Possible Salary Cap Moves

[Yatagarasu]

If we decide to reconstruct some salaries to fit in some players, who do you think will be the candidates? However, reconstructing base salary have its consequences because it add caps in the future, which means it could hinder our future signings, however, we got our Franchise QB, RB, and CB that needs to be kept for the long term.

[u][b]Reconstruction:[/b][/u]
[b]Terrell Suggs[/b] ($4.5 Million Base) could free up[b] $3 Million[/b] right there
[b]Marshal Yanda[/b] ($4.5 Million Base) - could free up another [b]$3 Million[/b] there
[b]Vonta Leach[/b] ($3 Million Base) - could free up [b]$2 Million[/b]
[b]Anquan Boldin[/b] ($6 Million Base) - Free up [b]$5 Million[/b], however, he's injury prone and aging, so maybe last resort

[u][b]Long Term Deals:[/b][/u]
[b]Joe Flacco[/b] ($6.760 Million Base) - Long term deal could really open up some cap space
[b]Ray Rice[/b] ($7.7 Million Base) - If he signs a long term deal similar to these RB (Foster, Forte, McCoy), we can open up a lot of space.

[u][b]Extension:[/b][/u]
[b]Ed Reed [/b]($7.2 Million) - We can make him a Raven for Life with a deal similar to Ray Lewis, where his contract here can turn to signing bonus, and the remaining years all like Incentive based, so he can retire anytime. Maybe a 2-3 year extension can really help him free up space now. I don;'t think Ed Reed should reach the Free Agency market, and should play a long career in Baltimore and retire happy. Look at Brian Dawkins for example, the Eagles really could've used his presence and leadership. Ed Reed has plenty of years left, but his neck issue could change that anytime.

[b]Others:[/b]
[b]Lardarius Webb[/b] and [b]Cary Williams[/b] are being paid through their tender, which gives us an option to hold them affordable for another year before signing big contracts to them, however Webb is a high priority to keep because he can do for a fortune in the open market.

I say we only use these options to either sign Webb to a long term deal, get a really good piece of our puzzle, find ways to keep our QB, RB, and most of our young core intact.

[b]Potential Free Agent Targets:[/b]

[b]Jameel McClain - ILB [/b]- [b]Dan Conner[/b] ([b]2 years, $6.5M; $2.7M guaranteed[/b]) & [b]Lofa Tatupu [/b]- ([b]2 years, $5.75 million[/b]) really set the bar for where McClain's value could be, which means he can be resigned for an affordable price. I believe he's the best option because of his experience, performance, history, age, and affordability rather than sign the more expensive options like David Hawthorne or Stephen Tulloch.

[b]Evan Mathis - G [/b]- He already visited and is rated one of the top Guards in the market. Good thing about him is that he won't be too expensive like Ben Grubbs ($7.2 Million per year) due to his age. The only problem is the Eagles are willing to bid us out for his service, so Ozzie and the Front Office will have to think this carefully on not to overpay him. I think a [b]$5-6 Million per year[/b] could be reasonable. [b]Mike Brisiel[/b] ([b]5 year $20 Million[/b]) & [b]Steve Hutchinson[/b] ([b]3 year $16 Million[/b]) have set the bar.

[b]Jason Brown - C/G[/b] - He set out to the market to get paid, maybe too much pay. He showed his potential as a great guard/center and that versatility could help us instead of opting for older centers. Also, our chance to land Peter Konz is going to be tough because the Packers (who pick one spot ahead of us) and Lions could use his toughness. Since he's not labeled as a top guard ($7 Million) or center ($5 million), he could come in for an affordable price ([b]$3-4 Million per year[/b]).

[b]Kamerion Wimbley [/b][b]- OLB[/b] - He was cut due to Al Davis' mad money, now that he's release, he can either swallow his pride and take a lessor contract like another overpaid player named Stanford Routt ([b]3 years, $19.6 million; $4 million signing bonus[/b][i])[/i] or wait to see if his market value holds up as an elite pass rusher even though he hasn't had double digit sacks since 6 years ago. He's still young (28) and can form a really strong tandem with Suggs since he's good against rush and can provide the other explosion. I think a similar contracts for Wimbley could be Ahmad Brooks ([b]$7.2 Million per year[/b]) or Jeremy Mincey ([b]$6.8 Million per year[/b]), which are considered solid, but not elite pass rushers. Maybe if we wait long enough, his market might fall under [b]$6 Million[/b] since most of the 3-4 teams have limited cap space. I believe his talent fits best for a 3-4 team rather than a 4-3 team, since he's built too small for a DE.

