What about Harper's contract? They haven't reworked it yet.

Tampon seems to still have a ton of cap space.... yikes

Looking at the list, and considering the fact that we still have Ingram, Sproles, and Cadet, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory look like good candidates. I hate that. I'm as big a Pierre Thomas fan as anyone.

If we draft Jonathan Cooper in the first, as I think Hagan might, DLP could go. Or if we draft someone like Barrett Jones later.

There are a few decisions that have to be made in regards to Harpers contract:Roman Harper Contract, Salaries, and Transactions

1. With two seasons left on his contract, Do the Saints want to keep him for +3 years (5 years total)? If you want to keep him and feel you cant get better for less than you can extend his contract and spread things out. If you feel you do not want to keep him longer than this contract then you have very no room to work with.

2. Can we handle the cap hit to cut him? No

3. Is he tradeable with a $7m cap hit? Ed Reed just signed for the Texans at $5M/year so I would say no.



The issue here is Sean Payton keeping 4 backs, and Cadet being unproven. We have absolutely no reason to get rid of Sproles or PT, we could not fill those shoes at a better value... Sproles and PT both outperform their contract values. So we are left with Ingram and Ivory.. One that is fragile and one that the league perceives as not living up to his first round draft status.

My final question, what are people wanting to get in return for Ingram or Ivory? (not picks but what position are you hoping to fill)

There are an awful lot of people wanting to trade away players for draft picks.. On a GOOD year 35 rookies start their rookie season... Please don't go hoping we are going to draft a rookie that will make an immediate impact at any position. I just think some people want to make moves because they see other teams making moves and feel we should also for no other reason that trying to keep up.

Good stuff, but Harpers total cap hit doesn't go with him on a trade.

We'd eat the signing bonus (3.5 million spread over two years = 1.75 million), but the team trading for him only has to pay his base salary, which is 5.25 this year and 6.0 next year.

Cutting Harper outright costs us 1.75 million in 2013 and 1.75 million in 2014.
We'd save 3.5 million this year.

My numbers may be off a tad. I think some of his base salary is guaranteed.

Thanks on the bonus not moving with him.

Right now the market wouldn't support a trade for Harper unless a teams thinks he is = to Ed Reed.

As far as I know cutting a player accelerates all bonus to the present year. That is why you see all of it as dead money this year on Spotrac. $6.1M dead money.

Yep, but there's a new CBA rule that lets you spread that out over two seasons. I'm not sure that rule applies to a traded player though. It may only be available for cut players.

I'm not sure the Ed Reed comparison is a good one. He's a Free Safety and a shadow of his former self. Down the stretch he looked nothing like the young Ed Reed we're used to seeing.

With all the bonuses included, Harper is the 6th best paid safety in the league. Drop the bonus money and he's probably in the middle of the pack, which is about where he should be.