Salary Cap Analysis

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by JWsleep

Good stuff, Schneed.

About Lavar--isn't the cap hit for a release (not a trade) like $12 mil? I know this goes against going wisdom, but I really think we'll find a way to keep Lavar. He sure sounded like he wanted to be here when asked by Sonny and co in the locker room after the Seattle game. And Gibbs has talked a lot about keeping the team intact. Remember: Gibbs makes these decisions in the end, not Snyder or Cerrato. If it's a smaller hit anyway, my feeling is that Lavar convinced the D coaches of his attitude in the second half of the year. And remember how his teammates rallied to him. He's a leader on this team. Cutting him looks too much like old-style Danny-boy retribution, and not enough like Gibbs. We'll see!

Here's the story on Lavar:

He's going to count $12 million against the cap if he stays on the team next year and his contract is not modified.

How a player leaves your team, whether by getting cut or by getting traded, it does not change the cap situation. The date on which he leaves the team does change things.

If he is cut or traded before June 1, we will carry $12.8 million in Dead Money in 2006. Meaning his cap hit for 2006 would go up $0.8 million from it's current position. And he wouldn't even be on the team. So there's no way this would happen.

If he is cut or traded after June 1, we will carry about $5 million in Dead Money in 2006, saving us about $7 million from his current cap number of $12 million. The negative side of that is we'd carry $7 million in dead money in 2007.

It's very possible Lavar could stay and change his $6.5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus. This would save us about $5 million or so in 2006. But it will be interesting to see if GW wants him around, or if he elects to trade him and get something in return.