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Fitting draftees under the salary cap
Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2000 09:32 AM
Where the scout's work has ended, the capologist's job is just beginning. Thirty-one NFL coaching staffs are now trying to work their newly drafted players into their systems, but it is up to the capologists to make all those new pieces fit under the salary cap. This is when eventual cap casualties will be determined. For example, look at the San Francisco 49ers. Bill Walsh and Co. did a masterful job of trading down and acquiring 11 picks in the draft to help rebuild this fallen franchise. But in order to sign these players, the 49ers must somehow find the cap space.
San Francisco selected players at the following draft positions: 16, 24, 35, 48, 65, 86, 108, 132, 150, 212 and 230. Last year those same picks cost their respective teams a combined $9,753,000 in signing bonuses and, more important to the 49ers, $4,488,657 in cap space. The NFL's minimum wage is up 10 percent from last year, but factor in a more conservative eight percent increase and Walsh will have to spend $10,533,240 in rookie bonuses and $4,847,749 in cap space. Consider that San Francisco went into the draft about $1.4 million under the cap, and it's obvious that the math doesn't add up for the 49ers. And it becomes easier to see why Steve Young and Jerry Rice must renegotiate their salaries down to near minimum wage to stay with the team, or at least one of these organizational cornerstones must go just to sign these 11 draft picks. Carolina also entered the draft with minimal cap space with which to work. In fact, the Panthers had less than $100,000 of cap room, the least in the league. Their seven picks cost $2.377 million to sign last year, and with that same conservative 8 percent increase, the Panthers will need at least $2.5 million to sign them this year. Similarly, Carolina will have to maneuver either by cutting players or renegotiating existing contracts to find the space it needs. Other teams wait in the bushes for these kind of scenarios to shake out. The Jets, for instance, will wait to see what receivers become cap casualties before they decide how to try to replace Keyshawn Johnson. Two years ago they found Vinny Testaverde and Bryan Cox that way, and they will have choices at the receiver position this year. Then there are the cases at the other end of the spectrum from those of the 49ers and Panthers. Baltimore, for instance, went into the draft with a comfortable $2.8 million of cap space. But for the Ravens, cash is the problem. Their six picks will require approximately $10.5 million of signing bonuses, and there may not be enough cash available to go around. A significant chunk of the team was sold to a new partner and the sale generated a lot of money. But like many other teams, Baltimore has had to borrow to pay its bonuses before and may have to again. In the days immediately after the draft, most coaches and personnel people are optimistic about the future. But now that the capologists have taken over, the bottom-line reality will slowly set in. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer.
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