Savings if cut or traded
 

I've listed the 2015 cap and dead money figures for our 2015 team.

If you look at the table, its obvious that we cannot trade several players that keep popping up in trade scenarios. Aint gonna happenFor those not familiar with the term dead money, its the money that would still count against our cap if we cut or traded a player.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Nice work danno

In some instances I think we need to take a hit with the dead money to release or trade guys like David Hawthorne or Jahri Evans, however we are already quite far up the creak due to the back loaded contracts

I wouldn't be completely shocked if Colston was let go, although 5 Mil in dead money is a lot for someone that SP probably still values quite a bit

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

IMO the big cuts are Hawthorne, Bunkley and Evans. That, combined with a Brees restructure, gets you in the black easily, and let's be honest those players won't be missed that much.

I hate to say that about Evans, I really do. But he is about 1/3rd the player he was when he was good.

Loomis will manage the cap masterfully as he always does.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

A savings of 13mil. between Evans and Jordan.....see ya! I hate to see Jordan go, but its a small price to pay for what we get in return. Combine that with a restructuring of Brees and we can build a hell of an O line...theoretically speaking.

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I think people misunderstand the whole dead money thing. The actual cap savings is much more important. A lot of dead money is inefficient, but it doesn't impact the overall cap number if you are replacing the dead money player with someone of comparable skill and a cheaper salary.

A simple example: For instance, if we cut Colston, we would take 9.7 million overall off the cap. We still have to pay Colston 5.4 million in dead money. But we have 4.3 million left to sign a wide receiver.

And that's the big question when it comes to these moves. Could we find a $4.3 million dollar player in free agency to replace him? It seems likely we could, considering how badly he has played as of late.

The Colts ate a ton of dead money contracts in 2012 and rebuilt that team from the ground up and have now made the playoffs three straight years. It's do-able.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Ahh right thanks JV, that's actually helped a bunch because I think I misunderstood the dead money thing quite a bit

So we do have an opportunity to free up quite a bit of money and get rid of any underachievers at the same time.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Evans had the benefit of another pro bowl guard right next to him. I believe due to the way Brees plays it is more important for us to have strong guards than tackles. If we got a strong guard to play next to Evans I think we can still get enough solid play out of him to protect Brees for the rest of Brees career. When Brees is done we switch our focus more to left tackle.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Exactly.

Consider Curtis Lofton. He's way overpaid at 9 Million, but if we cut him could we find a better ILB for 4 million?

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

I'm sure Loomis will get it right.

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Yep, its a shell game and he's one of the best at it. Most of these high cap guys will be restructured. We aren't giving them more money, we're just giving it to them as guaranteed money instead of salary.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

There is much restructure in the future of the Saints Salary Cap.

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I would like a stud C and a strong G with Grubbs. If your going to protect Brees. Lelito is servicable but far from a stud. I think Evans may be done.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

You would cut the guy who just made it to the pro bowl? lol

sarcasm

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Obviously anyone who advocates cutting Lofton is nuts. You're not going to find a LB of his caliber in the draft.

But Hawthorne, Bunkley, Evans and Colston are all easily replaceable by mid-level free agent signings and a good draft pick or two. Loomis may not be a football expert, but he's no fool. He can see the guys who are not pulling their weight just like we can.

Lelito has played like a stud though, just about every time he steps on the field - except for the first half of the Cardinals game last year when he got thrown in the fire. Since then, he's been money.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

It's odd for me to say this but I say we cut Jordan, he is a 1 hit wonder at this point and could save us 7 mil.

Grubbs and Evans need to stay but they need a significant pay cut to do so.

Hawthorne, Bunkley and Colston are other easy cuts in my opinion. The Colston cut will be tough for some but it's clear that his production only justifies being paid like a #2 WR, but his cap hit looks like he should be top 5 in the league.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

I saw Evans get beat too often for him to go to the pro-bowl. It feels like a charity type of selection to be honest.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

This is the first year Brees can redo his contract without hurting team, right? No doubt he restructures his contract and helps the cap this season. I think that Evans and Colston need to restructure, if not let them go or trade them. Colston will probably restructure, not sure about Evans but he's getting long in the tooth and if he doesn't I say we let him go.

WTF can we do about JG? Can we change the structure of that contract, no frigan way we really pay him 15M this season. That is so obscene. Cam Jordan, let him walk. Seriously, guy did nothing this year. For 7 mil I think we can do better, sorry, by Cam

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Jordan is on the hook for 7 million. I say we offer him a long-term deal with low cap hit for the first two years. Something like 3.5-4 million. Then escalators for the rest of the deal that pay him like an elite DL if he's earned it.

