Buyers Market...
 

COVID reduced the 2021 salary cap from a predicted ~$210m down to $175m.

That reduction of $35m in cap space put a lot of teams in a hurting cap position.

Teams need to have about $8m in clear cap space to transition from the off-season to the regular season: $2m for practice squad, $2m for spots 52/53 on their active roster and $4m in free space to sign street free agents or guys off their practice squad during the season.

Right now before even one rookie is signed or one veteran free agent re-signed, 17 of 32 teams are "OVER" the cap if you include the above $8m needed to transition.

Of the 15 teams not "OVER" the cap, 6 more have less than $10m of additional free cap space to sign their rookies, their own free agents and other team's free agents.

Of the remaining 9 teams, 5 will have between $11-27m to restructure their roster in the off season.

Only four teams have more:

JAX = $69.6m clear - $8m = $61.9m to spend on rookies and free agency
IND = $68.5m clear - $8m = $60.5m to spend on rookies and free agency
NYJ = $65.6m clear - $8m = $57.6m to spend on rookies and free agency
NE = $58.6m clear - $8m = $50.6m to spend on rookies and free agency

The next team, CIN has $35.6m clear - $8m = $27.6m to spend

And with the following teams WAY over the cap, there may be more quality free agents that hit the market than anticipated:

NO = $104m over the cap
PHI = $51m over the cap
LAR = $35m over the cap
ATL = $33m over the cap
GB = $31m over the cap
PIT = $28m over the cap

There are going to be a whole bunch more free agents chasing free agency dollars than teams have cap space to spend.

Buyers market.

It will be interesting to see how Ballard approaches the off season this year.

Resign a couple of our own
Sign several 2nd tier guys, TE, WR, etc

Sit on +35M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are rumored to be interested in Godwin and Ertz

Find a few O lineman

Did you miss the point?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you mention linemen or was that implied

I bet we see the top talent stay with a restructured contract, a bunch of aging vets cut, and a few mid-tier guys hit the market. Not going to be as easy as some suggest to get quality guys, especially when we have about 20 guys to replace ourselves.

Kinda thinking you missed it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So in your language “several guys” = linemen?

FFS. It was a shot at ballard saying he will sign some secondary talent and stockpile cap room. It had nothing to do with specific positions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nope, i thought you were serious. My tablet doesnt translate sarcasim.

You should get that fixed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks kind of specific to me.

Then you two are a pair.

The Athletic thinks there could be at least three starting caliber left tackles available in free agency. Trent Williams, Alejandro Villanueva and Riley Reiff. They are all 33 so are not long term solutions but they do give the Colts more options.

Williams would great, I have a ton of respect for Villanueva, does anyone have info on how his season went?

Not scientific but my best bud is a native PIT life-long fan who is about as obsessed with them as I am the Colts and said that Villanueva had a good year and was "rock-solid."

PIT is currently only $18m over the cap (now that Spotrac has upwards adjusted their predicted 2021 cap from $175m to $185m).

So they need to cut around $26m in cap just to be able to afford their rookie draft class, practice squad and all 53 members of an active roster.

And that is before actually signing any of their own pending free agents or anyone else's free agents. Their impending free agents include: OLB Bud Dupree, ILB Avery Williamson, OT Alejandro Villaneuva, OT/OG Matt Feiler, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Top Cap Relief Numbers for PIT:

$19.0m = QB Big Ben (39)
$12.6m = CB Joe Hayden (32)
$10.1m = OLB T.J. Watt (27)
$08.3m = CB Steven Nelson (28)
$08.2m = OG David DeCastro (31)
$06.0m = TE Eric Ebron

No one else delivers more than $5m in cap relief.

Long way to say that I think there is a GOOD chance that Villaneuva hits the open market. They have a bad cap situation and too many holes to fill.

Hell, I'd take Villaneuva and Juju off their hands in a heartbeat.

It’s also a pretty good draft for LTs as well.

Excellent point. Knowing how confident Ballard is in the drafting ability of the team this is probably where he will go.

If we don’t trade it to acquire a QB. Or draft DE/CB

Yep. He may have valid options to get either QB or LT in either trade, free agency or draft. Interesting how he works this.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/sta...54929237630976

Yes please to Godwin. That dude can play.

That would almost assuredly mean T.Y. is gone. That said, it's a definite upgrade and he provides a #1 WR to take pressure off Pittman and allow Campbell to get 1 on 1s with LBs or slot CBs he can outrun. That said, who will throw the ball to them?