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Five Teams Use Post-June 1 Designation

June 1st, 2018 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

Lingering guarantees can be a rough pill to swallow for NFL teams as they move on from players, but the league’s post-June 1 designation allows clubs to spread out the dead money hit over two seasons while reaping greater benefits in the current year. This offseason, five teams took advantage of the rule to carve out some cap space. As Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes, the following clubs now have some extra breathing room to sign draft picks and add veterans in the late stages of free agency: 

The additional cap space will be particularly useful for the Dolphins and Eagles, who have about $400K in cap room combined. The Falcons ($3.7MM),Saints ($4.2MM), and Cowboys ($8.5MM) are also looking forward to the extra fiscal flexibility. The extra cap room may help to jumpstart the free agent market for players such as Dez Bryant, Tre Boston, Kenny Vaccaro, Eric Reid, and others without a home at this stage of the offseason.

The Dolphins have yet to sign any of their 2018 draft picks, including top choice Minkah Fitzpatrick, but you can expect to see some movement on that front once they receive their $17MM reprieve. The Cowboys, Saints, and Eagles have already wrapped their respective draft classes and the Falcons have signed every pick except for first rounder Calvin Ridley, so those four clubs can concentrate on using their extra room for veteran additions, or new deals/contract sweeteners for current players.

Explaining Post-June 1 Cuts

May 31st, 2018 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL teams will often use bonuses in contracts as a way to spread out a cap hit that might otherwise be exorbitant. For instance, if a player’s five-year deal includes a $10MM signing bonus, that money can be paid immediately but spread out over five years for cap purposes. This way, the cap charge for the bonus amounts to $2MM per year for cap purposes, rather than $10MM in year one.

However, this practice can come back to haunt teams if they want to get out of a contract early. Suppose the team in the above scenario wanted to release the player in the third year of his contract. Even if none of the player’s base salary is guaranteed at that point, the team will still have to account for that remaining prorated bonus money. Rather than counting on the cap as $2MM per year for three seasons, that dead money “accelerates,” and applies to the cap for the league year in which the player is released. In other words, the remaining $6MM in prorated bonus money immediately counts against the club’s cap.

Although these rules apply to many cuts, a different set of rules is in place for players released after June 1. In that case, a team can spread the cap hit across two seasons rather than one — for the current season, the prorated bonus figure stays at its original amount, with the remaining bonus balance accelerating onto the following season. Referring again to the above scenario, that means the player would count against the cap for $2MM in the league year in which he was cut, with the remaining $4MM applying to the following league year.

The guidelines for pre-June 1 and post-June 1 cuts are fairly straightforward, but things become a little more complicated when we take into account that teams are allowed to designate up to two players as post-June 1 cuts even if those players are released before June. This offseason, we’ve seen a number of players designated as post-June 1 cuts, including Ndamukong Suh (Dolphins), Orlando Scandrick (Cowboys), Mychal Kendricks (Eagles), and Coby Fleener (Saints).

In the case of Kendricks, the Eagles were initially slated to pay him a $5.85MM in base salary this year with a $7.6MM cap figure. Under typical circumstances, the release would have left the Eagles with a $3.2MM dead money obligation for 2018. However, through the post-June 1 designation, they will unlock $6MM in cap space starting on Friday with just $1.6MM in dead money this year. In 2019, they’ll be faced with the remaining $1.6MM charge.

Because the cap charge for the current league year isn’t reduced until June, designating a player as a post-June 1 cut isn’t hugely advantageous for teams. By June, just about every notable free agent is off the board, so the new savings likely won’t be put toward a major move.

Still, releasing a player in March and designating him a post-June 1 cut can be mutually beneficial for a player and his team. It allows the player to hit the market when potential suitors still have cap room and are still looking to add free agents, and it allows the club to spread out the player’s cap charge without having to actually wait until June 1 to release him — waiting until that point could mean paying roster or workout bonuses in the interim. Additionally, even if the team doesn’t need that June cap space for free agency, it can come in handy for signing draft picks.

