Originally posted by clumpedplatelet
Y'all just don't truly understand the cap
I DO understand the cap quite well, and what YOU don't seem to understand is our front office is VERY savvy at knowing how to manage it.
What KILLS people in the cap are HUGE signing bonuses. While we may be on the books for a TON of money over the next few years... most of it is funny money. Our front office has YET to overpay for a free agent, or even our own players for that matter. They are only willing to pay what they beleive a player is WORTH, and will not get into bidding wars for "the best available player".
Because of their philosophy of not giving large amounts of up-front money, they can generally release a player or renegotiate the terms of their contracts if their play starts to tail off. But, because players are paid FAIRLY and we reward performance (without overpaying.) It hasn't kept our own top players from resigning with us.
Our front office has done a GREAT job of locking up our own players at the perfect time to get them locked into long term contracts, right as they are busting out. Because of this we have arguably the TOP Defensive End in the league, and the TOP Cornerback (Surtain), at contracts that are NOT the highest in the league at their positions.
Next year we MIGHT have to release a few starters to get under the cap... BUT, they will NOT be players that are integral to the success of our team. And, they will NOT significantly impact our cap negatively for the next few years.
(Ruddy, McKnight, Marion, Todd Perry) are all on the books for a significant amount of money next year, and could easily be released with little negative impact to our performance on the field. Plus... there is the Fiedler and Griese situation, which will OBVIOUSLY be addressed, and just a move at QB will already put us in line with the upcoming cap. Also... Sam Madison is on the books for a lot of money over the next few years, and if his performance doesn't return to where it was 2 years ago... he could be a candidate for replacement also.
We might have a few more holes to fill next year after some of the moves we make next year in relation to the cap, but it won't be a full-scale overhaul like the Ravens or 49ers had to go through.... Just minor tinkering. And, if our front office keeps up with the type of moves they have been making over the last few years, we won't see "cap jail" for QUITE some time.