AsylumGuido

Very good article. Pretty much the same thing I have been preaching the past few months. It includes much of the same sort of factual material that I have shared to prove that salary cap issues are history and dead money is not an issue at all.

Salary Cap ‘Hell’ has Come and Gone for the New Orleans Saints

There’s a phrase that’s been on the mind of any involved fan of the New Orleans Saints and seemingly every bougie national analyst who looks down their nose at the team in the Crescent City: Cap Hell.

That nebulous threat of not being able to sign free agents or properly manage the salary cap has been hovering around Airline Drive for years now, but what many observers don’t realize is that it’s already come to pass.

Cap hell isn’t coming in the days after Drew Brees hangs up his cleats, at least not like we’re imagining it. It’s already come and is on its way out.

Life in cap hell has been the Saints ranking 31st or 32nd in salary cap space every year from 2013 to 2016. It’s been seeing huge swathes of valuable salary cap space spent on players who aren’t on the roster like Jimmy Graham and Junior Galette, or forfeiting cap space to Drew Brees until it wouldn’t be as badly-needed. But the important thing to take away is that 2017 is the year the Saints will escape cap hell.

As of writing, my projection for the 2017 salary cap is around $169.7 million, an increase from the $155.27 million it currently tops out at. Rumors from inside the NFL estimate the salary cap to rest at $166 million, but that’s a conservative guess – which has been common in the last few years.

Read the rest here

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

stickman

I really hope that's accurate.

AsylumGuido

It is absolutely accurate. Don't listen to the idiots that do not understand cap accounting.

lee909

I agree with what he is saying. I said last year the big contract were coming to a end or a point in which they were shedable. The one thing i will say is that we will only have 2 DT on the roster next year and Snead needs a new deal. The year after Delvin Breaux and Kenny Vaccaro need deals and Brees contract will need looked at again. And all of that will eat a chunk of cash.

K Major

"Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe’s contract voids out if he plays less than 80 percent of snaps, which would turn into $3.2 million in savings."

Good information to know.

dizzle88

Looks like Ellerbe will be getting released, dude can't stay healthy at all.

spkb25

which sucks because when he is he is really good

UK_WhoDat

Great that this current "cap hell" phase has a potential ending. It really is. So thanks for the heads up.

Let's see how we go. Let's see if it makes a difference.

My hope is we have sufficient playing resources in all positions so that we do not have our fans having pre-game downers, whether or not we are constrained / restrained by cap issues. That is really what it is all about.

Ultimately I do not think money. I thinks Saints. How are they doing on the field.?

AsylumGuido

I believe 99% of Saints fans feel the same way, UK.

K Major

Yep. After Ellerbe misses this week, it'll already be basically assured to be void (contract). He isn't gonna play 90+% of the snaps going forward.