If he doesn't take the deal, trade him for whatever picks/players we can get. Loved him in 2013 but he was a total no-show this year. Shape up or ship out.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

**** another backended contract for someone not earning it or worth it so we can find ourselves in that same ****hole with the likes of cam Jordan 3 years from now. Trade or release him. Just my opin

It doesn't cost us anything to trade or release him.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

I believe you are way off. Bunkley trade or release would only save us 2.8 million. No way we sign someone equal to him for under 2.8. Hawthorne we would only save 2.9 million. Again, who would be out there we could grab for that price? One we could do without is Evans. We would save 6 million and easily sign a replacement equal to him for under 4 million.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

You have to look at the dead money. You cut those three and all you will free up is 9 million. That's a tough sell. Bunkley played well until he was injuried. Colston is not a top dog anymore but you saw against the dirty turds that is can still be a go to guy. It's about who you can get with the money saved. Not sure it would pay off.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Bunkley wasn't that good this year before he got hurt, and we did great without him for a huge chunk of last year. Veteran nose tackles are a dime a dozen. We don't need him.

We don't have to. Humber is better than Hawthorne and he's already on the roster.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Humbar had 29 tackles, no sacks and no ints, played in 15 games
Hawthorne had 47 tackles, 3 sacks and 1 int, played in 11 games

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Curtis Lofton is 5th in the NFL in tackles. Do you think that makes him the NFL's 5th-best defensive player?

Stats don't tell the whole story. I use my eyes. My eyes tell me that Humber is younger, faster, better in pass coverage and doesn't overpursue against the run all the time.

And all of Hawthorne's sacks came in one game against Jay Cutler. He is hot garbage. We would've been better off re-signing Will Herring to play that spot all year.

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Are you kidding! Hawthorne is known for his run defense. I was with you in pass coverage but come on. And yes, Lofton is a stud. Imagine what he would do if the d-line would free him up.

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Oh, all of Humber's 0 sacks came in one game too.

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The only thing he's known for these days is getting punked all over the field.

And Lofton is no stud. He's a good solid player and a good leader, who makes a ton of tackles because somebody has to and Hawthorne sure as hell isn't doing it. A starter ILB in this defense making 47 tackles all year is embarrassingly bad.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

And getting twice the stats in less games than the guy you want to replace him. I'll stick with the sacks, ints and tackles and you stick with.....well, what YOU see.

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One is a starter, the other one a rotational player. I would hope Hawthorne would get twice the stats when he is on the field 80% of the time as opposed to the other guy. That doesn't mean he's any good.

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:bng: Ill give you that but Humber started 5 games this season. No stats to show for those 5 games.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

The only statistic that's relevant to Hawthorne anymore is how fast the Saints to cut his sorry unproductive butt when the offseason starts. He'll be one of the first to go, I promise you.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

And one other stat you forgot to look up, Humber will be a FA and only 2 years younger than Hawthorne.

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If they can find someone for under 2.8 million to replace him that's better I'll be right there with you. I just don't see it happening.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

According to NFL.com game logs, Humber started 5 games and had 19 tackles. As opposed to Hawthorne's 47 tackes in 11 starts.

That gives Hawthorne an average of 4.2 tackles per game and Humber an average of 3.8. Wow, so much difference - except one of these guys made 3.5 million this year and the other made 630K.

Since you like statistics so much, let's do a cost-benefit analysis.

Humber gets $21,724 for each tackle he makes

Hawthorne gets $74,469 for each tackle he makes....and is only marginally more productive.

You can figure it out for yourself from here, I am sure.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

The fact that Hawthorne only had 47 tackles and played 90% of the snaps says it all.

Stats tell a lot of lies. Ill never agree that we should keep Hawthorne or Bunk and PFF a stat site would agree with me.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

PS you seem to have omitted the fact that Humber did have one sack this year. Not zero, as you said earlier.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

Don't waste you're time Jack.

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5th highest paid player on this team didn't play. Amazing how the money works out. Yet, when Khiry runs the ball he does it under a shower of peanuts.

Wow.

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Lol kinda like advocating trading Graham for O line help?? Im glad you see that now Jack ha. We're in a tite space but hoping theres a quick turnover this offseason, bc next years schedule is lookin pretty darn favorable. Hopefully emotion & loyalty doesnt outweigh what has to be done to save this team.

Re: Savings if cut or traded
 

I sure do hope so! Draft multiple LB's to compete for that spot. Michigans Jake Ryan is someone who could play any LB spot & had somewhere in the 3-4 maybe 5th round range depending on how it plays out. Need help in a bad way.