[b]Anth[/b][b]ony Collins - OT [/b]- A lot of analyst say he could be the diamond in the rough, the hidden gem, the underrated talent in the OT class. He was a serviceable backup for the Bengals, but could be a serviceable starter. Since we tried to get in our the Eric Winston Sweepstakes, I think we're looking to improve our Tackle. Oher has still a lot of work to do, and Jah Reid is still young. Bryant McKinnie is getting up with age, therefore signing Collins could provide depth since he's a swing tackle. Also, we can kill two birds with one stone by placing Jah Reid, Collins, or Oher in the Guard position. HIs market been really slow as backup OT don't generate much money like [b]Breno Giacomini[/b] ([b]2 years, $6 million; $1.5 million signing bonus[/b]) and [b]Guy Whimper[/b] ([b][i]2 years, $5 million[/i][/b]), so he might have to sign up for backup money ([b]Around $2-3 Million per year[/b]). However, due to his versatility and age (26), he could really be a good signing.

[b]Conclusion:[/b]
I think the waiting game really helped us out because there's still plenty of talents left and the Front Office collected a lot of information on what contracts are reasonable amongst their targets. The Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn Contracts will help set up Flacco's long term deal, which can open up some space for Ray Rice's deal, which is going to be modelled after the young starting RBs. Reconstruction and Extension can help if the Ravens have decided to go after a key free agents. It's good that free agent market are slow for the position of need for the Ravens (ILB, G, C)

[arnie_uk]

good post, a lot of thought went into it, i would just be shocked to see us do anything except flacco and RR, we dont like redoing contracts since what happened back in the early 2000s

[BirdWatcher]

Reed would be the best candidate for a restructure, but he needs to hire an agent before that can happen.

[ThePurpleWall]

[quote name='Moderator 3' timestamp='1331985421' post='1025370']
Reed would be the best candidate for a restructure, but he needs to hire an agent before that can happen.
[/quote]

wait what?,Mr Reed,doesnt have a agent ?,i didnt know that.

[K-Dog]

I will be his agent!
:-)

[ThePurpleWall]

[quote name='K-Dog' timestamp='1331986232' post='1025374']
I will be his agent!
:-)
[/quote]

you just want to stand next to him,i would to.

[Bazooka Joe]

Listened to the Vinnie and Rob show and apparently we have offered Rice a deal that matches Arian Foster, but the agent still insists an AP type deal.

I agree with extending Ed Reed.

Flacco talks seem to be progressing well.

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='Bazooka Joe' timestamp='1331987322' post='1025388']
Listened to the Vinnie and Rob show and apparently we have offered Rice a deal that matches Arian Foster, but the agent still insists an AP type deal.

I agree with extending Ed Reed.

Flacco talks seem to be progressing well.
[/quote]
he can play under the tag for 2 years then go elswhere when hes, 28? i believe and not get the big contract he wanted if thats the case.. i didnt have RR down like that. and dont say its his agent, the agent works for you, you think fosters agent didnt want an AP deal, i bet he did, but foster probably said im happy with a LT like that than no deal atal

[RavensWin09]

i really do like your ideas. one of the smarter and well thought out posts on this site i believe. i hope that wimbley sits on the market for a little while longer so the FO can look at other places first. all the FA targets make sense and letting a lot of our FA's go was just one step in this process to get deals done, sign other fa's, etc.

[gregreid5]

Wimbley is going to get a big deal. I think we either get Mathis or bring in another vet guard. If we miss on Mathis we bring back jameel and hit ol hard in the draft.