In the case of the defending champs, who faced a serious numbers crunch heading into the offseason, the June 1 designation allowed for some much-needed wiggle room. Before the move, the Eagles had an NFL-low $103K available under the cap.

A couple loose ends related to post-June 1 cuts:

  • The same rules applying to players who are released apply to players who are traded — if a team trades a player after June 1, his remaining bonus money can be spread out over two seasons. However, a club can’t designate anyone traded prior to June as a post-June 1 player.
  • Teams cannot designate post-June 1 cuts during the final league year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post. The original version of this post was published on April 2, 2014.

55 NFL Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

May 31st, 2018 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

As shown in PFR’s tracker for NFL rookie contracts, 201 of this year’s 256 draft picks have signed. That leaves 55 drafted players without formalized contracts as of this writing. 

Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement of 2011, rookie contract negotiations are not as arduous as they were in years past. Rookies, generally, will agree to terms in accordance with their slots, though there is some wiggle room when it comes to issues such as offset language. If a player is cut within his first four years and does not have offset language in his deal, he can effectively double dip by collecting on the remaining guaranteed portion of his rookie contract while earning pay from another club. With offset language, the player’s earnings will be capped as the former team can deduct the amount of his new contract from their payout.

Unsurprisingly, 13 of this year’s unsigned players are from the third round of the draft. Third round picks, historically, have been tricky for teams, even under the simplified rules of the latest CBA. Third rounders have a slotted signing bonus – like every other pick – but their base salaries can be negotiated. If a player at a premium position is selected between, say, a guard and a center, he may push for a higher base than each player, rather than using their contracts as a guide.

The bulk of the stragglers come from the first round, where 20 of this year’s 32 selections are unsigned. Players chosen within the top 32 selections, and especially those selected in the top 10, can often exert more leverage in negotiations in order to get more favorable terms from clubs. In 2016, Joey Bosa‘s talks dragged for months over the timing of his signing bonus payment. Ultimately, Bosa’s reps did not get everything they wanted, but they were able to get the Bolts to meet them in the middle.

Right now, Colts guard Quenton Nelson (No. 6 overall) and Cardinals QB Josh Rosen (No. 10 overall) are the only two players in the top ten that have signed their rookie contracts. That number will increase in the coming days, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of this year’s top selections do not sign until late June or July.

Poll: Which AFC West Team Had The Best Offseason?

May 29th, 2018 at 10:54am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Of all the divisions in the NFL, perhaps none had a busier offseason than the AFC West. The Chargers were the only team in the division that didn’t change their head coach or starting quarterback. Each team had their own clear strategy for navigating the spring, but only one will emerge as the top dog in the division next season. 

The Raiders kicked off a new era in January when they signed Jon Gruden to a ten-year deal to be their new head coach. Over the last few months, Gruden has totally remade the team to fit his vision of a squad with lots of veteran leaders, while getting rid of some players whose personalities he didn’t like such as Michael Crabtree and Marquette King. They’ve signed a slew of aging veterans like Doug Martin, Jordy Nelson, and Leon Hall. They added offensive tackle Kolton Miller with their first-round pick to help bolster their offensive line and keep Derek Carr upright. The 2018 season will be the team’s first without Sebastian Janikowski as their kicker since 1999, as the team let the longtime fan favorite walk in free-agency. This Raiders team will be one of the oldest in recent league history, but with some top-line talent in Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack, along with a very experienced locker room, they have the potential to make some noise in the AFC.

The Chargers had by far the quietest offseason of all the AFC West teams. They opted to mostly stand pat in free agency, although they did sign Mike Pouncey after he was cut by the Dolphins. The Chargers are mostly counting on the talent from last year’s team being able to get them over the hump this year. They got what many considered to be the steal of the draft when Florida State safety Derwin James fell to them at the 17th pick in the first-round. They’ve sought to address the kicking game, the team’s biggest weakness in 2017, by bringing in Caleb Sturgis and former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo to compete. On paper, the Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the league. A couple of missed field goals at the end of games was the only thing stopping them from being a playoff team last year. They’ve been a popular media pick so far to win the AFC West in 2018, and could make a deep playoff run if they can put it all together.

