Opinions: could they afford a 19 million cap hit?

[Jmac]

Gonna throw this out there. Could they realistically  afford the 19 million to resign a QB with the needs that this team has? Between the vets they have to resign, the obvious needs on both lines (with other needs), and CMC to try and lock in....it was never feasible. 

I feel that Tepper is not considering doing the deal (or really ever was.) Cam wasn't his guy and he has no reason to have allegiance to him.

What is your opinion.....was it just a pipe dream that this would all work out and was never realistic financially ?

[blackcat]

That is an interesting point, but I think the decision had been made easier by Cam's health.  I love Cam, but I'd be shocked if he's here next year.  

[d-dave]

Considering how much old money we have on the roster, I hate to say Cam might be gone.  But I'm also in the camp to not give up on him completely.  I'm a believer.  We will have a lot of work to do going into the off season to retain our best players and to fill in our gaps and holes on the roster, especially if there's a coaching change.

[Harbingers]

1 minute ago, d-dave said:

Considering how much old money we have on the roster, I hate to say Cam might be gone.  But I'm also in the camp to not give up on him completely.  I'm a believer.  We will have a lot of work to do going into the off season to retain our best players and to fill in our gaps and holes on the roster, especially if there's a coaching change.

Bingo. But I feel more and more there are a number of huge contracts coming up, plus retirements. Rebuilding may be inc. Cam doesn’t want to stay around for a rebuild either. He may have to sign a 1 year extension if he wants to stay. I don’t see him doing that either. 

[sharkkiller]

this is the last year of his contract, not a 1 year deal. 19 million is the cap savings, not the cap hit.

 

If they gave him an extension, the 19 million could be reduced by as much as they want. 19 million is only in play if they agree for him to just play out the contract as it is. But the actual cap hit is 21 million or so. If they gave him an extension, the 21 million could be reduced by as much as they want.

[My Goodness My Guinness]

If you had 19 million to spend on this team at this moment, what would you realistically spend it on? I think I'd try to grab a solid proven vet 3-4 DE and a starting Guard. Not enough money to fix both the d and o line but it would be a start. 

[Anybodyhome]

I think the timing of his contract and his injury situation just happened to align themselves in such a manner it makes the decision much easier for the Panthers from a business perspective. A couple years ago people were asking how much Cam's body would take as much as we was running the ball. Not unlike a RB who starts hitting the 30-year old mark, Cam's injuries are not unlike those of a RB who's taken his share of hits over the years. Look at it this way-

If Cam were healthy- no problem.

If he was not healthy and in the middle of his contract- no problem.

He's not healthy and he's at the end of his deal- that's a problem.

[The Lobo]

Isn’t the average for QBs is close to 23 mil? If that’s the case cams deal is still a good one. An MVP level qb for less than average, sounds good to me. 

[Anybodyhome]

1 minute ago, The Lobo said:

An MVP level qb for less than average,

That's the rub- he's not MVP level. Hasn't been for a couple years now.

[jfra78]

Glad a lot of contracts are up after this season, it will give the new coach/GM the freedom to do what they want with the roster

[The Lobo]

Just now, Anybodyhome said:

That's the rub- he's not MVP level. Hasn't been for a couple years now.

Il agree there, but that’s due to injuries, which we all know he has been fighting for years now. With all this time to heal (being on IR) what if he comes back healthy? 

[Anybodyhome]

5 minutes ago, The Lobo said:

Il agree there, but that’s due to injuries, which we all know he has been fighting for years now. With all this time to heal (being on IR) what if he comes back healthy? 

As I said earlier, if this injury occurred in the middle of his contract, I don't see a problem bringing him back. But the fact his injury and the end of his contract are aligning make a difficult decision a little easier to swallow. Not to mention I've been saying for a couple years that we have already seen the best of Cam and I don't think those days are anything but fond memories.

Let me ask you this: if Cam ended up in New Orleans or Atlanta, would you lose sleep over having to face him twice a year? Five years ago maybe. Not now.

[Forty-Eight]

 

[Mr. Scot]

35 minutes ago, sharkkiller said:

this is the last year of his contract, not a 1 year deal. 19 million is the cap savings, not the cap hit.

If they gave him an extension, the 19 million could be reduced by as much as they want. 19 million is only in play if they agree for him to just play out the contract as it is. But the actual cap hit is 21 million or so. If they gave him an extension, the 21 million could be reduced by as much as they want.

Would you seriously offer to extend an over 30 quarterback who basically hasn't been able to stay healthy for the better part of two years?

If you saw some other team do that, what would you say?