I keep hearing many of the beat reporters saying we have cap space to work in UFA. Is that true?
Field Yates just announced the total cap space for the NFL teams, this includes carryover from 2022 plus year end adjustments (reconciliation of injury settlements, incentives, etc). The Lions are at $227,209,702.
2023 Base Bap
224,800,000
Cap Adjustments
(262,400)
Carried Over from 2022
2,672,102
227,209,702
Jason has us at $215,236,309 for player cap charges, draft picks and dead cap. This would give about $12M of cap space, if we account for signing all of our ERFA, we’d be about $11.3M under the cap. We’ll need about $3.5M of cap space for the practice squad, we’ll need another at least $5M to account for in season moves and injuries, another $900K for off season workout bonuses. Add two more players to go from 51 players to the full 53 $1,740,000 ($870K *2)
So if we look at a true 2023 Budget, we’ll have $160K to spend in UFA.
We will create space through restructures (Decker, Ragnow), Pay cuts/out right cuts (Romeo, Vaitai, C Harris), extensions (Jonah, Goff), but despite what I’ve heard virtually every beat reporter say . . . we don’t have much cap space entering UFA.
I’m saying if we make no moves other than re-signing all 7 of our ERFA’s (no restructures, extensions or UFA signings). We draft and sign our rookie class, we’ll have about $5M of cap space on 09/11/23 when we start the first game and typically we’ll need about $5M to cover injuries and in season moves.
I don’t know why I’m struggling to see this…I’m seeing we should have ~7 million in cap space after rookie class and before any restructures. That is without signing our ERFAs though.
It doesn’t seem accurate but I definitely defer to you on this subject.
Edit
Lol nvm I’m basically in the ballpark here. I had to go back and read it again…my bad!
We know that number is just a number Look what Saints just agreed to with Carr an they are still over the cap. I like how Lions are being careful with Cap an not throwing money around. They can sign anyone they want but like Holmes said not going to be big splashes.
This is why i dont want to sign anyone other than our guys and some cheap prove it deals. I do not want to mortgage the future. I want money to pay our expensive OL and awesome draft picks. Reward our own. Show loyalty to those who earn it. Not outsiders. I want to build a loyal army of men who wants to play their whole careers here. Continuity.
Only the top 51 count against the cap, no? The practice squad doesn’t count as far as I know.
I tried to figure it out earlier this offseason. In terms of spending money it should be in the region of $20-$40 million depending on contract restructures and cuts. It’s also possible to structure deals with void years and low cap hits in 2023.
I think the easiest way to gague it is by comparing the Lions’ cap space with other teams. We sit in the middle of the pack in terms of cap space, and if cap strapped teams can spend then so can we.
He is already factoring in costs that have not happened. For example, costs of signing all the draft picks where we currently pick. Once the season starts, everything counts against the cap. That means, 53 man roster, practice squad, dead money, and anybody on IR.
We will likely create another. I would expect a minimum of 10mil to be cleared in cuts/pay cuts and another 10-15mil in restructuring Decker and Ragnow. Gives us roughly 25mil or so to spend on resignings and any FAs. You can do more than you think with 10mil as contracts are typically backloaded and every signing knocks the lowest paid guy off the roster.
Yes, only the top 51 right now counts and the PS doesn’t count until the start of the season, then it will be $3.3M at a minimum and $4.9M at a max.
I’m just looking at it as a budget.
Even without making any moves before UFA, we will be able to sign players and we will.
Then come May/June, we will restructure (Decker/Ragnow) to free up cap space to sign draft picks.
Then before the start of the year, we will extend Goff of someone else (or restructure/cut Romeo/Vaitai) to free up cap space for the season.
My whole point was even though OTC has us at $22M under the cap, if we did one UFA move (say re-signed Cominsky for $4M for one year), at some point this year we will need to do something to free up some cap space.
PS - $3.5M
In-Season $5M
Workout $900K
Rookies $7.5M
ERFA’s $3.75M (only 47 players under contract . . . gets us to top 51 $940K*4)
From Top 51 to 53 Man - $1.75M
You’re December analysis of cap space is a decent one. We were at $27 with 36 players, now we are at $22 with 47 players (signed 12 ($750K-$940K), cut Brockers saving $10M). Personally, I’d restructure Ragnow 1st, but I wouldn’t have an issue restructuring Decker if more cap space is needed.
Even though we have no cap space when you budget all costs for 2023, I still think we will sign in excess of $40M APY of contracts and backload, restructure, extend or other to borrow money from the future to cover current salary cap costs.
I did not know the practice squad counted towards the cap. I assumed it was only for the top 51.
Couple questions about restructuring contracts (Ragnow - Decker):
Restructure’s usually involve taking the ‘base salary’ and converting into a prorated bonus over the remaining years? Is that correct and are there any other types of ‘restructures’ that teams use?
Is there a general number or % that teams use when restructuring? %50—%75—%90 of the base salary? Or does it vary from team to team (player to player)?
Does the prorated bonus apply for void years on a contract? Would a restructuring of Decker’s contract add more to his void year in 2025?
Most of the time when doing simple restructures, the team will take all money due to a player drop the base to the vet minimum (slightly more than $1M) and bonus the rest out (spread it ratably over the remaining years on the contract).
Almost all restructures involve bonusing out everything but the minimum salary. The one team that I’ve notice that is the exception? The Lions. When they restructured Decker in 2022, they bonused only $6M and left his base at $8.75M. With Goff they bonused $20M in 2021 and left his base at $5.65M.
When the Lions restructure Ragnow and/or Decker this year, I expect them to do as much as they can, definitely on the first and probably on the 2nd restructure.
To sum things up. If we want to spend 40mil aav this off season we have to restructure (steal 20-25 mil from future caps), cut players or ask for pay cuts (big V and ROK), and back load some of the new contracts (which is also basically stealing from the future as well). It can be done and is done often. It will affect our ability to sign all of the stars we are drafting and keep this OLine intact. But choose your poison. I get it that the cap will go up… but not fast enough to pay everyone. So reward outsiders or save for our own.
The carry over cap function is something not enough NFL GM’s take advantage of. There’s a real opportunity there for bad teams in the midst of a rebuild, imo.
