Training Camp Battles (QB & WR) - Cap Perspective

7:45am

Based on Nate's Projected Roster, the Lions will have $7,600,440 of Cap Charges in 3 QB's. At Wide Receiver, the Lions would have $14,816,431 tide up in 5 players with an additional $113,827 of Dead Cap.

QB's Current Year Cap Charges:

• Jon Kitna - $5,875,000
• Dan Orlovsky - $933,720
• Drew Stanton - $791,720

QB's 2008 Dead Cap if Traded or Released:

• Jon Kitna - $1,925,000
• Drew Stanton - $421,720
• Dan Orlovsky - $6,720

WR's Current Year Cap Charges:

• Roy Williams - $6,292,833
• Calvin Johnson - $3,490,158
• Mike Furrey - $2,900,000
• Shaun McDonald - $1,681,720
• DeVale Ellis - $451,720
• Kenneth Moore - $388,667
• Ronald Bellamy - $376,720
• Brandon Middleton - $376,720
• John Standeford - $376,720
• Taye Biddle - $370,000

WR's 2008 Dead Cap if Traded or Released:

• Roy Williams - $2,568,333
• Calvin Johnson - $1,606,720
• Mike Furrey - $1,200,000
• Shaun McDonald - $681,720
• Kenneth Moore - $93,667
• DeVale Ellis - $6,720
• Ronald Bellamy - $6,720
• Brandon Middleton - $6,720
• John Standeford - $6,720
• Taye Biddle - $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.

Updated Player Costs

7:00pm EDT

Over the past weekend, I received some really good information on player contracts, Lions current cap status and cap commitments for the future. With the recent signings in free agency, I had to make several educated guesses on some of the monies received by the players. The recently obtained information provides better insight and I can more accurately project the Lions current cap costs. Also, I believe that the Lions are so tight against the cap, that they'll need to cut someone else before they officially sign Tatum bell.

John Kitna - As I reported earlier, Jon had reached an escalator in his contract that bumped his base pay for 2008 from $1.95M to $2.95M. In addition to that, he also reached an escalator that bumped a roster bonus due this year from $500K to $1M plus he has a playing time incentive that based on last years playing time is deemed to be likely-to-be-earned (LTBE) of $1M and is due a workout bonus of $50,000. He originally signed a 4 year contract that included a $3.5M signing bonus. His current year cap cost is $5.875M.

Roy Williams - As I reported earlier, Roy had reached an escalator in his contract that bumped his base pay by $3.15M, from $574,500 to $3,724,500. As a part of that escalator, Roy was due a Roster bonus of $1,110,000. As a result of reaching the probowl in 2006, he's also due a workout bonus of $100,000. During the summer of 2004, Roy originally signed a 6 year contract that is voidable after this season and included a signing bonus of $4.5M. The Lions also exercised two options that at the time of execution, altered the details of the contract. The first option was for $6,662,500 in 2005 and the second option was for $990,000 in 2006, those option bonuses allow for a $971,667 deion credit (I'll explain this in another blog). His current year cap cost is $6,292,833.

Michael Gaines - When I originally reported his cap cost, I classified the entire $3M of guaranteed money as signing bonus money. According to the new information, $2.4M was signing bonus and $600,000 was a roster bonus due this year, plus a $500,000 roster bonus due in 2011. Along with his base pay of $800,000, his corrected current year cap cost is $2,000,000.

Keith Smith - When I had originally estimated his cap cost, I classified the $2M guaranteed as $1.75M signing bonus and a $250K roster bonus. The new information shows that the entire $2M was signing bonus money on his 2 year contract. Therefore, along with Smith's base pay of $1M, his corrected current year cap cost is $2M.

Leigh Bodden - When I last projected his current year cap cost, I estimated that his bonuses to be $1.5M. His bonuses due this year are $500K roster bonus and a $500K likely-to-be-earned playing time and interceptions incentive. He's also due $818,750 in bonuses in 2009. His updated current year cap cost is $2.7M.

Travis Fisher - When I originally estimated his cap cost , I estimated that he was due $1.75M in base salary and $2.5M in signing bonus. He actually received a $2.25M signing bonus and a $250,000 roster bonus to go along with his $1.75M base salary. I correctly assumed that he is also due a $500,000 roster bonus in 2010. His updated current year cap cost is $2.75M.

Chuck Darby - I had very little information when I originally estimated his current year cap cost. I guessed at a $3M signing bonus. He actually received a $1.2M signing bonus and a $965,000 roster bonus, with $100,000 workout bonuses due in each year of his contract. Those costs, along with his $730,000 base salary puts his current year cap cost at $2.195M.

Drew Stanton - Either has received or will receive a $1.245M option bonus that reduced his base pay for the current season from $785,000 to $370,000. He's also due a $513,900 NLTBE bonus that is based on playing time. Unless he wins the starting job or inherits it due to injury, he likely won't obtain that bonus and it will carry over to the following season. His current year cap cost is $785,000.

Kalimba Edwards - He was designated as a June 1st cut. On June 1st, the Lions will receive $4M in cap savings and will have $2M worth of dead cap space in 2009. I explain it in a little more detail in an earlier blog entry. The $4M in cap savings will provide for the bulk of the rookie cap space needed (usually a little over $5M per year, but won't be determined until after the draft). Current year cap savings $0 (nothing until June 1st).

Current year cap status $2.4M under, without including the Brian Kelly signing.

Escalators

8:35am EST

Sometimes a player's contract, especially a rookie contract, contains escalator. An escalator is a provision in the player's contract that increases the salary paid in the following season. They work much the same way as LTBE and NLTBE incentive bonuses, but instead of paying the bonus out on a specific date, the player's base salary for the following season increases and is paid when the player receives his base pay salary checks. The Lions have had two players that have recently hit an escalator.

Jon Kitna

As I had said in a previous blog, over the past two seasons, Kitna has had two very good statistical seasons and it wouldn't be surprising if he had an incentive bonus that was triggered. According to the NFLPA, his base salary recently was increased from $1.95M to $2.95M. He triggered one of the escalators that was written into his contract and instead of it being a bonus payment, it increased his base salary for 2008. Current year cap cost $3.825M.

Roy Williams

Roy has also had very good statistical seasons over his first four seasons in the league. In 2006, he hit an escalator that increased his base salary by $2.85M, from $535,000 to $3,385,000. Similarly, in 2007, he triggered another escalator that increased his 2008 base salary by $3.1M, from $574,500 to $3,724,500. Current year cap cost $5.1M.

In a prior blog entry, I tried to explain how both ProFootballTalk and Adam Schefter could both be correct with their reports on the Lions cap status. On 02/19/2008, ProFootballTalk reported that the Lions were $17.9M under the cap and on 02/21/2008 Adam Schefter reported that the Lions were only $6.8M under the cap. ProFootballTalk's figure didn't include the Kitna or Williams' escalators of $4.1M and it also did not include the $5.35M cap adjustment that was reported by Frank Reuban of SI.com. Thus far, we've explained about $9.5M of the $11.1M difference between the two reports and the other $1.6M is probably incentive bonuses within player contracts that are being reclassified from NLTBE to LTBE bonuses.