Steelers Can Be 29 Million UNDER the cap with Four Moves

[Craic]

Assuming a $182,040,611 cap, the first move, which several of you would rejoice over, is cutting Mike Mitchell. While I'm not sure it is the smartest move, it would move the cap (before signing any players) from $2,697,525 to $7,697,525. The second move is restructuring Ben's contract. A 10 Mill restructure puts us at $15,690,025 (then, we extend him one year like he would like and spread that cap number over the following year). We also restructure Haden's contract, then extend it the following year for one year, if not two depending on how he is playing. That puts us at 20,232,525. So, where do I get the final 8.5 million? Sadly, it comes from Shazier. As long as he is cut before the first day of the League year, the Steelers do not pay any of his fifth year salary. That puts us $28,950,525 under the cap.

Do note that is restructuring the maximum allowed.

Now, should we do it? Will we do it? Those are different questions. (EDIT - and I'm not suggesting we do it. Instead, just the possibility that it can be done).

[AtlantaDan]

Assuming a $182,040,611 cap, the first move, which several of you would rejoice over, is cutting Mike Mitchell. While I'm not sure it is the smartest move, it would move the cap (before signing any players) from $2,697,525 to $7,697,525. The second move is restructuring Ben's contract. A 10 Mill restructure puts us at $15,690,025 (then, we extend him one year like he would like and spread that cap number over the following year). We also restructure Haden's contract, then extend it the following year for one year, if not two depending on how he is playing. That puts us at 20,232,525. So, where do I get the final 8.5 million? Sadly, it comes from Shazier. As long as he is cut before the first day of the League year, the Steelers do not pay any of his fifth year salary. That puts us $28,950,525 under the cap.

Do note that is restructuring the maximum allowed.

Now, should we do it? Will we do it? Those are different questions. (EDIT - and I'm not suggesting we do it. Instead, just the possibility that it can be done).

I thought when Shazier's fifth year option for the 2018 season was picked up in early 2017 it was guaranteed for injury?

When a team exercises the option, it becomes guaranteed for injury only. If the player is on the team’s opening-day Active/Inactive roster of the option year, his salary becomes fully guaranteed for skill, cap and injury.

https://frontofficefootball.wordpres...h-year-option/

[steelreserve]

So, where do I get the final 8.5 million? Sadly, it comes from Shazier. As long as he is cut before the first day of the League year, the Steelers do not pay any of his fifth year salary. That puts us $28,950,525 under the cap.

Unfortunately, I don't think we could do that even if we wanted. Fifth-year options are fully guaranteed in case of injury (one reason why you have to exercise them a full season in advance). So - I think, at least - he's on the books for almost $9 million no matter what.

But I can't remember a situation like this ever happening before, where a guy suffered a potential career-ending injury AFTER the option was exercised but before the fifth year started. So there could be something about it that I don't know.

This is one reason why I was wondering in another thread if it was technically within the rules to "extend" Shazier (say we paid him the same $9 million, but as a four-year minimum contract with a $7 million signing bonus to spread out the cap hit), knowing full well he wasn't going to ever play again. And if by some miracle he did come back, just tear that deal up and sign him to a different contract. So far I have heard nothing at all about whether that would fly.

[AtlantaDan]

Unfortunately, I don't think we could do that even if we wanted. Fifth-year options are fully guaranteed in case of injury (one reason why you have to exercise them a full season in advance). So - I think, at least - he's on the books for almost $9 million no matter what.

But I can't remember a situation like this ever happening before, where a guy suffered a potential career-ending injury AFTER the option was exercised but before the fifth year started. So there could be something about it that I don't know.

This is one reason why I was wondering in another thread if it was technically within the rules to "extend" Shazier (say we paid him the same $9 million, but as a four-year minimum contract with a $7 million signing bonus to spread out the cap hit), knowing full well he wasn't going to ever play again. And if by some miracle he did come back, just tear that deal up and sign him to a different contract. So far I have heard nothing at all about whether that would fly.

