Did We Shoot Ourselves In The Foot??

[Schneed10]

First, we had to pay Coles the $5 million in bonus because we were contractually obligated to do so. That $5 million wasn't a roster bonus, it was guaranteed to him for signing with the 'Skins. They just deferred the payment until now. When you cut or trade a guy, that releases you from all liability regarding the annual base salaries. But there is no getting around the guaranteed portion, and we guaranteed him we'd pay $5 million this spring.

I agree that Moss is a step down from Coles in terms of talent, and it sure does suck that our cap room is gone. But Coles forced our hand on this one. We would have made a bigger mess if we kept him against his will, and used the extra cap room to sign more free agents. This year, we would have stuffed more talent under our salary cap for sure. But next year, in 2006, we'd have a disaster of Tennessee Titan proportions and we DEFINITELY would have had to blow the whole thing up. Now that we traded Coles, restructured some contracts, and refrained from signing any big-name free agents, we have a fighting chance to keep the team together in 2006 and beyond.

Those complaining about the NFL and how it's so hard to keep your players for the long-haul should be rejoicing on this one. The downside to this deal is our team suffers talent-wise this year. The plus side is we have a much better chance at building something that will last and gradually improve.

I think the front office made the best of a bad situation. I'm glad to see the team making a philosophical switch to doing things the right way.