Capology Question

[BIGDAWG]

Do the Bills still have to pay Rueben the remainder of his contract if he signs with another team? If so how does that affect the cap?

[Earthquake Enyart]

One more question....

Cutting Ruben results in $4 mil of dead cap. Say later on they resign Ruben for $2 mil. Does the $4 mil of dead cap vaporize?

[Dozerdog]

Originally posted by BIGDAWG
Do the Bills still have to pay Rueben the remainder of his contract if he signs with another team? If so how does that affect the cap?

No.


NFL contracts are not guaranteed. So if a player is released half way through it, he's out the money.


However, there is still a cap hit with some released players- depending on the bonus paid out.

Example-

Mikey signs with a team - 5 year, 20 million
While it averages out to 4 million a season, the team might play with the numbers to fit his salary inder this year's cap. To do that, they might hand him a check for 5 milliom up front and call that a signing bonus. In return, his first few year's salary will be low. On the books, the bonus gets spread out over 5 years. Usually these deals have a sharp rise in the money in the last year or two, and hat's when a player gets cut.

If that happpens, whatever remaining bonus money gets added up and counts against the cap the minute he gets cut.

[Dozerdog]

Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
One more question....

Cutting Ruben results in $4 mil of dead cap. Say later on they resign Ruben for $2 mil. Does the $4 mil of dead cap vaporize?

Why would they cut/resign him later instead of just extending /reworking his existing deal? Reworking the exsting deal would have been much cheaper.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Originally posted by Dozerdog
Why would they cut/resign him later instead of just extending /reworking his existing deal? Reworking the exsting deal would have been much cheaper.

Who's to say they didn't try? What if Ruben can't find squat in FA?

I'm just wondering...what if?

[clumping platelets]

Bills could re-sign him to the vets minimum deal of 1yr-$760,000 plus max. bonuses of $25,000 and it would count only $475,000 on the cap. But this can only be done IF he's released which of course has happened. I suspect that he will consider joining his brother in Baltimore

[Earthquake Enyart]

And the $4 mil of dead cap disappears?

Originally posted by clumping platelets
Bills could re-sign him to the vets minimum deal of 1yr-$760,000 plus max. bonuses of $25,000 and it would count only $475,000 on the cap. But this can only be done IF he's released which of course has happened. I suspect that he will consider joining his brother in Baltimore

[Ebenezer]

Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
And the $4 mil of dead cap disappears?

no. that is on the tab no matter what. this actually happens with rookie low round draft choices that are cut and brought back...their signing bonus escalates into this cap year. Then, when resigned for the minimum that goes on the tab too.