Dolphins Salary Cap, Dead Money, Contracts, & Draft

[So Be]

http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/miami-dolphins

I use OTC because Jason, the owner, does a great job and is a long time Dolphins fan. We are almost $5M under the cap to start. I believe it will go up around $5M more than some project. We need to move players to play in FA and have many options to do just that.

Many are concerned about the dead money but, that cap space is only dead this year and comes back to us net year. We also save all future salaries of players moved. For example.

Moving Ellerbe saves $5.6M this year. Dead money is $4.2M and his salary is $6.5M next year. We would have $10.7M for next year, and another $6.2M in salary for 2017. Add it all together and we have $22.5M over 3 years to pay someone else or $7.5 per year.

We do that by the contract counting less the first year, as we did with him. His cap hits were $2.4 in year one, $7.4 second year, and $9.9 in this his third year. It's easy to do and we did the same with Wallace, Wheeler, etc. The dead money is no big deal. Also, as of now, we only have 34 players under contract for 2016 totaling $110M on the cap.

The draft does not cost all the money of rookie contracts on the cap, just the top picks. Only the highest 51 cap hits re counted. If a pick is added, the low man is dropped. For example, James cost $1.9M last year but our #51 guy who cost $500K drop out, leaving a $1.4M increase. Mid to late picks add nothing. Our draft should cost under $3M this year.

 

[Mustangbee]

Im sooooooo confused!:confused: lol

 

[mahmacoat]

Im sooooooo confused!:confused: lol

Ellerbe's cap number is $9.85M if we cut him we only gain $5.65M as $4.2M(prorated bonuses) hit us. but then in 2016 he is totally off the cap

whenever a player is traded or cut, his prorated bonuses accelerate and immediately hit your cap

 

[Danny]

The FO has some work to do. Let the cutting begin.

 

[So Be]

Ellerbe's cap number is $9.85M if we cut him we only gain $5.65M as $4.2M(prorated bonuses) hit us. but then in 2016 he is totally off the cap

whenever a player is traded or cut, his prorated bonuses accelerate and immediately hit your cap

Yes, we do take the cap hit this year and it is dead money. However, that hit comes off the books for next year, and we will have that cap space back to use.

All the guaranteed actual money is lost to Ross but, not on the salary cap space for next year. Maybe Ross can ask Ireland to pay him back. LOL

 

[So Be]

Im sooooooo confused!:confused: lol

The bottom line is that when we move a player we can use all of his cap space on other contracts, just not this year.

 

[mahmacoat]

The FO has some work to do. Let the cutting begin.

Hartline or Gibson $3M
Wallace $2.5M
Ellerbe $5.6M
Starks $5M
Finnegan $5.5M

$20.5M savings but with some holes to fill:boohoo:

 

[So Be]

The FO has some work to do. Let the cutting begin.

They sure do, and have sooo many options. We could have 12 new starters/rotation guys, in addition to a new backup QB and 2 new kickers. It will not get that high but, all are not safe.

Finnegen, Delmas, Ellerbe, Wheeler, Misi, Odrick, Mitchell, Starks, Wallace, Hartline, Gibson, Matthews, Clay, Shelly, Colledge, Satele, and Moreno are all FA's or at risk.

 

[finfan54]

Hartline will stay.

Elllerbe and Finnegan will definitely be cut as needed for any FA but I dont see a big hurry on moves until day before FA.

Gibson will come later if we get a biggy WR in the draft as well as Fields unless he restructures do to poor performance.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

They sure do, and have sooo many options. We could have 12 new starters/rotation guys, in addition to a new backup QB and 2 new kickers. It will not get that high but, all are not safe.

Finnegen, Delmas, Ellerbe, Wheeler, Misi, Odrick, Mitchell, Starks, Wallace, Hartline, Gibson, Matthews, Clay, Shelly, Colledge, Satele, and Moreno are all FA's or at risk.

FFIC posted a great thread in VIP about team turnover, holdovers and how it translated to winning. I know we are eager to displace a lot of players this year but that type of sentiment doesn't bode well for the win column.

 

[Hayden Fox]

Starks, Ellerbe, Finnegan, Gibson and Fields are all replaceable.

 

[So Be]

FFIC posted a great thread in VIP about team turnover, holdovers and how it translated to winning. I know we are eager to displace a lot of players this year but that type of sentiment doesn't bode well for the win column.

I agree that it is a whole lot better to keep players and coaches from one year to the next. However, you can not do that based on player performance's we had last year from many players. Just look at our OL, 5 new starters, new OC, and new OL coach. Yet MUCH improved until Albert went down, and who knows how much better with a healthy Pouncey at center. The OL has to play together more than any unit in the game, and did well with all the changes.

Tannehill and the rest had a whole new system under Lazor, which is pretty much the same for them as a new player, and the new guy in Landry did as well as anyone. Yet, they were also improved. Grimes comes in last year and was great. Delmas comes in this year and was an upgrade.

MANY examples of the team improved with change.

 

[spiketex]

Hartline will stay.

Elllerbe and Finnegan will definitely be cut as needed for any FA but I dont see a big hurry on moves until day before FA.

Gibson will come later if we get a biggy WR in the draft as well as Fields unless he restructures do to poor performance.

Why do you think that Hartline stays? It was pretty obvious that Lazor sees him as a very minor receiving option, that's why his receiving yardage declined by about 60%. If Lazor doesn't need him or want him, then he is a candidate to be cut.

 

[McDolphins]

Cutting Wheeler after June 1 might be in the cards. His dead money drops from $4.2M to $1.4M, and the cap saved jumps from $200k to $3M.

 

[So Be]

I do not see Miami needing cap space to sign players to 4-5 year deals with a cheap first year. I can see a need for the 1 year deals, as that money is all this year.