more major signing i would love for us to get Vince Wilfork. Tired of NE always taking our old players, let’s take some of theirs lol.
March 13th, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Joe, the details of Verner, Johnson, and Mcdonald contracts have been released and they show a slight front-loading in the first year. Taking this into consideration we have around $ 11.17 million left (this assumes Collins’ contract is also slightly front-loaded). Draft picks will cost 2.9 million in cap space, so we are looking at 8.27 million. Cutting Koennen and either Stocker/Crabtree would give us an additional 4 million in space.
March 13th, 2014 at 5:10 pm
Stop trying to account for cap space as though it’s arithmetic. If you are attempting to keep a running total, as I’ve seen some do, by adding the total annual contract amounts awarded to each player signed and subtracting that total from a published cap number, you aren’t even close.
Excuse me, considering all that’s available now is the salaries, then that’s all we have to work with. Joe did not present the numbers as exact, and Joe rounded this out with pesrpective from Licht and with good info. from a source at One Buc.–Joe
Because contracts may have signing bonuses, roster bonuses and other devices like LTBEs (likely to be earned incentives), unless you know how the Bucs have decided to book them it is impossible to determine if it goes against the cap this year or has been spread out over the life of the contract. There are multiple ways to play tricks with the cap. It’s called creating cap space out of thin air! The Bucs know what they are doing!
March 13th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Yes DITCH THE PUNTER…..I think we can find someone to kick a football a few times a game for less money. Great thinking!!!!
March 13th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
I hope they’re not gonna string out the signing of GMC and LD.
March 13th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
I’d say Stocker or Crabtree are cut before Koennen. Lovie puts special teams on high priority and Barth/Keonnen are legit for FGs, punts and Kickoffs. Defensive minded coach will always have field position and field goals in mind.
March 13th, 2014 at 6:07 pm
Sorry Joe, My post should not be taken as a personal affront. You’re right. If you’re not Mike Greenberg, Buc capologist, it is the only way to get a reasonable idea of where cap space sits at any one point in time.
However, my point stands. We actually have no accurate indication of what that balance is and understandably, the Bucs don’t want you to. How do you expect for potential signees to be interested in visiting a team perceived to have no money?
I do get your point though. Some things are better understood and left unsaid. I will keep that in mind. I hope you have a nice day!
March 13th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
And I hate our new logo. Looks terrible on TV. Our old one was better.
March 13th, 2014 at 6:34 pm
“There’s a lot of flexibility with the cap,”
“It’s really like everyday life, where you have your budget that you have to live with, but you also have your credit cards that give you some room.”
While some view the cap as an elastic budget, others say it comes down to a team’s particular patience
-Ed McGuire, resident cap guru and vice president of football operations for the Chargers-
Lovies words☺
“We need to get our new general manager in here, but just as a general rule, you know there’s a reason why there is a salary cap. And we want to use all of our resources to get as many good football players in here. It’s kind of as simple as that,” Lovie says.
“We want to be right up; we don’t want to have a lot of money in reserves. No one does. I mean you want to use money to get as many good football players. And it takes money to get good football players in here. So that’s our approach.”
Lovie went on to say he looks forward to impressing potential free agents with first-class facilities, premium pay and doing everything “top of the line.”
March 13th, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Probably bargain shopping and will also cut Koenen. Barth has been booming kicks, so he might be safe. That’s why Lindell was cut. Hopefully pick up depth at guard, wr, and cb for under 1m each.
March 13th, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Overthecap.com
Teams can now carry over cap dollars.
An addition implemented in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, teams can now roll over unused cap space from one year to the next.
Teams must adjust their books based on past player performance.
NFL contracts include Likely To Be Earned (LTBE) bonuses as well as Not Likely To Be Earned (NLTBE) bonuses. LTBE bonuses count against the cap for a given league year; NLTBE bonuses don’t. If a LTBE is not earned, teams are credited cap space for the next year. If a NLTBE bonus is earned, cap space is subtracted.
2013 was the beginning of the newly implemented “minimum spending requirement.”
Another addition to the most recent CBA, the minimum spending requirement says that the amount of cash that teams spend must be at least 89% of the total salary cap from 2013-2016. Teams can spend less than 89% in one given season, but the cumulative spending from 2013-2016 must be at least 89%.
Now let’s examine where each NFL team stands as free agency begins, ranked in order of available salary cap room.
March 13th, 2014 at 6:44 pm
LTBE bonuses count against the cap for a given league year; NLTBE bonuses don’t
March 13th, 2014 at 7:40 pm
Emmanuel Sanders, come on down bro. That would give us a NICE set of wideouts.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:05 pm
Get Hester , Tillman and the center… All will be good. We don’t have many picks in draft so not much to shell out. Cut zuttah offset center signing so that’s only 2 more players.. Resign GMC and you free up more.
