A look at the cap hit from our players.

[XClown1986]

There are a lot of cap numbers that are toward the middle or latter part of the contract for quite a few players. Restructure Gross and Gamble. Extend Wharton, Smitty. Release and Re-sign Davis. Cut Baker and some other types that don't fit their cap number. A lot of wiggle room actually.

[rayzor]

There are a lot of cap numbers that are toward the middle or latter part of the contract for quite a few players. Restructure Gross and Gamble. Extend Wharton, Smitty. Release and Re-sign Davis. Cut Baker and some other types that don't fit their cap number. A lot of wiggle room actually.

unnecessary to release and re-sign davis. just restructure the deal.

agreed that there is a lot of room to play with. many of these guys at the end of their contracts will be willing to take a cut in pay for this year if it means job security for the next 4 or 5 years and not having to move their families.

[Panthers4lyfe]

I wont claim to be an expert on cap stuff and I will need factual links/info to believe any of you mouthbreathers.

Looks to me we could:

Release TDavis and resign cheaper.

Extend Wharton

Extend Steve Smith

Cut Baker

and be sitting really comfortable under the cap.

this and cut olindo mare and that 3.2 cap hit

[catattack84]

long time lurker..I am lazy enough today to actually post..anyways.

1.) We won't cut Mare

He does have a 3.2 million cap hit. But he has 3.0 million in signing bonuses the next 3 years; so we would only save 200 grand by cutting him. Then we would have to sign another kicker and the end result is cutting Mare will end up costing us money. I expect him to be around for another year.

2.) Wharton will probably stay but his contract needs re-worked.

If sportrac.com is right, Wharton has a 7.7 million cap hit this coming year, but he has 4 mil in signing bonuses coming the next two years..so we would only save 3.7 million by cutting him (and we could probably save near this amount by restructuring his contract.)

One thing I'm not sure about...and I feel like I've read this somewhere (don't have enough time to check out askthecommish.com) but if they cut Wharton before March 1st his hit goes onto the 2011 season. So we could in theory cut him, 4 mil hit goes against 2011 and we save 7.7 million in 2012. Then we could go after a Ben Grubbs to replace him for cheaper (if we backload the contract), and we have a probowl OG who is 26 years old. ....But this is all hypothetical, I'm not sure if we cut him now if it would go againts 2011 or 2012, and if we even have the cap room for 2011 to do this.

[SteveSmithOwns]

Just in case nobody else noticed....when did Geoff Hangartner become a CB?

[SOJA]

lol Jimmy Clausen

[rayzor]

Just in case nobody else noticed....when did Geoff Hangartner become a CB?

you missed NJP's 'BREAKING' tweet?

[Squirrel]

Cut Mare and Otah and restructer Davis contract. We need to be atleast 10 million under the cap to play in Free agency with 5 million going to the rookie contracts.

[Kurb]

Cut Mare and Otah and restructer Davis contract. We need to be atleast 10 million under the cap to play in Free agency with 5 million going to the rookie contracts.

Otah is very cheap.

[catattack84]

Hangartner as CB...hmmm Coach Wilks has no hope for Munnerlyn

[Marguide]

I think I'm done worrying about the cap. There is way too much contradictory information out there for any layperson to know our status with any certainty.

Additionally, there are a couple of things we should all keep in mind:

1) Even if we had $20 million in space, it likely wouldn't change our strategy much. MH is not going to go after some blockbuster FA. It goes against his philosophy, and we can probably assume his philosophy is also a reflection of what JR wants and expects.

2) I don't think MH has done an exemplary job in all departments, and I sometimes think we could do better, but all that aside, the guy is not an idiot. He was not going to put us in an untenable cap situation with the signing spree last year. We are right where he expected us to be cap wise and I trust he has this under control.

[Yaboychris28]

That chart has to be misleading. Thomas davis has over 8 mill in bonuses. No way he is recieving all of that. amirite?

[catattack84]

Davis is an 11.9 million cap hit this year, but 8 million of that is (how I understand it) to be a roster bonus, basically if he remained healthy...which he did not. We are only obligated to pay the 8 million if we don't restructure the contract, and if he stays on the roster (sometime in March I think)

[ed bell]

I think I'm done worrying about the cap. There is way too much contradictory information out there for any layperson to know our status with any certainty.

Additionally, there are a couple of things we should all keep in mind:

1) Even if we had $20 million in space, it likely wouldn't change our strategy much. MH is not going to go after some blockbuster FA. It goes against his philosophy, and we can probably assume his philosophy is also a reflection of what JR wants and expects.

2) I don't think MH has done an exemplary job in all departments, and I sometimes think we could do better, but all that aside, the guy is not an idiot. He was not going to put us in an untenable cap situation with the signing spree last year. We are right where he expected us to be cap wise and I trust he has this under control.

Right on....no way the FO doesn't have a realistic idea of our cap situation. Probably been planning around that for the free agent market, the draft and overall player personnel decisions as soon as the last major roster moves were made last year.

I still believe that this team is ultimately run by committee...the HC implements the philosophy he was hired for and evaluates the personnel...the GM handles the money and listens to the HC and scouts for personnel decisions. All decisions are presented to JR, who probably offers input,and gives some sort of approval. The weight of each part? We will never know that...that's why I don't spend a lot of time worrying about blaming any one person for bad decisions. Not saying I'm resigned to poor management decisions, just don't think it's cut and dried when blame is assigned.