Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel expects Packers to use tag on Flynn now

[ckparrothead]

word is that the pack is gonna let wells walk so theres some cap relief there don't know how much...but are you saying that if they tag flynn that the $14 mil regardless of if they trade him or not counts against the packs cap??? if thats correct i don't see them doing it either but if they can get that money back on the cap by trading him i think its still very possible...and if the compensation is just a low round pick why even go thru all the trouble...i have to think it has to be worth it to them which to me for a qb in trade 2nd round sounds like the right compensation to make it worth their time and probably the max return they can get

1. Letting Scott Wells walk doesn't really factor into the numbers I discussed because he's a free agent in 2012 so he has no 2012 salary cap figure. It's a $0 already. The Packers are basically saying it's $0 now, and it will stay a $0, because we're letting him walk.

2. Yes that's correct, the moment the Packers put in the franchise tag, they're liable for the $14.5 million in their salary cap accounting. When the league year starts, even if Flynn hasn't signed the tender, the Packers have to fit the $14.5 million under their 2012 salary cap. If Flynn doesn't sign the tender, the Packers could rescind the franchise tender any time, and they'll get that $14.5 million back, but that doesn't change the fact that the moment the new league year begins and they have the tender in place, they'll have had to clear something like $12 million in cap room or else they'll be over the salary cap, which carries severe penalties.

Think of it this way. You're a truck driver heading toward a weigh station at mile marker 100. You decide to make a little extra side money by picking up 5 tons of load at mile marker 99 and dropping it off at mile marker 101. It's only 2 miles. But you're already at maximum 25 ton capacity and you can't afford to try and weigh in at 30 tons. You have to dump 5 tons of your existing load before you get to mile marker 100, if you're going to make this side money. Once you've gotten to mile marker 101, you can drop off the extra load and free up 5 tons, but you've already dropped 5 tons of your previous load in order to squeeze that extra load in there, and now you can't get it back.

 

[hoops]

1. Letting Scott Wells walk doesn't really factor into the numbers I discussed because he's a free agent in 2012 so he has no 2012 salary cap figure. It's a $0 already. The Packers are basically saying it's $0 now, and it will stay a $0, because we're letting him walk.

2. Yes that's correct, the moment the Packers put in the franchise tag, they're liable for the $14.5 million in their salary cap accounting. When the league year starts, even if Flynn hasn't signed the tender, the Packers have to fit the $14.5 million under their 2012 salary cap. If Flynn doesn't sign the tender, the Packers could rescind the franchise tender any time, and they'll get that $14.5 million back, but that doesn't change the fact that the moment the new league year begins and they have the tender in place, they'll have had to clear something like $12 million in cap room or else they'll be over the salary cap, which carries severe penalties.

Think of it this way. You're a truck driver heading toward a weigh station at mile marker 100. You decide to make a little extra side money by picking up 5 tons of load at mile marker 99 and dropping it off at mile marker 101. It's only 2 miles. But you're already at maximum 25 ton capacity and you can't afford to try and weigh in at 30 tons. You have to dump 5 tons of your existing load before you get to mile marker 100, if you're going to make this side money. Once you've gotten to mile marker 101, you can drop off the extra load and free up 5 tons, but you've already dropped 5 tons of your previous load in order to squeeze that extra load in there, and now you can't get it back.

where the heck did that truck driver reference come from??? ha ha...bottom line do you get the $14 mil back if you trade flynn after you have franchised him or does it count against your cap for the entire season whether you trade him or not??? i have a hard time following truck driver lingo even though i see what you're getting at...

i know you have to have the $14 mil of cap space avail when you in fact tag him i just don't know if it counts against you for the entire year even if you trade him...if it does count against you regardless i think the odds they would tag him are slim

 

[J Tes]

So you're saying to give Flynn $30+ million guaranteed AND give up a high draft pick to Green Bay? To a guy with 2 starts?

Pretty huge gamble that would cost so much cap money, it would cut out signing 2-3 high caliber free-agents to plug other holes over a few years.

IMHO, I'd take the gamble (we need a QB so bad), IF Flynn can be had for free OR a low/mid round pick ... I'd pay him for the year ... see how he does, then sign him to the contract he deserves next year. TROUBLE IS ... some other team may take that gamble & pay him $30+ million guaranteed.

I'd also draft a QB (or 2) & sign a couple more non-drafted QBs ... the odds are long, but they're out there.

St. Louis was in this exact same predicament in the 1990s, QB Tony Banks got Rich Brooks fired (stuck with him like Sparano did with Henne) ... Dick Vermeil came in & looked at tons of QBs & ended up with several good ones ... Trent Green, Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger ... they even had Ryan Fitzpatrick & let him go ... and several other decent backups that never made it big.

No! I am absolutely not saying that. I've said in numerous posts since the speculation that he may get tagged that I wouldn't be at all interested. A big contract and a gauranteed starting spot is enough. Having to trade a high draft pick to do so? No thanks!

