SmashMouth

Every NFL team has some dead money on its salary cap, money that is allocated to a certain player who’s no longer on the team. But no team is allocating cap space like the Saints.

In New Orleans, 20 percent of the cap is dead money, according to Spotrac. Among the players who count huge amounts against the Saints’ salary cap even though they’re no longer on the team are tight end Jimmy Graham ($9 million), guard Ben Grubbs ($6 million), linebacker Junior Galette ($5.45 million) and linebacker Curtis Lofton $5 million).

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saintsfan1976

Yep.

It was necessary. Albeit temporary.

Not only were players released, but coaches and scouts as well.

This is 2015 - new season, new team, new goals.

TWO DAT!!

Cruize

Graham had to be given the money. Didn't work out. Grubbs and Lofton played well for the Saints but didn't warrant the big salary. JR was just a BAD decision. All in all, not too bad. I have no doubt that overall the 2015 Saints are a better team than the 2014 version.

vtiger72

Individually, each decision makes sense and the dead money can be excused. However, when taken collectively, it shows a lack of good cap management. It is hard enough to allocate cap dollars and put together a strong team without having large amounts of dead money.

Hopefully, they begin to get a handle on it, but Galette will have additional dead money next year and the Saints will have to make moves to get under the cap which could cause additional problems.

saintfan

Well of course we still have to play the season, but even after all our cap drama we're still the best team in the division on paper and probably on the field too. We're in good shape cap notwithstanding. #loomising

AlaskaSaints

7-9 last year.
Enough said.

jeanpierre

Really bad three seasons of really bad contracts...

After Byrd contract falls off, hopefully Loomis won't f-up as bad as that again...

Having Ireland in there as a check will help tremendously...

Boutte

The Byrd contract is not a f-up. It's the NFL, injuries happen.

dizzle88

We did sign an injured player to a huge contract hoping he'd shake an injury, for him then to pick up another one.

The Byrd deal was a risk/reward, so far it's not looking like reward.

vtiger72

When teams get successful like the Saints became, there is always going to be a balance of trying to remain at the top and stay out of cap hell. It isn't easy. The NFL is designed to create parity. For the Saints, beginning three offseasons ago, they had lots of young players coming up for contracts. Had they not signed the deals that put them in this position, we fans would have cried out- but it is paying aging players and pushing money into the future which leads to these situations. The only one that really is a head scratcher was Galette. I think he got his money too soon and the Saints, had they been more patient, would have been better off.

When the Saints put together the roster that won the Super Bowl and subsequent successful seasons, they had a top 3 QB who was being paid below the value of a top 3 QB and they had a roster of young talent with some nice veterans mixed in. As those players aged off rookie contracts, the Saints paid them well (Evans) or replaced them with other vets at slightly cheaper but still nice contracts (Grubbs.) They also had to start paying Brees his value. In addition, to fit all that under the cap, they pushed money into future years. That is what the Saints are currently dealing with.

It isn't a death sentence by any means. What it is going to require is for the Saints to hit on some young, cheap players. The must draft well, find talent late in the draft, and find scheme-fit players that may be released by other teams.

If they do this, they can continue to be successful while losing a chunk of the cap and right the ship. If not, we likely face a few lean years while the cap situation naturally works itself out.