Team-by-team cap space as of July 15

[coogi]

He's bound to sign two FAs as we still have two empty spots heading into training camp.

Hopefully people don't crucify the man when he does make a mistake. Reggie is human like the rest of us and will make mistakes in some form or another before his time as the GM for the Oakland Raiders is done.

That wasn't all directed at you coogi, just food for thought as this new age of the Oakland Raiders rolls on.



No kidding. Best breakdown of the new system I've found and still a rough read.

oh i know dont worry about it because i agree..im not going to get upset over specific moves because like you said there is no GM or person in general that wont make a mistake at some point..ill be judging reggie by the overall performance..does he keep his word?does he bring in the right people?does he admit his mistakes and correct them right away(coaches and players)?and the most important does this team start winning again?we dont have to goto the superbowl every year but can we get above .500?once we get there can we stay there?i want to get to the point where we arent worried about just winning more than 8 games..i want to be like a raven, steeler, patriot, packer team where its assumed were going to the playoffs every year

[MadBomber24]

oh i know dont worry about it because i agree..im not going to get upset over specific moves because like you said there is no GM or person in general that wont make a mistake at some point..ill be judging reggie by the overall performance..does he keep his word?does he bring in the right people?does he admit his mistakes and correct them right away(coaches and players)?and the most important does this team start winning again?we dont have to goto the superbowl every year but can we get above .500?once we get there can we stay there?i want to get to the point where we arent worried about just winning more than 8 games..i want to be like a raven, steeler, patriot, packer team where its assumed were going to the playoffs every year

Honestly RM is going to be judged (fans and media) by whether the Raiders start winning games or not. If we go 8-8 again this year much of the media wont say much about RM as they will wait longer to see. If we tank this year you will most likely see stories of what RM is doing wrong.

Fans in general will likely be less patient and we will see many complaints about RM and DA and Knapp if we go 8-8 or worse this year. Fans tend to be very nit picky when it comes to change. Everyone has a different idea to what they think should/ needs to be done.

[dmauke]

I think Reggie has done a heck of a job so far. I'm not overly excited about Branch's contract, but when taking in account that within the next 2-3 years his contract will more than likely be lower among the better safety's in the league it looks like the Raiders are getting Branch at a very good price. That's the assumption that Branch will be a key player for the team.

Judging by the contract it appears the front office and coaching staff have high regard for him. They cut Routt and Wimbley and signed Branch long term, that says enough by itself. Brian Dawkins at 100 years old looked like a pro bowler in Allen's defense, I'm hoping Branch steps up and has that same kind of presence in the secondary.

I think Reggie has set up 2013's off season to be a very exciting one for us fans. There will be enough cap space to make some serious moves in FA, we will have plenty of draft picks to salivate over, and I believe more dead weight will be removed from the roster.

At this point i give Reggie an A. Bare in mind I give him an A even though I still believe the Raiders will struggle and have a losing record this season. It's all about the big picture. He gets an A for managing the cap the way it should(I loved what he did with the corners), by getting rid of over paid players, by making sure the entire organization is working together better than before, and for delegating authority the way it should. Now lets hope that their ability to select talent matches the rest of their work, and that the coaching staff can accumulate some wins over the next 4 years.

[Raider Ran]

If the 3.3 mil is right, how do the unsigned draft picks fit with this. Lets say they cost a mil. Does that leave us with 2.3 mil for FAs or is the draft pick money already accounted for?

My understanding is that the rookie salary is already built into the cap (whatever that may mean). The max their contracts can cost is about $875,000 total. I think that counts against the 3.3 though.

One of the primary focuses of the owners during the negotiating process was getting the bloated salaries of unproven rookies under control.

Under the new CBA, the huge deals that had made rookie contracts so expensive have largely been capped with a slotting system.

Every player drafted will be given at least a four-year deal. Players drafted in the first round can be given a five-year deal. Undrafted rookies will get three-year contracts.

The actual economics of the deals also has largely become regulated under the new deal. Players are essentially slotted based on their draft position, with the mininum salary for rookies being $390,000.00 a year.

Gone are the incentive-laden deals that often were the back-breakers that resulted in lengthy holdouts. Agents often successfully created incentive clauses (players receivers X amount for playing in all 16 regular season games, etc.).

The only real negotiating taking place with the new deals will come with the signing bonuses. Generally speaking, teams can give their players as much money up front as a signing bonus as they'd like. However, there is a sliding scale teams and agents use as a guide to keep the third player selected (in this year's case, running back Trent Richardson) from getting more money up front than the first selected, Andrew Luck.

In theory, the new CBA should make the signing of rookie prospects to contracts a much simpler process, greatly reducing the number of players holding out.

[SLVR and Black]

Wait, the Ravens signed Rice to a 5-year, $35 million contract today. How does that work if the Ravens only had $600k and change available?

[DustInTheWind]

Wait, the Ravens signed Rice to a 5-year, $35 million contract today. How does that work if the Ravens only had $600k and change available?

Seems a lot of his money was in his signing bonus ($15M) and incentives ($5M), with him actually lowering his cap number for this year giving them more available money.

Most importantly from an internal accounting standpoint, the contract reduces Rice’s cap number in 2012 from $7.7 million to $5 million, creating an extra $2.7 million in much-needed space. Previously, the Ravens had less than $700,00 in wiggle room.

Ray Rice in line to make $24 million by March | ProFootballTalk

[MadBomber24]

Wait, the Ravens signed Rice to a 5-year, $35 million contract today. How does that work if the Ravens only had $600k and change available?

I think it's because the franchise number for Rice was counted in the cap numbers even though he hadn't signed his tender yet. I think once a team uses the franchise tag that is automatically counted in their salary against the cap. So they likely gave themselves a little more cap space with the long term deal like we did with Branch.

[mike taylor]

Honestly RM is going to be judged (fans and media) by whether the Raiders start winning games or not. If we go 8-8 again this year much of the media wont say much about RM as they will wait longer to see. If we tank this year you will most likely see stories of what RM is doing wrong.

Fans in general will likely be less patient and we will see many complaints about RM and DA and Knapp if we go 8-8 or worse this year. Fans tend to be very nit picky when it comes to change. Everyone has a different idea to what they think should/ needs to be done.

Fans who believe that a turn around will happen in one season are crazy. This team has never gone through such a major change before. We are practically creating a new image and culture on the field and at HQ. It's definitely gonna take some time, but as for right now, I see 8-9 wins this year.

[SLVR and Black]

Seems a lot of his money was in his signing bonus ($15M) and incentives ($5M), with him actually lowering his cap number for this year giving them more available money.



Ray Rice in line to make $24 million by March | ProFootballTalk

Ah, thanks.

[Jiu Jitsu Jon]

Players on the Raider roster....this is the time to prove your worth. No more scholarships. I'm looking at you Rolando, we all want you to show us something this year. No ones gonna give the Raiders respect, they're gonna have to take it.

And I'm not picking on McClain. That goes for the whole team. Leave it all on the field and give it your all. That's all the nation can ask from you.