 

[J Tes]

where the heck did that truck driver reference come from??? ha ha...bottom line do you get the $14 mil back if you trade flynn after you have franchised him or does it count against your cap for the entire season whether you trade him or not??? i have a hard time following truck driver lingo even though i see what you're getting at...

i know you have to have the $14 mil of cap space avail when you in fact tag him i just don't know if it counts against you for the entire year even if you trade him...if it does count against you regardless i think the odds they would tag him are slim

No. GB would not have a 14+ million dollar hit against their cap if they tagged Flynn and then traded him

 

[harbaugh23]

The idea that GB would franchise Flynn is pretty ridiculous when you look at the teams salary cap and individual salaries. If you don't believe me, head over to spotrac.com and check it out for yourself... Currently (not sure whether Finley's deal is included yet) they are 4.9mil under the cap which is just under the amount needed to pay your rookie draft class. As it has been mentioned, wells does NOT count against their current cap number because he is a FA and even donald driver only has a base salary of 2.6 mil (3mil bonus) so cutting him would only bring 2.6mil in cap relief. Add that 2.6 to the 4.9 mil and they are at 7.5mil and still need to come up with another 7mil to assume 14.5mil for Flynn's franchise tag... not to mention they still MUST have another 5mil in cap room avail by the start of FA for their rookie's. Now, look at the salaries left on the GB roster...The only guy's with biggest enough 2012 base salaries to clear money from the roster are: Rodgers 8Mil base salary but he isn't going anywhere. Charles woodson has a base salary of only 6.5mil so even cutting him won't get GB to where they need to be. Greg jennings has a base salary of JUST 3.8mil so that won't solve much, A.J. hawk is at 4.4mil chad clifton is at 5.2mil. Put this all together and unless GB is willing to dump 2 or 3 guys from the list of Jennings, hawk, clifton and woodson then they can NOT franchise flynn... even if they wanted to do this, would it be worth losing jennings, hawk and clifton just to get a 1st or 2nd round pick for flynn? and of course this is all assuming it doesn't violate the new CBA, which by my understanding it certainly would be under scrutiny...

 

[hoops]

i think clifton could very much be cut...cn't stay healthy high cap number...young tackle blood on the roster already

 

[harbaugh23]

Even if you do then you still need to cut another person from that list and keep in mind you have now cut Driver AND clifton... so now you cut jennings? ok so now you have JUST enough to sign flynn to this franchise deal BUT you are still almost 4mil away from the 5mil needed to sign your rookie class so you will eventually have to cut yet another person or a few other people from the roster to get to that 5mil. So all in all you have cut driver, jennings, clifton, +1 more good sized contract/decent player or 3 other role players and all of this to ensure you get at best a mid-late 1st for flynn or possibly 2nd or lower? doesn't make sense to me

 

[hoops]

they're not cutting jennings...not happening...i can guarantee that

 

[harbaugh23]

The only other comparable salary would be A.J. Hawk and his 4.4Mil base salary... and again you have now cut hawk, clifton and driver just to get to the franchise value of Flynn. Now cut a couple more guys to get your rookie class signed and you have created holes at LB, Wr, and OL and no money to replace those losses or improve elsewhere other than their current picks and the one's they get for Flynn...

 

[Finsfan79]

Let Cleveland have Flynn. Really rather just draft a QB then pay a pick on a QB with a wet noodle arm

 

[harbaugh23]

I am not Flynn's #1 fan but saying he has a wet noodle arm is a bit ridiculous.... he has made some fine throws in the game tape I have seen. The only QB's we have shot at in the draft WITHOUT giving up extra picks are Weeden and Tannehill. Weeden has a stronger arm to be sure, but he is 2 years older than flynn, without the accuracy or mobility (albeit flynn isn't vick or anything) and it would take him a year or two to get down the system and speed of the NFL Game. Tannehill? his arm isn't much better than flynns if at all and he is a project that would take 2-3 years to develop into a starting NFL QB (only has 2 year of college QB experience as it is)... by that time he will be the same age flynn is now only our other weapons would be 3 years older. Pick your poison...

 

[hoops]

The only other comparable salary would be A.J. Hawk and his 4.4Mil base salary... and again you have now cut hawk, clifton and driver just to get to the franchise value of Flynn. Now cut a couple more guys to get your rookie class signed and you have created holes at LB, Wr, and OL and no money to replace those losses or improve elsewhere other than their current picks and the one's they get for Flynn...

i doubt they'd cut hawk...but you act like the pack is in big trouble if they lose clifton and driver...i don't see that as the case at all...and do the pack have to AT ALL TIMES maintain that $5 mil saved for the rookie draft picks or can they borrow against it with the idea that they'll be getting $14 mil back should they tag and trade flynn prior to the draft anyways???

 

[harbaugh23]

I am not acting as if they are in BIG trouble, but you are talking about an elite team that is looking to IMPROVE not to blow things up and go into rebuilding just for draft picks. If you cut driver, clifton and hawk just to trade more for a low 1st or high 2nd then how does that improve your chances of getting to the superbowl? keep in mind under this current scenario they also won't have ANY money to spend on FA's so you have essentially lost your depth at o-line and WR and a major piece whether it be hawk, jennings,etc just to get an extra pick? and yes, the rookie money is money that is set aside from a teams CURRENT salary figure and not "Extra" money that can be counted on top of the cap... in other words once the 2012 NFL year starts (when transactions can officially be made) each team would have a rookie salary amount of somewhere around 5mil that will count on current cap figures.