Adam Peters on the Subject of Cap Space

[Chris]

A question from JP Finlay to AP at the Combine today-

“How different does your outlook to free agency come in this year where you want to get some guys back but you’ve got a lot of cap space too?

Adam Peters response-

“Yeah, I mean it’s the same as last year. We have a little less cap space but we really operate off a cash budget, so cap space and that stuff is always kind of…whatever’s on the internet is not always the case.”

 

[Chris]

I take that to mean that he has some freedom to make financial decisions that are not entirely held hostage simply by hard cap space numbers. That he can be more creative than we were used to with contract structures and won’t need to search between couch cushions for some extra coin.

 

[HOF44]

Wonder what that means.

 

[DogofWar1]

The Void Year(s) to be exact.

Teams largely *can* have infinite money bc of various tricks...until you don't bc you paid Deshaun Watson the worst contract in NFL history.

 

[Primus Porcus]

Quick look to understand 'Cash vs Cap' and here's what I see.



Our 'Cap' number is $215,321,941
Our 'Cash' number is $162,067,991


What I take from this is that a lot of money that is built into the 'cap' is funny money. Unattainable bonuses and accelerators, that are window dressing for agents to present to their clients that a contract is worth 'up to $XXX'.

If it's the contract as a possibility that the player earns that bonus, or accelerator, it has to be accounted for in the cap. Equally speaking, a player's 'cap' number that is offered by another team could be $25m, but only $5m in 'cash', or actual hard money they receive (or are guaranteed) at the time of signing. Equally we can approach a player and offer a $20M contract (vs cap) but $10m in 'cash', being more lucrative for that player.

 

[Chris]

Worth a read from Andrew Brant who has been there, done that. I believe this is more in line with what Peters was alluding to.

(Sorry it is posted on one of the sports internet’s most frustrating sites.)

Separating Fact From Fiction Over How the NFL Salary Cap Works

Andrew Brandt puts on his professor hat to clear up some myths about cash vs. cap, stars taking less money to help the team and more.

www.si.com

 

[Due East]

He also followed up with saying something to the effect of while we have the 3rd most cap room we also have the 3rd least amount of players under contract.

 

[Conn]

Had posted this in the FA thread, but it clearly fits better here:



I think this was what Peters was referring to when he was talking about a “cash budget” rather than purely worrying about the cap. This has been shifting for years, but teams with deep pocket majority + minority share investors and/or cash to spare are seeing how you can load up in competitive windows and manipulate cap hits without just kicking the can and ending up in Saints/Cowboys classic cap hell.

 

[Hail Raiser]

He's saying that he and Harris are going to have a similar relationship to Howie and Lurie.

 

[RWJ]

AP will use the same 2024 philosophy template in free agency and the draft in 2025, 2026 and beyond until he builds a winning team.

ESPN article show all the free agent signings (length of deals and for how much). https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...-free-agency-tracker-offseason-moves-signings