Training Camp Battles (OL) - Cap Perspective

12:15pm

As the start of the season approaches, the salary cap will be calculated differently. Beginning with the first game of the season, all money will be counted against the cap, not just the Top 51 player contracts. Player cuts can yield some salary cap charges for the current season, the following season, both or neither. In order to understand what happens to the Lions salary cap when we start the regular season, some common terms and phrases need to be understood.

• Current year player cap charge is the charge that I've been calculating and posting in this blog for each free agent or drafted pick that is signed.
• Dead Cap or Dead Money is cap charges that have to do with a player that is no longer with the team.
• Current year cap savings (charge) - When a player is released or traded, their is a current year cap impact and potentially a future year cap impact (if that player is signed beyond the current season). Typically when a player is released, the team will save on money not yet played to a player, for the most part this is the base salary and can also include roster bonuses and/or incentives, depending on when they are due.
• Future year cap savings (charges) - When a player is signed beyond the current season, his trade or release will have an impact on future years. After June 1st, all unamortized signing bonuses are accelerated to the following season (2009). Unless there are guarantees associated with the contract, the team will save by not being obligated to pay base salaries, Roster or Workout bonuses or incentives, but will be charged for all unamortized signing bonuses.

According to Nate Caminata's Projected Roster for the offensive line, the Lions would have $16,915,056 tied up in 9 players and an additional $8,720 in Dead Cap in 2008.

Current year Cap Charges:

• Jeff Backus - $5,523,176
• Dominic Raiola - $4,370,000
• Edwin Mulitalo - $2,250,000
• Gosder Cherilus - $1,280,000
• George Foster - $1,106,720
• Stephen Peterman - $933,720
• Jonathan Scott - $511,000
• Manny Ramirez - $487,053
• Frank Davis - $453,387
• Corey Hulsey - $451,720
• Andy McCollum -$445,000
• Carroll Madison - $297,000
• Nick Jones - $295,000

2008 Dead Cap if Released or Traded:

• Jeff Backus - $2,823,176
• Gosder Cherilus $1,280,000
• Dominic Raiola - $970,000
• Edwin Mulitalo - $750,000
• George Foster - 306,720
• Manny Ramirez - $117,053
• Jonathon Scott - $51,053
• Frank Davis - $8,387
• Stephen Peterman - $6,720
• Corey Hulsey - $6,720
• Carroll Madison - $2,000
• Andy McCollum - $0
• Nick Jones - $0

Dewayne White and Offseason Workout Program

5:05pm EDT

Dewayne White

As I've noted in the past couple of blog entries, the Lions are very tight against the cap. They freed up some cap space recently when they renegotiated Dewayne White's contract. When White originally signed on 03/05/07, he received a $10,000,000 signing bonus and his 2008 compensation was scheduled to include a base salary of $2,000,000 and a roster bonus of $1,000,000, payable on the 7th day of the league year. The original contract put his 2008 salary cap cost at $5,000,000

As a part of the restructure, his base salary was reduced from $2,000,000 to $605,000. What likely happened is that the Lion's paid him $1,395,000 bonus to restructure and reduced his base salary to the league minimum, based on his years of service. This is the same type of restructure they did when they restructured Jeff Backus' contract back at the end of September, 2007.

Under the above assumptions, the restructure would save the Lion's $1,046,250 of cap space. White's 2008 Salary cap cost would be reduced to $3,953,750.

• $605,000 (2008 base salary)
• $1,000,000 (Roster bonus paid on 7th day of league year)
• $2,000,000 (Signing bonus proration $10M/5year contract)
• $348,750 (Renegotiation proration $1,395,000/4years remaining)

Non-guaranteed Workout Bonuses - Are bonuses that are payable for participation in the teams offseason workout program, which is a 4 day per week, 14 week program. The minimum workout bonus for any player is $130 per day. Players that receive a workout bonus that is in excess of the league minimum have the amount included in their player's salary cap cost immediately. For players that don't have a workout bonus stipulated in their contract, the entire cost of the program is included in their player's salary cap cost when they start the program. The cost would be $6,720 for any player that begins the workout program at the start (March 17th).

The following players have workout bonuses written into their contracts and their bonuses have already been accounted for:

• 500,000 Edwin Mulitalo
• 250,000 Cory Redding
• 100,000 Roy Williams
• 100,000 Dominic Raiola
• 100,000 Mike Furrey
• 100,000 Chuck Darby
• 75,000 Dan Campbell
• 50,000 Jon Kitna
• 50,000 Jeff Backus
• 50,000 Ernie Sims
• 50,000 Paris Lenon
• 25,000 Shaun Cody
• 20,000 Casey Fitzsimmons

The Lions have 51 other players under contract. For any player that entered the workout program when it began on March 17th, they would be scheduled to receive $6,720 workout bonus for the year. If all players that were eligible to enter the program, did enter the program, the combined cost would be $342,720. Since only the Top 51 player contracts count against the cap, the salary cap cost would be around $200,000.

L. Moore, Stephen Peterman, S. Wilson and D. Orlovsky are Restricted Free Agents and are not allowed to participate in the program until they agree to their tender.

Based on the above, I'd estimate the Lion's current cap status at $1,000,000 under the cap.