The Chiefs kicked off the NFL offseason by making a blockbuster trade with the Redskins, shipping out quarterback Alex Smith and officially starting the Patrick Mahomes era in Kansas City. The team had no first-round pick, but did make a splash in free agency. They signed Sammy Watkins to a three-year deal to pair with Tyreek Hill on the outside. They lost offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who took a head coaching job with the Bears. They also traded All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, in part due to his clashes with the coaching staff. It was a tumultuous offseason for the Chiefs as they look to restart rather than rebuild. Mahomes showed flashes of brilliance during his lone regular season start last year, but it will be hard to win in a tough division with a quarterback making his first meaningful starts. Still, if any coach could pull it off, it’s probably Andy Reid.

The Broncos are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Following their Super Bowl win in 2015, they went 9-7 in 2016 only for the wheels to come off this past year. They ended up starting three different quarterbacks, and none of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler were effective. Siemian and Osweiler are gone now, and Lynch will be fighting for a roster spot this summer. The team brought in Case Keenum to be their new starting quarterback, and added defensive end Bradley Chubb with the fifth overall pick. They traded Aqib Talib, a former staple of their legendary “No Fly Zone” to the Rams, and traded for former second-round safety Su’a Cravens. While the Broncos didn’t do anything crazy to revamp their roster other than bringing in Keenum, things tend to change quickly in the NFL, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Broncos rebound fast from their dismal 5-11 season.

Which team do you think had the best offseason in the AFC West? Vote in PFR’s poll below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!

Which AFC West team had the best offseason?
Raiders 34.58% (509 votes)
Broncos 26.97% (397 votes)
Chargers 20.58% (303 votes)
Chiefs 17.87% (263 votes)
Total Votes: 1,472

This Date In Transactions History: Andre Hastings

May 28th, 2018 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last month, the Steelers traded contract-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Raiders and essentially replaced him with second-rounder James Washington. This marked the latest of Pittsburgh’s decisions to move on from wideout talent during or after a first contract.

This practice has transpired for many years. In the late 1990s, the Steelers opted to let a few of their young wideouts walk as free agents. One of the first such defections came on this day 21 years ago, when the Saints signed Andre Hastings.

Hastings was a third-round Pittsburgh pick in 1993 and played on four early-Bill Cowher-era teams. Hastings’ most notable contribution came in catching a game-high 10 passes for 98 yards in Super Bowl XXX, and in his contract year, he produced a career-high 739 yards and six touchdown receptions. That was second on the 1996 Steelers, behind Yancey Thigpen, whom Pittsburgh let leave for a monster Tennessee Oilers contract in the 1998 offseason.

For the otherwise forgettable 1997 Saints, Hastings again produced a 700-plus-yard season — second to Randal Hill (also signed on May 28, 1997) — and played two more years in New Orleans. But for Pittsburgh, it was one of the first of many similar choices involving homegrown wide receivers.

The Steelers let 1998 receiving leader Charles Johnson, a 1994 first-rounder, walk in free agency before forming a stable set of wideouts — the Hines Ward/Plaxico Burress/Antwaan Randle El troika — over the next few years. This group established consistency in the early 2000s. The Steelers chose to keep Ward long-term and let Burress and Randle El walk. While the former enjoyed a strong stint with the Giants, the Steelers have proven for decades now they can identify receiving talent capable of replacing departed standouts. The next wave involved first- and third-round picks Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace, both of whom were not retained as UFAs despite playing key roles for Super Bowl-qualifying teams. Both enjoyed their best seasons in western Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh has since hit on a third-round pick in Emmanuel Sanders and a fourth-rounder in Bryant, with neither seeing a second Steelers contract. While Sanders delivered far superior work in Denver than in Pittsburgh, the Steelers rightly prioritized Antonio Brown, who has since signed two extensions and has authored one of the most dominant stretches by a pass-catcher in NFL history.

The cycle’s continuing with Washington, who joins Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Although a proven (albeit mercurial) deep threat in Bryant is out of the picture, the Steelers have a receiver trio that’s now locked up for at least three more seasons. And the franchise has shown a time-tested acumen for big-picture planning in this department, churning out wideouts regardless of the ones that leave.