[redrum52]

Good post. Like he said maybe the Reed extension, but I don't see them reworking anyone else's deal. Flacco can and should wait til next year seeing how tight the budget is. If Rice really is trying to get that money I hope we send him a message and pick a back early in this draft, franchise and trade him next year to some team willing to give him AP money.

[codizzle]

None of those restructures would happen... Rees is the only one who could even possibly restructure and that would haut involve adding a few years possibly of anything

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

Getting RR and Flacco will be the two most likely to happen. Signing Reed to a contract which is sure to make him a Raven for life would be another thing I could see happening. The others I don't think are very likely

If we can retain McClain and bring in Mathis as well as the above then I think we'll be satisfied with how things have shaken out over Free Agency.

[B-more Ravor]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1331954545' post='1025234']
If we decide to reconstruct some salaries to fit in some players, who do you think will be the candidates? However, reconstructing base salary have its consequences because it add caps in the future, which means it could hinder our future signings, however, we got our Franchise QB, RB, and CB that needs to be kept for the long term.

[u][b]Reconstruction:[/b][/u]
[b]Terrell Suggs[/b] ($4.5 Million Base) could free up[b] $3 Million[/b] right there
[b]Marshal Yanda[/b] ($4.5 Million Base) - could free up another [b]$3 Million[/b] there
[b]Vonta Leach[/b] ($3 Million Base) - could free up [b]$2 Million[/b]
[b]Anquan Boldin[/b] ($6 Million Base) - Free up [b]$5 Million[/b], however, he's injury prone and aging, so maybe last resort

[/quote]

Sorry, but restructuring those guys would not be so "lucrative".

The correct numbers for the Cap savings from restructuring those guys is:

Suggs - $2.72M
Yanda - $2.85M
Leach - $1.09M
Boldin - $2.58M

[The Black Bird]

There really isn't a point to reconstruct any contracts now because all the good free agents r gone lol. We just need to bring lee evans back and look forward to the draft. That's pretty much all we can do now.

[jaege]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1331988896' post='1025394']
he can play under the tag for 2 years then go elswhere when hes, 28? i believe and not get the big contract he wanted if thats the case.. i didnt have RR down like that. and dont say its his agent, the agent works for you, you think fosters agent didnt want an AP deal, i bet he did, but foster probably said im happy with a LT like that than no deal atal
[/quote]


I agree. We tag him two years and then let him test the FA waters. I do not think, at that point, that he will be getting as much as he [u]thinks[/u] he is worth. Today, he may get AP money, because a lot of stupid teams have buckets of money. In a couple of years that disparity will have leveled out a great deal. Most teams will be at or very close to their caps and they will have their own FAs that they will be scrambling to keep. The buckets of money will be thimbles and these foolish deals will be a thing of the past. At that point Rice will be happy to get a decent and fair long term deal. Dont get me wrong, I am not saying that Rice is not as good as AP, I am saying that AP does not deserve AP money. No RB does. Hell, few QBs do.


If, after two years, he can still find a team stupid enough to pay him AP money, let him go and good luck to him. We cannot ransom the teams future for one guy, no matter how good he is. Rice will never win us a SB all by himself. No one player can or will.

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='Bazooka Joe' timestamp='1331987322' post='1025388']
Listened to the Vinnie and Rob show and apparently we have offered Rice a deal that matches Arian Foster, but the agent still insists an AP type deal.

I agree with extending Ed Reed.

Flacco talks seem to be progressing well.
[/quote]

Rice will NEVER get an AP contract, and after this season without Grubbs he's not getting a Foster contract either.

[RavensWin09]

someone else pointed out we could get matt hasselbeck if peyton signs with the titans. is he even a FA. if he is, that would be a great backup QB for Joe regardless of age.

[CapoRocky]

No Hasselbeck. I like the running ability that Taylor brings as a backup.

[killaflacco]

Nga[b]t[/b]as making 18M this season(too much for any defensive player if you ask me)so we should try knocking off 8M of his cap number.

