We cannot afford to keep Howard.

JKool · 03-31-2005, 12:48 PM

The Saints would like to deal Howard to clear room on the salary cap and open playing time for promising second-year defensive end Will Smith. All of Howard's $7.8 million salary would clear the books if he is dealt. As of Friday, the Saints were $5.4 million under the $85.5 million salary cap.

The Saints hope to get long-term contract extensions with running back Deuce McAllister, wide receiver Joe Horn, center LeCharles Bentley and perhaps cornerback Mike McKenzie this offseason and need the cap room to negotiate.

Source: http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...1102199980.xml

That was as of March 12. So we actually only have about 4 mil in space right now, since releasing T-buck actually cost us 1 mil (and some change) in cap space instead of saving us any.

Signing our rookies this year will cost about 3.5-4 mil, if it is anything like previous years. That would leave us with roughly .5 mil to sign anyone else to a long term contract or to the team, period.

If we keep Howard and don't sign McAllister to a long term deal that includes no more than a .5 mil increase for this year (since that appears to me to be all we can afford given our cap space) both will be UFAs next season. We can only franchise on of them, so one will go AND we will get no compensation for him. Even if we can afford to resign both next year, we will have to do so in the open market rather than signing McAllister now for a Saints friendly deal.

Furthermore, trading Howard and meeting other defensive needs would free up an additional 7.8 mil to use to re-sign guys like McKenzie, McAllister, and Bentely; this way, our hand will not be forced in signing them later against an open market. Also, Grant is still playing on his rookie contract; I'm sure he'll want to see the money soon.

This isn't so much an issue of who wants to stay in NO (like Duece), but who we can afford to keep and who will have the upper hand in the negotiations. If we renegotiate now, we are doing these players a favor (by giving them better contracts) AND they will not have the threat of FA to hold over us. Now, all they can do is hold out.

Benefits of keeping Howard:
1. We keep a stud DE who will play at most 2/3 of the time (or be asked to play out of position, where he has said he doesn't want to, at DT in passing downs).

Costs
1. We keep a guy who wants to see Wistrom like money, so we are unlikely to ever make a long term deal with.
2. His injury record is shakey, his trade value may never be higher than it is now.
3. We CANNOT offer advantageous long-term contracts to McKenzie, Bentley, and McAllister (and possibly Grant).
4. We will be forced to chose between McAllister and Howard next year with our franchise tag AND may lose one with NO compensation.
5. A DE will not help the middle of our run defense, which is in serious need (even when Howard is on the field).

Don't get me wrong, I like Howard a lot, but financially, I just don't think it is feasible to keep him through the season without putting McKenzie, McAllister, and Bentley at risk of departure at the end of the upcoming year. Also, we need a LB or DT - Howard can get us one of those, and not a bad one either.

03-31-2005, 12:48 PM	#1
JKool 1000 Posts + Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 2,423	We cannot afford to keep Howard. The Saints would like to deal Howard to clear room on the salary cap and open playing time for promising second-year defensive end Will Smith. All of Howard's $7.8 million salary would clear the books if he is dealt. As of Friday, the Saints were $5.4 million under the $85.5 million salary cap. The Saints hope to get long-term contract extensions with running back Deuce McAllister, wide receiver Joe Horn, center LeCharles Bentley and perhaps cornerback Mike McKenzie this offseason and need the cap room to negotiate. Source: http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...1102199980.xml That was as of March 12. So we actually only have about 4 mil in space right now, since releasing T-buck actually cost us 1 mil (and some change) in cap space instead of saving us any. Signing our rookies this year will cost about 3.5-4 mil, if it is anything like previous years. That would leave us with roughly .5 mil to sign anyone else to a long term contract or to the team, period. If we keep Howard and don't sign McAllister to a long term deal that includes no more than a .5 mil increase for this year (since that appears to me to be all we can afford given our cap space) both will be UFAs next season. We can only franchise on of them, so one will go AND we will get no compensation for him. Even if we can afford to resign both next year, we will have to do so in the open market rather than signing McAllister now for a Saints friendly deal. Furthermore, trading Howard and meeting other defensive needs would free up an additional 7.8 mil to use to re-sign guys like McKenzie, McAllister, and Bentely; this way, our hand will not be forced in signing them later against an open market. Also, Grant is still playing on his rookie contract; I'm sure he'll want to see the money soon. This isn't so much an issue of who wants to stay in NO (like Duece), but who we can afford to keep and who will have the upper hand in the negotiations. If we renegotiate now, we are doing these players a favor (by giving them better contracts) AND they will not have the threat of FA to hold over us. Now, all they can do is hold out. Benefits of keeping Howard: 1. We keep a stud DE who will play at most 2/3 of the time (or be asked to play out of position, where he has said he doesn't want to, at DT in passing downs). Costs 1. We keep a guy who wants to see Wistrom like money, so we are unlikely to ever make a long term deal with. 2. His injury record is shakey, his trade value may never be higher than it is now. 3. We CANNOT offer advantageous long-term contracts to McKenzie, Bentley, and McAllister (and possibly Grant). 4. We will be forced to chose between McAllister and Howard next year with our franchise tag AND may lose one with NO compensation. 5. A DE will not help the middle of our run defense, which is in serious need (even when Howard is on the field). Don't get me wrong, I like Howard a lot, but financially, I just don't think it is feasible to keep him through the season without putting McKenzie, McAllister, and Bentley at risk of departure at the end of the upcoming year. Also, we need a LB or DT - Howard can get us one of those, and not a bad one either.