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A lot of pessimism is floating around. Many people are expecting the gravy train to flow unfettered in the dreaded "uncapped" year. Visions of Jerry Jones signing the entire pro bowl squad are in the nightmares of fans around the league. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending where you stand) the deal is a raw one for the players. Let's start with the basics. In the current CBA the owners had an opportunity to opt out of the last two years of the contract which was supposed to go until 2012. The owners had until November 2008 to opt out of the deal effective at the end of the 2010 season, but did so early and unanimously. In an effort to avoid the utilization of an uncapped year, the league and NFLPA agreed on a number of provisions to make the uncapped year unpalatable. In my estimation, its net effect is squarely a negative for the players.
Let's take a look at salary structure. First, obviously there is no upper end to the salary cap in this uncapped year, but there is also no floor. Right now the floor is currently at $111 million. So if, for instance, the Bengals decided they want to go bare bones to avoid salary they could have a $70 million dollar payroll and still lose as many games as they normally do. Also, a team with an interest of clearing salary to make them more appealing for sale could do so with no penalty, well, other than losses on the field.
Let's take a look at salary structure. First, obviously there is no upper end to the salary cap in this uncapped year, but there is also no floor. Right now the floor is currently at $111 million. So if, for instance, the Bengals decided they want to go bare bones to avoid salary they could have a $70 million dollar payroll and still lose as many games as they normally do. Also, a team with an interest of clearing salary to make them more appealing for sale could do so with no penalty, well, other than losses on the field.
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