Ballard and Steichen are safe

[IndyNorm]

Spotrac has the number at $52 Million, which is substantially more than Over The Cap’s 34. Part of that is the fact that Spotrac is counting only the top 41 players. Another part is that they peg the cap in 2026 at a higher number. Another curiosity is that, just a day ago, Over The Cap was saying the Colts had $45 Million in cap space. I’m not sure what changed in 24 hours.

Interesting. Not sure why Spotrac would only include the top 41, but obviously including the top 51 is going to more accurate with the additional 10 players probably counting ~$10M towards the cap. Also, the total cap liabilities on OTC is $7M more than the top 51, which probably covers things like the rookie pool, etc. Maybe that wasn't being accounted for when you looked earlier on.

My guess is that the number will end up just a bit over $40 Million, and you’re right that we need to carve out a chunk of cap space.

So, how to do it?

Right now, there are four players on the roster…Buckner, Nelson, Pittman, and Taylor…who count a combined $95 Million against the cap. Inking them to new contracts, each with first year cap hits of $12 Million, would free up $47 Million and give you a certain amount of roster certainty.

There are another three players…Zaire Franklin, Grover Stewart, and Kenny Moore….who count $35 Million. Arguably, they are each past their prime, and cutting them would open up another $29 Million. A less harsh option would be to request that they sign new deals for less money.

If Charvarius Ward retires, we get $25 Million in cap relief if we want to take him to arbitration and wrench back the prorated $13 Million of his signing bonus. Personally, I think that that would send a bad message to the locker room, that if you suffer a catastrophic injury, the team will try to extort money from you.

Alternatively, there are a dozen players on the roster who earn a combined $144 Million in salary and bonuses. If you convert that money to bonuses and extend it over the maximum 5 years allowed by the CBA, you can free up well over $100 Million.

Good analysis other than the suggestion to go after the prorated portion of Ward's signing bonus. Although most of the players we would look to extend are 30+, so not sure what the appetite is to extend them. Also, pushing cap hits into the future is something Ballard has avoided doing in the past, so he'll have to step out of his comfort zone there.

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I don't know if there is a way to get a transcript of today's show, but on 1025 The Game, in Nashville, they were discussing which WC team should be the model for the Titans to follow. One said Jax and another said NE. When it was Derrick Mason's turn, he said he would not look to one of them, but to Indianapolis. I guess a former NFL WR turned radio host is clueless, too.
Here is a link to the show. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2665590155
They were talking about it around the 2:30 mark, if my memory is right.

Hmm. Considering we've won a whopping 1 playoff game in the past 10 years one would think that he would have found a much more successful franchise to model the Tits after.

[Oldcolt]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I don't know if there is a way to get a transcript of today's show, but on 1025 The Game, in Nashville, they were discussing which WC team should be the model for the Titans to follow. One said Jax and another said NE. When it was Derrick Mason's turn, he said he would not look to one of them, but to Indianapolis. I guess a former NFL WR turned radio host is clueless, too.
Here is a link to the show. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2665590155
They were talking about it around the 2:30 mark, if my memory is right.

Did he explain why he would model it after the Colts? Exactly what would he do that the Colts have done and why, since we are not a playoff team.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Did he explain why he would model it after the Colts? Exactly what would he do that the Colts have done and why, since we are not a playoff team.

He did. I do not remember the exact details, but he mentioned the team was mostly home-grown (drafted) talent, with really good talent in a lot of areas (OL, WR, JT, etc) with some of them elite, or almost elite at their position. He said the roster is only missing a solid QB, and when DJ was performing well, we had it, and were a dominating team. I will listen to it again to see if I misrepresented him.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by IndyNorm

Hmm. Considering we've won a whopping 1 playoff game in the past 10 years one would think that he would have found a much more successful franchise to model the Tits after.

Listen to the podcast. It makes more sense that I can explain it. Start at the 2:25 mark.

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by IndyNorm

Interesting. Not sure why Spotrac would only include the top 41, but obviously including the top 51 is going to more accurate with the additional 10 players probably counting ~$10M towards the cap. Also, the total cap liabilities on OTC is $7M more than the top 51, which probably covers things like the rookie pool, etc. Maybe that wasn't being accounted for when you looked earlier on.



Good analysis other than the suggestion to go after the prorated portion of Ward's signing bonus. Although most of the players we would look to extend are 30+, so not sure what the appetite is to extend them. Also, pushing cap hits into the future is something Ballard has avoided doing in the past, so he'll have to step out of his comfort zone there.

When your boss asks you if you sill have your shimmer, have your Juju, and implies that you’re reaching the end of your tether, you find that your comfort zone is a lot bigger than it used to be.

If you’re just starting out and the future stretches out in front of you, conserving future cap space is a priority. After 9 years, it’s something the next guy has to deal with.

[Oldcolt]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

He did. I do not remember the exact details, but he mentioned the team was mostly home-grown (drafted) talent, with really good talent in a lot of areas (OL, WR, JT, etc) with some of them elite, or almost elite at their position. He said the roster is only missing a solid QB, and when DJ was performing well, we had it, and were a dominating team. I will listen to it again to see if I misrepresented him.

In theory I agree. In practice I am not so sure. Are you old enough to remember George Allen and the Redskins? More than one way to skin a cat. We all judge it by the same thing, does it produce wins. Ballards way hasn't been able to seal the deal, yet.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

In theory I agree. In practice I am not so sure. Are you old enough to remember George Allen and the Redskins? More than one way to skin a cat. We all judge it by the same thing, does it produce wins. Ballards way hasn't been able to seal the deal, yet.

I remember the old Redskins, but did not pay much attention to them at that time. It was always the Cowboys and Steelers in the spotlight then, as it was hard to follow teams outside of what the networks showed every week.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

In theory, I agree. In practice, I am not so sure. Are you old enough to remember George Allen and the Redskins ??? There is more than one way to skin a cat. We all judge it by the same thing, and that is whether or not it produces wins. Ballard's way hasn't been able to seal the deal, yet.

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[Brylok]

Evan these Patriots have rebuilt. They've replaced the best NFL head coach of all time. The best NFL QB of all time. Taken years off and are now winning playoff games
I'll always love the Colts. They're my home team, but they're finished. I'll just watch because it's important to have an NFL team here locally. They aren't going to win anything though
And I love pro football. The Colts aren't going to win anything significant again though.