This Date In Transactions History: Ryan Clark

May 27th, 2018 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

14 years ago today, a former undrafted free agent’s future was in question. Fast forward to now, and he’s one of the most beloved players in Steelers history.

After going undrafted out of LSU in 2002, safety Ryan Clark spent two forgettable seasons with the Giants. The defensive back was relatively productive during his sophomore campaign (21 tackles, one sack, two passes defended in 16 games (four starts)), but he seemingly didn’t do enough to earn a longer look from the organization. On May 27th, 2004, the Giants let go of the young safety.

This ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Steelers, but it’d take several years to translate. After all, Clark initially caught on with the Redskins, who he’d play with for two seasons. Thanks to injuries to Matt Bowen and Andre Lott, Clark got an opportunity to start, and he ended up starting 24 games between 2004 and 2005. However, in a widely-panned moved, Washington ended up moving on from Clark after inking Adam Archuleta to a lucrative deal.

Clark then landed in Pittsburgh, where he’d spend the next eight years of his career. The safety started all but two of his games while he was with the Steelers, and he compiled at least 80 tackles for six straight seasons. Clark started all three postseason games for the Steelers en route to their Super Bowl XLIII victory, and he also helped guide the team to a Super Bowl loss during the 2010 campaign. He even made a Pro Bowl in 2011 after finishing with 100 tackles, one sack, five passed defended, and one interception.

By the time Clark ended up returning to Washington in 2014, he had earned a spot on a couple of the Steelers all-time top-1o lists, including tackles (10th – 448) and passes defended (8th – 44). Still, if the Giants had decided to give the safety a longer look, who knows if Clark would have ever found his way to Pittsburgh.

PFR Originals: 5/20/18 – 5/27/18

May 27th, 2018 at 2:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Community Tailgate: Rodgers’ Contract

May 26th, 2018 at 9:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Kirk Cousins‘ and Matt Ryan‘s landmark deals completed, the market is seemingly set up for Aaron Rodgers to reset it. He seems to agree, if an airport encounter with Thomas Dimitroff is any indication.

But now that those dominoes have fallen, and the QB market’s per-year ceiling has been raised by $3MM as a result, what will Rodgers’ deal look like?

Cousins ushered the NFL into new territory with a fully guaranteed contract. The Packers’ starting quarterback’s accomplishments dwarfing the Vikings’ new one, he will certainly command more money. But the Packers may not be eager to structure Rodgers’ deal this way — a three-year, fully guaranteed agreement — since he’s under contract through 2019 on his current pact.

Green Bay has Rodgers signed to what became an incredibly team-friendly contract (five years, $110MM), and while it’s virtually impossible to imagine Rodgers getting to the 2019 season on his current deal and the leverage that would come with that position, his through-’19 accord wouldn’t seem to line up with a Cousins-type deal.

Ryan’s contract structure — five years, $150MM — would make more sense for the Packers, and that certainly would be the floor for the two-time MVP that’s probably the most valuable commodity in the NFL. Rodgers is only entering his age-34 season and recently said near-future retirement is not in the cards for him.

The 2005 first-round pick had to wait until his fourth season to start, and top-tier QB peers like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger are much closer to retirement than he is. The Packers’ long-term future can still include the two-time MVP, and thus a perpetual Super Bowl window. And with those future Hall of Famers out of the picture at some point, Rodgers could have an even bigger opportunity to burnish his legacy.

Assuming the Packers follow the Falcons’ blueprint here, how much can Rodgers justifiably earn? The quarterback market moved rather slowly after Rodgers signed his extension in spring 2013. Entering the summer of 2017, the NFL hadn’t yet seen a $25MM-per-year player. But now that the market’s rapidly escalated, it sets up well for Rodgers to transport salaries further north.