"Extending" Shazier would seem to allow games to be played with the cap whenever the team wants to get out from under a particular hit for dead money after a player is no longer on the roster - but the Steelers presumably are looking into how to work around what currently is $8 million in dead money under the cap

[steelreserve]

"Extending" Shazier would seem to allow games to be played with the cap whenever the team wants to get out from under a particular hit for dead money after a player is no longer on the roster - but the Steelers presumably are looking into how to work around what currently is $8 million in dead money under the cap

Well, normally you can't do that kind of extension because the guy is either retiring, in which case it's treated as a release, or still playing, in which case he'll want to be paid normally. Or playing for another team, in which case anything you paid him automatically gets moved forward.

You don't often see a situation in which a guy has this type of uncertain future (could legitimately recover in a matter of months, could legitimately be on PUP/IR for 2-3 years, or he could not come back at all) AND he has a guaranteed contract, AND it's for one year, AND it's a cap problem, AND it's a player you'd absolutely want to keep if he takes longer than a year to come back.

I could see it happening and being framed in either of those two ways. Either that we're uncertain if the injury is actually career-ending, which is true ... or that we'd want to retain his rights in the event that he comes back but it takes longer than a year, which I think is also true. As it is, he'd be an unrestricted free agent after next season. So simply redistributing the money so that he gets the same amount no matter what, but can renegotiate it if he actually plays - perhaps by having a series of player options - would seem to be in everyone's best interest.

So I guess I can see how it *OUGHT* to be possible, but just as likely as not there's a rule against it.

[Craic]

Unfortunately, I don't think we could do that even if we wanted. Fifth-year options are fully guaranteed in case of injury (one reason why you have to exercise them a full season in advance).

See, that's what I thought. However, the caveat is they're fully guaranteed only if the player is on the roster (including IR) on opening day. Then, at any point during that year he is injured, he is still guaranteed the money, even if he's injured walking into the huddle before the first snap.

When a team exercises the option, it becomes guaranteed for injury only. If the player is on the team’s opening-day Active/Inactive roster for the option year, his salary becomes fully guaranteed for skill, cap, and injury.

http://theramshuddle.com/topic/nfl-c...h-year-option/

As such, his 2018 salary will not count against the cap if he is not on the opening day roster, as far as I can tell. And, OTC (Over the cap) which is usually pretty solid, shows the same thing.

[steelreserve]

When a team exercises the option, it becomes guaranteed for injury only. If the player is on the team’s opening-day Active/Inactive roster for the option year, his salary becomes fully guaranteed for skill, cap, and injury.

To me, that looks like it says the contract is guaranteed for injury immediately when the team uses the option. Then if he's on the opening day roster, it becomes guaranteed for other reasons too. I was confused about that too until I re-read it a bunch of times. I could still be wrong.

In theory, it makes sense why they would have it be guaranteed for injury immediately. Otherwise it would be a real kick in the nuts to any rookie good enough to get the option. You think players hate the franchise tag, that would be like the same thing a year in advance with zero dollars guaranteed. You get hurt, too bad, we rip it up. I think we would've heard a lot of bitching about that if it worked that way, and rightfully so.

[Mojouw]

I bet Bouchette’s source knows.

[Craic]

To me, that looks like it says the contract is guaranteed for injury immediately when the team uses the option. Then if he's on the opening day roster, it becomes guaranteed for other reasons too. I was confused about that too until I re-read it a bunch of times. I could still be wrong.

In theory, it makes sense why they would have it be guaranteed for injury immediately. Otherwise it would be a real kick in the nuts to any rookie good enough to get the option. You think players hate the franchise tag, that would be like the same thing a year in advance with zero dollars guaranteed. You get hurt, too bad, we rip it up. I think we would've heard a lot of bitching about that if it worked that way, and rightfully so.

So, I got a little more interested in it and found the actual CBA. Turns out, you're right and I'm wrong.

(ii) The entire Paragraph 5 Salary for the Fifth-Year Option shall be guaranteed for injury-related termination only, effective upon the Club’s exercise of the Option.The entire Paragraph 5 Salary for the Fifth-Year Option shall be guaranteed for skill,injury, and Salary Cap-related termination if the player is on his Club’s roster at the startof the player’s fifth League Year (i.e., the option year)

(pg. 32 of PDF found here). What isn't noted there, however, is retirement. Hmm. Of course, he'd be foolish to retire and drop almost 9 mill. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out (if he doesn't recover and is able to play).