LikeUntoGod
The Oracle
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/ne...o&type=lgns
Even with teams spending nearly half a billion dollars on player contracts since the free agency period started Feb. 29, here is a staggering statistic to consider: There’s still approximately $480 million in unused salary cap money. According to figures kept by the NFL Players Association and updated through last Thursday, each of the league’s 32 teams had an average of $15 million in unused salary cap space.
Though a quarter or more of that collective money will be used to sign rookies after the draft in April, teams still figure to have around $360 million in remaining salary cap space going into the 2008 season. Barring unilateral raises for all players, much of that money will go unspent.
“There’s nothing left to buy in free agency,†one agent said. “The market is just about dead now. Yeah, you have the rookies, but that’s not the big deal that everybody makes it out to be. A couple of guys get huge deals, but everything else is slotted.
"Really, the way the cap is now, teams don’t have to sweat the cap. There’s a ton of money out there to spend, but they’re not spending. It’s not like five or six years ago.â€
While several teams figure to start the ‘08 season well under the $116.2 million cap, the available room will decrease significantly. From year to year, teams are required to spend a designated percentage amount of the cap. Last year, the salary floor was $81.75 million with the cap being $109 million. This year, the floor percentage has increased to 86.4, forcing teams to spend at least $100 million.
DEEP UNDER THE CAP
The following is a list of the maximum amount of money each of the NFL teams has remaining to spend under the salary cap. Figures are as of last Thursday.
1. Tampa Bay $42.8 million
2. New Orleans $31.1 million
3. Kansas City $30.0 million
4. Tennessee $27.2 million
5. Buffalo $26.6 million
6. Jacksonville $26.2 million
7. Green Bay $24.4 million
8. Chicago $22.5 million
9. Miami $21.0 million
10. San Diego $18.7 million
11. Minnesota $18.6 million
12. Houston $15.6 million
13. Denver $15.2 million
14. San Francisco $15.0 million
15. St. Louis $14.6 million
16. Philadelphia $13.9 million
17. Cincinnati $13.3 million
18. Atlanta $12.5 million
19. Cleveland $12.0 million
20. New York Giants $11.1 million
21. New England $10.8 million
22. Seattle $9.1 million
23. Carolina $8.3 million
24. Washington $7.7 million
25. Indianapolis $7.6 million
26. Oakland $6.4 million
27. Baltimore $4.7 million
28. New York Jets $4.5 million
29. Detroit $4.4 million
30. Dallas $3.9 million
31. Pittsburgh $1.3 million
32. Arizona $310,078
Even with teams spending nearly half a billion dollars on player contracts since the free agency period started Feb. 29, here is a staggering statistic to consider: There’s still approximately $480 million in unused salary cap money. According to figures kept by the NFL Players Association and updated through last Thursday, each of the league’s 32 teams had an average of $15 million in unused salary cap space.
Though a quarter or more of that collective money will be used to sign rookies after the draft in April, teams still figure to have around $360 million in remaining salary cap space going into the 2008 season. Barring unilateral raises for all players, much of that money will go unspent.
“There’s nothing left to buy in free agency,†one agent said. “The market is just about dead now. Yeah, you have the rookies, but that’s not the big deal that everybody makes it out to be. A couple of guys get huge deals, but everything else is slotted.
"Really, the way the cap is now, teams don’t have to sweat the cap. There’s a ton of money out there to spend, but they’re not spending. It’s not like five or six years ago.â€
While several teams figure to start the ‘08 season well under the $116.2 million cap, the available room will decrease significantly. From year to year, teams are required to spend a designated percentage amount of the cap. Last year, the salary floor was $81.75 million with the cap being $109 million. This year, the floor percentage has increased to 86.4, forcing teams to spend at least $100 million.
DEEP UNDER THE CAP
The following is a list of the maximum amount of money each of the NFL teams has remaining to spend under the salary cap. Figures are as of last Thursday.
1. Tampa Bay $42.8 million
2. New Orleans $31.1 million
3. Kansas City $30.0 million
4. Tennessee $27.2 million
5. Buffalo $26.6 million
6. Jacksonville $26.2 million
7. Green Bay $24.4 million
8. Chicago $22.5 million
9. Miami $21.0 million
10. San Diego $18.7 million
11. Minnesota $18.6 million
12. Houston $15.6 million
13. Denver $15.2 million
14. San Francisco $15.0 million
15. St. Louis $14.6 million
16. Philadelphia $13.9 million
17. Cincinnati $13.3 million
18. Atlanta $12.5 million
19. Cleveland $12.0 million
20. New York Giants $11.1 million
21. New England $10.8 million
22. Seattle $9.1 million
23. Carolina $8.3 million
24. Washington $7.7 million
25. Indianapolis $7.6 million
26. Oakland $6.4 million
27. Baltimore $4.7 million
28. New York Jets $4.5 million
29. Detroit $4.4 million
30. Dallas $3.9 million
31. Pittsburgh $1.3 million
32. Arizona $310,078