[Radinho84]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1332041266' post='1026306']

Rice will NEVER get an AP contract, and after this season without Grubbs he's not getting a Foster contract either.
[/quote]
agreed. i think he knows that it will be much harder putting up those numbers. he is not even close to AP when it comes down to being a pure running back. AP is by far the best at what he is doing. i don´t say that rice isn´t good. but come on. he played for very low money up until today. he should relax. he will make his $$

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='killaflacco' timestamp='1332224704' post='1028629']
Nga[b]t[/b]as making 18M this season(too much for any defensive player if you ask me)so we should try knocking off 8M of his cap number.
[/quote]totally and utterly wrong

[Yatagarasu]

Problem about Ngata's contract is that most of that 18 million cap is in guaranteed signing bonus, so basically, reducing is not going to be to easy as that guaranteed money was the reason Ngata signed the long-term deal. Good news is that after this year's huge cap of Ngata, his future cap hits will be less and less, thus giving us more money to invest on other players.

[cobrajet]

[quote name='jaege' timestamp='1332041238' post='1026304']


I agree. We tag him two years and then let him test the FA waters. I do not think, at that point, that he will be getting as much as he [u]thinks[/u] he is worth. Today, he may get AP money, because a lot of stupid teams have buckets of money. In a couple of years that disparity will have leveled out a great deal. Most teams will be at or very close to their caps and they will have their own FAs that they will be scrambling to keep. The buckets of money will be thimbles and these foolish deals will be a thing of the past. At that point Rice will be happy to get a decent and fair long term deal. Dont get me wrong, I am not saying that Rice is not as good as AP, I am saying that AP does not deserve AP money. No RB does. Hell, few QBs do.


If, after two years, he can still find a team stupid enough to pay him AP money, let him go and good luck to him. We cannot ransom the teams future for one guy, no matter how good he is. Rice will never win us a SB all by himself. No one player can or will.
[/quote]
I agree, the AP contract was out of control for any RB, I also don't think AP was worth AP money, and RR is certainly not as good as AP and unless we get our o-line fortified our run game may not be elite this year. It just upsets me a little when teams overplay for players and then agents say, 'the bar is set" - no, it is not set. Reality check please!

[jaege]

Certainly, the agents want to think the bar is set, so long as it is set high. But agents are like lawyers, polticians, and used car salesmen. Cut from the same cloth.

I am not worried about our o-line yet. We have a lot of free agency and the draft left to deal with that issue. I see us being as dominant as we have been over the last few years.

[killaflacco]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1332235689' post='1028661']
totally and utterly wrong
[/quote]


how so?

[arnie_uk]

that 10 mil bonus the website you were on to get your info for cap purposes is split over four years, so the cap hit for the bonus is 2.5, not 10. his cap hit for the year is $10.4

[url="http://ravens24x7.com/columns/The-Money-Clip-Baltimore-Ravens-Salary-Cap-Analysis/SALARY-CAP-UPDATE-Ravens-estimated-to-be-5.945M-under-cap"]http://ravens24x7.co....945M-under-cap[/url]

for the record theats not the most up to date update on our cap, that was before the extra 1.6 we got from the redskins/cowboys and before we sign birk again (i think thats the only differences)

[CapoRocky]

I'm not ready to accept Evans back. He let us down and needs to sit in limbo for a few more months until we are sure we want him. Meanwhile, let's draft a tall and speedy receiver with good hands and see how he does before we sink our last few remaining dollars into Evans.

[CapoRocky]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1332254124' post='1028777']
I'm not ready to accept Evans back. He let us down and needs to sit in limbo for a few more months until we are sure we want him. Meanwhile, let's draft a tall and speedy receiver with good hands and see how he does before we sink our last few remaining dollars into Evans.
[/quote]

[quote name='jaege' timestamp='1332249719' post='1028708']
Certainly, the agents want to think the bar is set, so long as it is set high. But agents are like lawyers, polticians, and used car salesmen. Cut from the same cloth.[/quote]


[b]Shylock:[/b]
On what compulsion must I? tell me that.
[b]Portia:[/b]
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
[url="http://www.enotes.com/merchant-text/act-iv-scene-i?start=2#mer-4-1-181"][color="#2393bd"]The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187[/color][/url]

[Alexir]

The only person who I would wan't released or traded at this point is Oher, and we would have to save a substantial amount or get a 3rd rounder for that to happen.