Per Field Yates, the Lions are at $31.35M under the cap through all official signings. In the past, the Lions only posted signings on their transactions page only when they were officially signed, so as of now, it likely includes all signings except Davis, Lee, Ragland and Allison. If they are vet min signings (which they probably are), that would reduce our available cap space by $550K (($887,500 - $750,000) * 4) to $30.8M. According to OverTheCap (OTC), our rookie pool is $12.75M and while we will sign all players to close to that amount, it won’t reduce our cap space by $12.75M, it’ll only reduce it by about $6.3M because draft picks in rounds 4-7 won’t qualify for the top 51 salaries and picks 1-85 will replace a player with roughly $750K cap hit. So that will put us at $24.5M. Say you need $5M for in season transactions, that still leaves you with $20M of cap space.
Now if I’m Quinn and if this year decides my fate, I’m not rolling that over to next season and I’m not using it to extend Golladay/Decker, etc (I’m using next years cap, if I’m around). I’m using those cap dollars now and try to win now to save my job, even if I have to overpay a little . . . next year doesn’t matter if I’m not around.
Maybe they are one of the teams talking with the Skins about Trent Williams, who would need a new deal to make it worthwhile to his new club. The Vikes are supposedly interested and the asking price is a second. Maybe Decker and a 4th?
Perhaps he isn’t worried about next year. Like him or hate him he has been building this thing slowly. It would be uncharacteristic of him to throw caution to the wind and blow the cap he worked to get the team from the last regime. I personally don’t think he is out next year unless it is a horrible horrible collapse.
The same guy who hoarded 20 million dollars for Martha last year? I think he is working under a totally different salary cap with the cheap ass Ford family.
Think about it. He took the team into the season last year with 20 million dollars of unspent money, yet still didn’t have a backup QB or a backup RB for 2 guys who were hurt the prior year! How does that make any sense?
We went from 6 wins to 3 wins and we are still sitting on unspent money and haven’t even attempted to address the team’s biggest need.
Again, the only way this would make a bit of sense is if we draft Tua, then trade Stafford and use that cap space to eat the hit that comes with trading Stafford. Not saying I want that or that Quinn is capable or allowed to pull that off, but it is the only thing that makes any sense right now.
The Ford’s are not cheap, never have been, probably never will. Since the salary cap era, they have spent every dollar that they have been allowed to spend. You can definitely make a case for incompetent, but not cheap.
The Lions already have $53M contracted dollars allocated to future years than if they would have done a straight-line amortization of player contracts (i.e. they have backloaded contracts, which means they have spent above the salary cap limits). Now maybe backloading contracts and carrying over cap dollars is a way for Quinn to keep the lions on budget (or not too far over budget).
Either way, my point is if I’ve been told to win now . . . I’d be a little more aggressive with cap. And maybe Quinn is holding out for the right one at the right price.
Either way, the Ford’s are not cheap, that is just inaccurate.
LOL… The Ford family has always been cheap and lazy. They always hire cheap, inexperienced head coaches and GMs. Guys with no track record who do not demand top dollar. We then keep those fools around, because the cheap, lazy Fords do not want to fire them and pay 2 administrations at the same time. This has been going on for decades. How did you miss that?
And yes, last year hoarding 20 million dollars while not filling the QB or RB position prior to the season is another glaring example of how cheap and lazy they are.
Any legit owner who isn’t cheap, would have never hired Bob Quinn or allowed the hiring of Matt P.
Any legit owner who isn’t cheap would have fired Bob Quinn after year 2 and Matt Patricia after year 2.
It took fans to stage a “Millen Man March” and the entire nation to laugh at the Fords before canning Mooch.
I am not saying nobody has been fired with time on their contract, but you would be lying to yourself if you don’t think everyone here has gotten at least an extra year or 2 longer than they should, simply because of money.
Why the F would Quinn or Patricia still be here if that weren’t the case??? Because they have proven to be on the right track?? LOL. Because they have control of the locker room?? LOLOLOL. Because everyone is on the same page? LOL. Because they have put several key pieces on the team to build around? NOPE.
Because they don’t want to pay them and a new regime for any longer than they have to and because they have a lot of fans like you who defend their ineptitude.
You’re taking the L on this one. Seriously. They are clearly more patient than anyone, but the assertion that they are cheap is baseless. Inept? Sure. Losers? Yep. Deserving of your ire? Absolutely. Cheap? Let that one go.
