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Sheriff Gonna Getcha · 03-01-2004, 08:39 PM

I really don't believe that there is such a thing as a "cap friendly" deal.

#1 Backloading a deal
Sure a deal can be "cap friendly" (a euphemism for cheap) in the early years, however then it can become expensive (aka backloaded) and therefore "cap unfriendly." So the deal isn't so much cap friendly as it is short-sighted; it's nice in the beginning but in the end it really hurts.

#2 Big Signing Bonus
Another way a deal can be "cap friendly" is if the signing bonus is fairly large. Typically, the larger the signing bonus, the smaller the total value of the contract. The idea being that if you guarantee a large portion of the contract, the contract shouldn't have to be as large. For example, wheras you can sign a player to a five year deal for $30 million with a $4 million signing bonus (averaging $6 million per year), you might be able to sign him tp a five year deal for $22 million if you give him a $7 million bonus (averaging $4.2 million per year). So, a deal with a big signing bonus isn't as much cap friendly as it is a bargain.

However, if you give a player a large signing bonus, you incur the risk of having your new signee injured or turn out to be a bust. If the player is injured and can't play football or is cut for being a bust, you're SOL because the bonus still counts against the team's cap figure even though the player isn't even on the roster.

#3 Tiered Signing Bonus
Another way the deal can be "cap friendly" is by making a portion of the signing bonus "tiered." This simply means that the bonus is not payable all at once. It can be contingent on a variety of factors (i.e. is he still on the roster bonus - roster bonus - or did he reach certain goals - incentive bonus). This isn't so much cap friendly as it is a way to protect yourself if your newly acquired player is injured or turns out to be a bust. If they are not on the roster (for reasons of injury of lack of performance), they can be cut and the "tiered" portion of the bonus is not held against the team's cap figure AFTER the player is no longer on the team's roster.

What I'm basically trying to say is that there are ways to make a contract fit your concerns (i.e. protection against the player being a bust or getting injured), but there is no way to make a HUGE deal (like Portis') truly cap friendly. Trying to cheat the cap is like cheating on a bunch of tests....it'll get you by for awhile, but eventually it catches up to you and really screws you.

03-01-2004, 08:39 PM	#24
Sheriff Gonna Getcha Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Age: 47 Posts: 8,317	I really don't believe that there is such a thing as a "cap friendly" deal. #1 Backloading a deal Sure a deal can be "cap friendly" (a euphemism for cheap) in the early years, however then it can become expensive (aka backloaded) and therefore "cap unfriendly." So the deal isn't so much cap friendly as it is short-sighted; it's nice in the beginning but in the end it really hurts. #2 Big Signing Bonus Another way a deal can be "cap friendly" is if the signing bonus is fairly large. Typically, the larger the signing bonus, the smaller the total value of the contract. The idea being that if you guarantee a large portion of the contract, the contract shouldn't have to be as large. For example, wheras you can sign a player to a five year deal for $30 million with a $4 million signing bonus (averaging $6 million per year), you might be able to sign him tp a five year deal for $22 million if you give him a $7 million bonus (averaging $4.2 million per year). So, a deal with a big signing bonus isn't as much cap friendly as it is a bargain. However, if you give a player a large signing bonus, you incur the risk of having your new signee injured or turn out to be a bust. If the player is injured and can't play football or is cut for being a bust, you're SOL because the bonus still counts against the team's cap figure even though the player isn't even on the roster. #3 Tiered Signing Bonus Another way the deal can be "cap friendly" is by making a portion of the signing bonus "tiered." This simply means that the bonus is not payable all at once. It can be contingent on a variety of factors (i.e. is he still on the roster bonus - roster bonus - or did he reach certain goals - incentive bonus). This isn't so much cap friendly as it is a way to protect yourself if your newly acquired player is injured or turns out to be a bust. If they are not on the roster (for reasons of injury of lack of performance), they can be cut and the "tiered" portion of the bonus is not held against the team's cap figure AFTER the player is no longer on the team's roster. What I'm basically trying to say is that there are ways to make a contract fit your concerns (i.e. protection against the player being a bust or getting injured), but there is no way to make a HUGE deal (like Portis') truly cap friendly. Trying to cheat the cap is like cheating on a bunch of tests....it'll get you by for awhile, but eventually it catches up to you and really screws you. Last edited by Sheriff Gonna Getcha; 03-01-2004 at 08:48 PM.