State of the Colts Salary Cap – 20 June 2018
 

So starts the “dead” period of the NFL year – 6 weeks of hopefully NO news about our beloved Colts because if there is news, it is typically negative.

So, we have 90 bodies in camp, lots of optimism about the O-Line, the offense as a whole and our new coaching staff while the defense is a complete mystery. Should be an exciting Training Camp to see how it all shakes out.

About the last way that the team can help itself player-wise will be camp waivers and final cap cut downs. Every year, there are a few “surprise” cuts of good players whom someone younger and cheaper has taken their job. Quite a few teams are up against the cap so cutting a higher paid veteran and getting (hopefully) the same performance out of a younger player is always a good move.

So, where to the Colts stand on their ability to potentially pay the salary of a surprise cut? Read below to find out (okay, seriously, I get excited by this stuff)!

Maximum Cap Allowance:

$177.200m = 2018 NFL Salary Cap
$016.837m = 2017 Colts Cap Roll-over
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$194.037m = 2018 Colts Salary Cap

Current Cap Charges:

$139.268m = Current Top 51 Contracts
$000.363m = Injured Reserve (Johnathan Calvin)
$001.932m = Dead Money
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$141.563m = Current Cap Obligations

Projected Future Cap Charges:

$001.382m = Signing Darius Leonard & Braden Smith and kicking 2 guys counting $630k against the cap
$001.260m = Counting #52 and #53 on active roster
$001.200m = Practice Squad
$003.000m = In-Season “Churn” space to hire new players to replace those who go on IR
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$006.842m

$045.632m = Free Cap Space with which to hire new talent

However, there is one further complication and that is that there are a number of folks whom currently make less than the top 51 or 53 paid players on the roster whom I am pretty darn sure are going to make the final roster and thus displacing higher paid folks.

Currently, the 51st highest paid player on the team has a cap hit of $630,000 and there are 13 folks making that amount. 8 are currently counting against the cap (taking us to 51 total) while 5 are not. If lower paid players make the final roster, they will do so by displacing higher paid players and this will INCREASE our available cap space. This imprecise list of lower paid players whom I think will make the final 53-man roster includes:

$621,000 = LB Anthony Walker Jr.
$621,000 = CB Nate Hairston
$559,000 = P Rigberto Sanchez
$555,000 = TE Erik Swoope (assuming he is healthy)
$555,000 = CB Kenny Moore
$540,000 = RB Jordan Wilkins
$540,000 = WR Daurice Fountain
$521,000 = WR Deon Cain
$505,000 = LB Matthew Adams
$501,000 = LB Zaire Franklin

The list of higher paid players (currently in our top 51) whom, IMO, are not locks to make our final roster:

$2,500,000 = DT Magus Hunt
$1,907,000 = OL Mark Glowinski
$1,907,000 = DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
$0,790,000 = DT Caraun Reid
$0,759,000 = LB Antonio Morrison
$0,705,000 = DE Chris McCain
$0,705,000 = DE Anthony Johnson
$0,705,000 = OT Tyreek Burwell
$0,639,000 = CB D.J. White
$0,630,000 = WR James White
$0,630,000 = OG Jeremey Vujnovich
$0,630,000 = TE Ross Travis
$0,630,000 = WR Seantavius Jones
$0,630,000 = RB Josh Ferguson
$0,630,000 = RB Christian Michael
$0,630,000 = WR Tyrell Adams

Depending on whom those lower paid players replace, it will realize a cap savings of anywhere from around $800,000 to $5.800m.

So, in the end, the Colts will end up with somewhere between $46m - $50m to spend on potential camp cuts.

Top Ten Cap Savings if Cut: (i.e. a way to increase our available cap space if required)

$9.000m = T.Y. Hilton
$4.368m = Jack Doyle
$4.250m = Jabaal Sheard
$3.281m = John Simon
$2.950m = Austin Howard
$2.500m = Margus Hunt
$2.500m = Al Woods
$2.400m = Anthony Castonzo
$1.907m = Denzell Good
$1.907m = Mark Glowinski
$1.907m = Rakeem Nunez-Roches

Players who are UFA at the end of the 2018-2019 NFL season (and might get extended or new contracts):

Age / Position / Name

45 / PK / Adam Vinatieri
32 / OG / Matt Slauson
31 / OT / Austin Howard
31 / NT / Al Woods
30 / UT / Margus Hunt
28 / RB / Robert Turbin
28 / LB / Najee Goode
27 / WR / Ryan Grant
27 / CB / Pierre Desir
27 / RB / Christie Michael
27 / OT / Denzelle Good
27 / OG / Jack Mewhort
26 / DT / Caraun Reid
26 / DE / Chris McCain
26 / SS / Clayton Geathers
27 / LB / Jeremiah George
26 / OT / Tyreek Burwell
26 / OG / Mark Glowinski
25 / DE / Anthony Johnson
25 / DT / Rakeen Nunez-Roches

Other than Vinatieri (whom I would keep re-signing as long as he wanted to play and he was effective), the only other name on the list that I sort of think is a “must sign” right now is Denzelle Good. Others might play themselves into a contract offer during the 2018 season (Geathers, Desir and Grant are my top choices) but if Good does this year what he has done every other year, then he is worth a good veteran contract.