Ryan’s $30MM AAV comprises approximately 17 percent of the league’s $177MM salary cap. Rodgers’ $22MM-per-year deal actually represented a greater percentage of the $123MM cap (18 percent) in 2013. An 18 percent chunk of the current cap is nearly $32MM, which would be quite reasonable. But with the cap rising, and Rodgers’ value being displayed via his absence last season, he could obviously ask for more. Is any kind of Packers-friendly discount, for the purposes of the franchise optimally building around him, in the cards? The cap’s steady rise and Rodgers’ 2013 contract becoming outdated (currently 10th among QBs) may nix that logic quickly.

Is a contract that is tied to a percentage of the salary cap a viable scenario? If a player was going to pursue that, Cousins may have been the one — a free agent franchise-level passer in his prime. But Rodgers’ immense importance to his team may make him a logical candidate for such an attempt. It would prevent his deal from becoming a bargain as the cap climbs toward (and eventually exceeds) $200MM in the next few years, but the Packers would obviously be hesitant about this type of player-friendly structure.

So, what will Rodgers’ next contract look like? He seems likely to exceed Ryan’s $94.5MM fully guaranteed figure, but by how much? Is he going to push for a $35MM-per-year deal and take the quarterback market to another stratosphere, or is a pact somewhere in between that and Ryan’s AAV where this will end up? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!

This Date In Transactions History: Will Allen

May 26th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Ben Levine

In 2009, Will Allen was coming off three productive seasons with the Dolphins, and he was quickly establishing himself as one of the most reliable cornerbacks in the NFL. On May 26th, the cornerback signed a two-year, $16.2MM extension ($10MM guaranteed) with Miami… and he proceeded to play zero games under his new deal.

With one year remaining on his contract, Allen signed the deal prior to the 2009 season. The deal was set to kick in during the 2010 campaign and would last through 2011. He looked like he was worth the money during the first chunk of the 2009 season, compiling 21 tackles, two interceptions, and six passes defended. It quickly went down hill for the defensive back, as he tore his ACL in a Week 6 matchup with the Saints, ending his season. That offseason, Allen was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after nearly blowing through a police roadblock.

Then, one week before the 2010 season (the season when his new contract was set to kick in), Allen was placed on the IR with a knee issue. To stick around Miami for the 2011 campaign, the defensive back had to rip up his lucrative deal and settle for a new, one-year contract that paid significantly less than the $5.5MM he was set to make. However, the veteran was ultimately released from this new deal prior to the start of the regular season.

Allen ended up catching on with Miami again in mid-September, and he ultimately compiled 43 tackles and three passes defended in 15 games. However, the team technically ended up getting zero production out of their initial $10MM investment.

Poll: Should The Chargers Re-Sign Gates?

May 25th, 2018 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, the Chargers informed Antonio Gates that they would not re-sign him for a 16th season with the Bolts. However, their situation has changed in recent days after Hunter Henry‘s season-ending ACL tear. 

“We’ll look at all the options that are out there. We’ve got time to do it right now,” GM Ted Telesco said when asked about Gates earlier this week.

Gates, 38 in June, isn’t quite the player he was in 2009, but he was highly productive as recently as two years ago when he caught 53 passes for 548 yards and seven scores. On a limited snap count, Gates could help replace some of Henry’s production in 2018, even if he doesn’t match his 12.9 yards per catch average.

Gates’ familiarity with the Chargers’ offense and personnel also shouldn’t be discounted. He’s been catching passes from Philip Rivers since 2004 while earning eight Pro Bowl nods and three First-Team All-Pro selections along the way.

The 6’4″ tight end probably represents the splashiest move they could make, but he’s not the only noteworthy tight end available. Julius Thomas, Brent Celek, and Coby Fleener are all out there for the taking and it’s possible that one of those three players would be more amicable to playing in a limited role than Gates.

Alternatively, the Chargers could patch things up at TE by shifting sixth-round rookie Dylan Cantrell from receiver to tight end. Cantrell has the height (6’3″) and may have blocking ability ability to make the move, but he’s untested.

All things considered, do you think the Chargers should change course and re-sign Gates? Cast your vote below and support your decision in the comment section.

Should The Chargers Re-Sign Antonio Gates?
Yes 76.64% (748 votes)
No 23.36% (228 votes)
Total Votes: 976
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