[Pez]

Originally Posted by sherck

All of it. If we end the season at, say, $45m under the cap for 2018, then we add $45m to next season's cap number. There is no limit to how much you can roll over.

That being said, in any given 4 year period, you have to use more than 91% of the cap or else pay direct penalities to the players union.

2015 / $152.423m / $143.402m / $09.021m / 94.08% of cap
2016 / $160.609m / $152.482m / $08.126m / 94.93% of cap
2017 / $174.578m / $157.498m / $17.079m / 90.02% of cap
2018 / $194.037m / $148.405m / $45.632m / 76.48% of cap

(94.08+94.93+90.02+76.48)/4 = 88.87% of rolling 4 year cap

So, for 2018, in order to avoid having to pay a penalty to the players union, we need to hit 84.97% of the 2018 cap or $164.873m spending or an increase of $16.468m over what we are currently spending (current costs and my projected costs. $16.468 OVER that amount).

That could be done by doing contract extensions, signing new contracts prior to the END of the season or whatever. It does not have to be money put into players at the beginning of the season.

However, it could also be done by just having Irsay write a big, fat check to the players union covering whatever amount under the rolling 4 year spend is. No impact on cap from my understanding; just straight money to the union AND the team still has to deal with being under cap spending so if they don't correct it the following season, they write a new check the following season to the players union.

But the best of both worlds for the union, get paid directtly AND still have the team have to give that same amount of money to players in contract eventually.

But, for a team like CLE who has been chronically underspending, that means writing checks every year AND having to spend stupid money in order to get near max cap in order eventually correct your rolling percentage.

I know Ballard wants to reward his young and rising players. The problem is, we don't have many of those at the moment.

Walk Worthy,

I would like to think that Ballard is positioning us well for "rewarding rising young players" in the future. That said, wouldn't it make more sense to sign Breelund at CB than write a $16.5M check to the players union?