Not much to do with that $46m - $50m of free cap space this season. I hope Ballard has a plan.

Walk Worthy,

Nice recap as usual

Ballard doesnt seem like the guy who does anything without a plan. We may not understand or agree but he has a plan and he is implementing it.

From what you ('we") have seen since his hire, makes you think he doesn't have a plan? Not picking a fight. He needs to be right, what ever he's doing. Heck if he's right 50% of the time, that might be enough.

Of the guys they should keep, it would be Sherad. All he did was bust his butt last year. No, he's not Freeney. You find a guy from the left who can get some pressure, he's going to get single blocking and he will have a better chance at cleaning up. He plays the run well, really comes down the line hard when he recognizes inside runs.

And it's just me, I don't think $3 million is enough for in season churn. The number of guys this team has gone through in the last two years, that won't be enough. Running out of cap in season is the worst. Having extra money at the end is not.

Would it be wrong to think that 2019 FA will be a busy one for the Colts? Right now they have to be under the % of salary cap that has to be used over a 4 year period aren't they?

Depends on how many guys they want to keep and just get ahead of the cap issue.

Sheard is very overrated by colts fans. He is barely more than just a dude.

3 mil for roster churn has been the figure I have always heard teams budget. If it is off I doubt it is much

For some reason I doubt it with Ballard. Which is an error

From 10 years ago the cap has increased how much? If you don't include inflation, then there won't be enough money. Players cost more, even cheap ones.

Of all the guys on D last year. He made plays. How often did teams run at him? They ran the other way. With Simon healthy, they were a pretty good 1.. 2 on the rush. When Simon got hurt, he wasn't enough on his own.

He wasn't a pussy. Best way I can explain him last year.

Sheard didn't do a good job of setting the edge. He won't have that responsibility in this defense. We will see if that ends up in improved play.

Sherk. How much of that cap can be carried over to next season?

I believe Ballard has a plan but agree with Omaha that it isn’t to spend that cap on free agents. If I were to guess (and admittedly I’m usually wrong) that money is being saved to give to home grown players that prove themselves here. It is a long term outlook that rewards guys for doing the right things with this organization. To me it provides incentive for our own players and shows Ballard has confidence in his evaluations. Whatever it is it should be better than the last guy

He was slightly better than Walden. That is it. He wasn’t close to a game changer or great rusher.

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,

There's an article out there about how Ballard likes, "show me" contracts with the FA's he signs. IF those guys produce, he should pay them. It sets a standard, you come here and make plays, we will resign you to bigger money.

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?

It absolutely would

Ballard is simply not using all his resources to improve the team. With a healthy luck, this team can compete. There are no wasted years

Is this the guy who lost a deal with the Panthers because of an injury during this offseason?

I don’t think the money matters to Irsay. The guys a billionaire and buys shit for record amounts of money that I can only shake my head at. You give the Union 16 million but keep the same amount around to spend on someone you really value makes sense if you got it. Ballard obviously believes this is the way to build a team. It’s not like he’s putting money in Irsays pockets.He says he wants to build a core from within. He thinks bringing in high priced free agents sends the wrong signal and does not lend itself to building a team with the correct mental makeup. I like the idea of forging a team mentality then bring in players and have them bend to your vision. I also think that it’s a tall order to do It will be interesting to see if he pull it off

Ballard really seems to like this team, and thinks that we could surprise some people with a healthy Luck. I would not be surprised to see him make some in-season moves if we get off to a decent enough start to show that we are playoff contenders.

Yea, lost out on a 4 year / $24M deal. I'm not sure he's the best fit for us, and he visited the Colts last most... has a marijuana arrest and either needs to have or has had a skin graft on his foot that he cut while on vacation.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...h-panthers-off

Here's the quote from the source:

I don't think it's his athletic ability. He's not ready to play. The "will grow up" comment makes me wonder. He's been in the league long enough for that to have happened. And I think Ballard has made it clear, he's not just signing anyone, espcially knuckleheads.

Carolina was right to dump the deal, he's may not be ready by camp. There are 31 other teams out there and apparently they are waiting on him.