March 13th, 2014 at 8:21 pm
I’ve read we have about $11.5…
March 13th, 2014 at 9:27 pm
About $11.5 seems right. About $14 now, not including $3 million or so [from http://overthecap.com/initial-nfl-rookie-pool-estimates/%5D for 2014 draft picks.
March 13th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
We should go after Steve Smith. He’s still fast (speed in space) and you know he would love the chance to stick it to Carolina twice a year
March 13th, 2014 at 10:03 pm
I just want Emanuel Sanders, Dietrich-Smith, and Tillman. After that we have all the holes filled and we can close it down and get ready for the Draft. Pick the BPA at each round especially in the first 3 rounds (now that we have our 3rd rounder back) and lets see what kind of product Lovie & Lihte can put on the field in their first year.
Go Bucs
March 13th, 2014 at 10:11 pm
Our punter is better than he has been used. He has long kickoffs which is good. He also has a big foot but for some reason the old regime wasted his talents and had him directional kicking…could have gotten a cheaper punter to do that. If they keep him I hope they let him earn his big money.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:27 pm
thegregwitul Says
“Michael Koenen needs to go…”
Are you out of your freaking mind???????? Loenen is one of the best punters in the league!
AND, it would save us no money to boot, because this year is guaranteed (I think).
OMG, you people think we can cut anyone we want and just keep signing players???
Let me ask you something. What if out new injury prone Tackle gets put on IR. Who will start in his place then? Don’t believe for a second that he won’t get injured, because he has every season and Tampa is a magnet for injuries.
Our punter and kicker should be completely safe as is. It took forever to find good ones, and we got a glimpse last year of how easy it is to find a bad kicker. We went through the same thing trying to find a punter before that.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:27 pm
Koenen I meant.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Okay, I was wrong about his dead money, there is none. And his Salary is $3,250,000.
Still, it is well worth it. I would rather have the other teams on the 20 then taking one back for a TD.
And you don’t know. Schiano could have issued a directive to kick everything out of bounds.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:32 pm
Tomorrow I might post all the players and the dead money if cut.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:54 pm
Decided to do it now. Dead Money applies if cut.
Vincent Jackson Cap Hit if Kept 12,432,000
Dead Money if cut 7,296,000
Carl Nicks Cap Hit if Kept 9,357,000
Dead Money if cut 7,071,000
Gerald McCoy Cap Hit if Kept 15,627,253
Dead Money if cut 5,190,000
Dashon Goldson Cap Hit if Kept 9,000,000
Dead Money if cut 9,000,000
Mark Barron Cap Hit if Kept 3,945,273
Dead Money if cut 8,547,546
Mike Williams Cap Hit if Kept 1,800,000
Dead Money if cut 6,400,000
Adrian Clayborn Cap Hit if Kept 2,612,325
Dead Money if cut 2,612,325
Jeremy Zuttah Cap Hit if Kept 4,500,000
Dead Money if cut 0.00
Da.Quan Bowers Cap Hit if Kept 1,226,793
Dead Money if cut 326,025
Mason Foster Cap Hit if Kept 1,520,250
Dead Money if cut 131,250
Lavonte David Cap Hit if Kept 946,836 (FA in 2016)
Dead Money if cut 482,448
Akeen Spence Cap Hit if Kept 616,071
Dead Money if cut 363,213
Tom Crabtree Cap Hit if Kept 825,000
Dead Money if cut 0.00
March 13th, 2014 at 11:55 pm
It’s not all the players, but the others make so little they were not worth adding. Most of them below 1-2 mill.
March 13th, 2014 at 11:56 pm
Except our punter and kicker of course. I mentioned the punter above.
Conner Barth makes 2,000,000 and there would be no dead money if he were cut.
Hopefully that will not be the case.
March 14th, 2014 at 6:11 am
I’m thinking we have around 15 million thanks to link:
http://overthecap.com/nfl-cap-space.php?Year=2014 (Data is not current. –Joe)
With the way things going KC may want save some money for rookies so bucs will hopefully sign sanders, who made 2.5 Mil last season. then work to sign cb Walter Thurmond Seattle who made roughly 750 g’s last season. And the bucs will look to make a deal with GB center Evan deitrich-smith who made 1.3 mil last season. All of who will probably looking for more money in the 2014 season. Combined they total roughly 4.6 mil
Bucs should sign sanders To a contract that will give sanders around 4mil just give KC a tough contract to match and land thurmond a deal that gives him around 2.5 mil in 2014 and lastly sign Evan around 2mil in 2014 allowing all players for chance at more money and only costing 8.5 million in damages to cap room, leave out about 5million for rookies leaving about 2.75 mil in cap room enough to grab a decent tackle or gaurd plus I saw a mock draft that had LB khaki mack and WR cooks with QB Brett smith. Bugs looking good and set for next season. But khali mack is taken then we should shoot for Watkins for slot or get Mike Evans and make him a tight end. Anyways just my 2sense thanks for reading.