The fact that he signed that contract just last offseason and he was willing to restructure the year after says a lot. Good team guy. But at the same time I think Loomis uses this strategy with most of his signings. Thats why I'm never really nervous about out money situation.

He's pretty much just turning their bonuses into their base salary and spreading it out thru the length of the contract and taking the larger number (which is the base salary) and giving it to them up front as a bonus. Guys aren't going to turn down a 5-6mil check being deposited in the bank before they step on the field that season.

It seems like he structures all contracts in a way that allows him to do this. Therefore giving him a way to get under the cap when he needs to. His strategy is great and most GMs still haven't mastered it the way he has.

The biggest coup of all is if he can get Drew to restructure his deal....Drew's restructuring alone will make the biggest dent in that 20mil cap overage. His can make it much easier to get under and then some to possibly have enough make a run at some good Defensive FA's out there.

Yeah, but as great as it is at times when they announce something like this, this type of a strategy also has a very negative side to it. Pushing most of the big money by restructures to the latter years of players' contract will inevitably create situations like the Saints are now with Smith, where his cap number for next season will be about $14M, and the Saints will end up burning cap room whatever they decide to do with his contract.

I'm not saying I don't approve of Loomis' tactics, just that there are negatives to it, like there are virtually with every tactic you could come up with.

I get what your saying but at the same time. Next season his cap number is 14mil. But they have the option to release him, which is very likely because his production is not there and his age has caught up, they can simply release him lowering that cap number to 4mil instead of 14mil. Because you save 10mil by cutting him.

Loomis continues to push that cap number back to the later years because if you think about it most of these guys don't even get to the last 2 years of there contract unless they're a elite QB. And they make it up to the players by giving them those bonuses. And even if the Saints feel like they want to still keep a guy like Smith who's value on the market will not compare to what it would be if he were still under his original contract, they can release him trim 10mil off the cap and let him hit the market, offer him a new lower priced contract and if he feels like he can get more else where you're not really losing out because it not you're losing a key part of your team at this point of his career.

But my point was that by restructuring Smith's contract last offseason the Saints are now out $4M at the least if they decide to release Smith. Now, $4M out of a $121M salary cap might not sound that much, but every dollar counts and you can get a really good player for $4M. And then when you multiply this situation - as in more player contracts than just one - you can find yourself quickly in a place where you're either fielding a team having an overpaid nucleus with diminishing skills supported by second hand talent or a team that is having millions taken from its salary cap annually because it has to release players with huge prorated signing bonuses on their contracts and again not having the money to sign/re-sign truly talented players at their prime.

Again, I'm not saying Loomis is doing things wrong - just reminding that there's a downside to all of this as well.

Yeah, but as great as it is at times when they announce something like this, this type of a strategy also has a very negative side to it. Pushing most of the big money by restructures to the latter years of players' contract will inevitably create situations like the Saints are now with Smith, where his cap number for next season will be about $14M, and the Saints will end up burning cap room whatever they decide to do with his contract.

I'm not saying I don't approve of Loomis' tactics, just that there are negatives to it, like there are virtually with every tactic you could come up with.

In that situation I am certain they would just let him go to another team. There has already been alot of talk about if he is even going to be on this years squad. I guess only time will tell, but as it was stated earlier Loomis plans years ahead and I am sure he is prepared for that to happen.