RyanC883 Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 If I'm the GM of the Bills and Ralph is giving me a $14.5 million budget (the Bills' remaining cap space in 2012) to sign and re-sign some free agents, this would be my plan: CLEAR CAP SPACE The very first order of business would be to dedicate ourselves to the 43 defense. Once I've done that, I can proceed to cut the fat on the roster. I'd release Mcgee($2.1M), Kelsay($3.55M), Spencer Johnson($3.5M), Dwan Edwards($3.975M), and Merriman($5.25M). That gives us another $18,375,000 in actual cap savings for a grand total of $32,875,00 in cash to cap. RE-SIGN OUR OWN I'd sign Stevie Johnson, first: 5 year $40 Million dollar deal with a signing bonus of $20m paid over three years, essentially guaranteeing a little over half his total contract in the first three years of his deal. SJ would like a contract like this because it gives him a crack at another big payday. Cap hit will be $8M. Demetrius Bell will receive a 4 year $20M deal with a $10M signing bonus paid over two years. Cap hit: $5M. Rian Lindell: 3 year $7.5M. SB: $3M. Cap Hit: $3.25M. Scott Chandler 2 year $3M. Cap Hit: $1.5M Kraig Urbik 4 years $12M. Cap Hit: $3M Chad Rhinehart 3 years $6M. Cap Hit: $2M $22,750,000 spent. $10,125,000 Balance. 2012 NFL DRAFT Last year the Bills spent about $7.5M on it's rookie class and we were picking 3rd overall in every round. I'd expect about the same this year, with wage increases, plus another $2M for street free agent pick-ups. Leaving the Bills with only $625,000 to spend on free agents. As you can see, this cash to cap method makes life extremely difficult on the Bills' front office to sign any outside free agents. If I were GM, I'd draft a DE in the first round (Mercilus) to play the 43 end spot, I'd go OLB in the second, another OLB in the 3rd, CB and WR in the 4th, OL in the 5th, another LBer in the 6th and another DE in the 7th. FREE AGENCY With only $625,000 left in cash to cap, the Bills would have to rework some deals and adjust some of my cap hit figures for the first year of these new contracts just to sign a free agent or two. My #1 priority if I'm GM is to acquire a pass rusher. I would target Robert Mathis and go after him hard. A D-Line of Mathis, Dareus, Williams, and Mercilus can be a force to be reckoned with and give the Bills the kind of pass rush that will make the rest of the defense better. If the Bills were to go with this plan we would basically field the same team as last year with the addition of a Robert Mathis type pass rusher and the 2012 draft class. If we can stay healthy, and have success in the draft the Bills should be able to fight for a playoff spot in 2012. Our schedule is favorable, as well. What do you think? I like the plan. You'll get flammed for cutting Kelsay and Merriman, but I have no problem with either cuts.
FLFan Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 Your cash-to-cap analysis is off. The Bills use it to mean that if the cap is $130 million, then the team will spend no more than $130 million in real cash in that year. Contract signing bonuses, while paid off in year 1 in cash, and spread out for cap purposes. The Bills have much more in actual cash to spend than they do in cap space. Take the Nick Barnett contract. Its 3 years, 12 million, with a 1.5 million signing bonus. That 1.5 million counted as 1.5 mil in cash in 2011, but only 500k towards the cap. In 2012, it still counts 500k towards the cap, but not in actual cash. There's a lot of things to bash the bills about, but most NFL teams use a cash to cap or similar philosophy, so that isn't one of them. You are exactly right. People continue to harp on this issue but it is a non-issue for the reasons you have stated. The bills are going to have at least $40 m in room on cash to cap, perhaps more. This is plenty of room to get everything done they need to get done on extensions and resigning their own players as desired, plus go after some expensive free agents if they choose to. It is only a matter of will (and spending wisely) not a limitation of the cash to cap philosophy.
PromoTheRobot Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 I would keep Terence McKee. Who's he? PTR
Justice Posted March 5, 2012 Author Posted March 5, 2012 RE-SIGN OUR OWN I'd sign Stevie Johnson, first: 5 year $40 Million dollar deal with a signing bonus of $20m paid over three years, essentially guaranteeing a little over half his total contract in the first three years of his deal. SJ would like a contract like this because it gives him a crack at another big payday. Cap hit will be $8M. Demetrius Bell will receive a 4 year $20M deal with a $10M signing bonus paid over two years. Cap hit: $5M. Rian Lindell: 3 year $7.5M. SB: $3M. Cap Hit: $3.25M. Pretty close, huh?
White Linen Posted March 5, 2012 Posted March 5, 2012 Pretty close, huh? Yeah good call. I was way off. I thought it would be closer to 5 years $48 Million.
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