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Post-June 1 Cuts

June 2nd, 2015 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

As we covered in our contract bonuses entry in the Pro Football Rumors glossary, including bonuses in NFL contracts is a good 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. So the cap charge for the bonus would be $2MM per year, rather than $10MM in year one.

This practice can come back to haunt teams if they want to get out of a contract early, however. 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, only two players were designated as post-June 1 cuts — Philip Wheeler, by the Dolphins, and DeAngelo Williams, by the Panthers.

So how exactly does this scenario work? Let’s look at Wheeler’s contract for an example. Before he was cut, the remaining years on the linebacker’s contract looked like this:

Wheeler 1

Typically, releasing Wheeler prior to June 1 would accelerate all that prorated bonus money to the 2015 cap. His base salaries and workout bonuses don’t feature any guarantees, so that would’ve looked like this:

Wheeler 2

That approach would’ve ensured that Wheeler’s contract came off the Dolphins’ books faster, but it would’ve barely created any cap space — the linebacker’s cap hit for 2015 would’ve only dipped by $200K, from $4.4MM to $4.2MM. By designating him as a post-June 1 cut, the Dolphins ensured that they’d create more cap space for 2015 by moving some of the dead money to 2016.

Of course, Miami didn’t actually get that cap space until this week, since designating a player as a post-June 1 cut means he’ll come off the books after June 1, rather than immediately. Here’s what Wheeler’s contract looks like now on the Dolphins’ books:

Wheeler 3

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.

The 2015 period for designating a player as a post-June 1 cut has ended — every player released now will be, by definition, a post-June 1 cut, meaning any dead money will be spread across the 2015 and 2016 league years. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap notes in his piece on the subject, this was a bigger deal in past seasons, when teams were right up against the cap and badly needed to create space. These days, clubs are doing a much better job of managing their respective caps, and no teams are in bad enough shape that they were counting down the days on their calendars until June 1.

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 will 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.

PFR Originals: 5/24/15 – 5/31/15

May 31st, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Top FAs Who Signed One-Year Contracts

May 25th, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Most of this year’s best free agents were able to land multiyear deals that gave them a decent amount of security, with many of those contracts featuring guaranteed money beyond just the first year. A quick look at the top 10 players in our list of 2015’s top 50 free agents shows that nine of them signed for at least five years, while a 10th (Randall Cobb) got a lucrative four-year pact.

However, the 11th player on our list, Greg Hardy, landed just a one-year contract. The fact that Hardy was the top free agent to sign a one-year deal isn’t surprising — his domestic violence case created uncertainty about his stock, and dissuaded any teams from making him a big, long-term offer.

Hardy was far from the only player in our top 50 to sign for just one season, however. While there were at least a couple other players whose stock was affected by off-field question marks, many of these players were coming off injuries or had other issues that impacted their ability to negotiate a long-term deal. Terrance Knighton, for instance, looked like a top-20 free agent based on his 2014 performance, but concerns about his weight scared off many suitors, and he had to settle for a contract that was far from a top-20 valuation.

Some of these deals may backfire — Hardy, for instance, already looks like he may not have been a great investment, since he’s facing a 10-game suspension. But many of these players may turn into great single-season bargains for their respective clubs, who may have gotten discounts based on unfounded concerns. Whether these contracts turn out good or bad, they’ll expire in a year, so none of these teams will see their caps hampered for multiple seasons by these investments.

Here’s the full list of players on our list of top 50 free agents – along with a couple of honorable mentions – who signed one-year contracts this offseason:

* Contract also includes incentives

PFR Originals: 5/17/15 – 5/24/15

May 24th, 2015 at 2:43pm CST by Ben Levine

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

  • Dallas Robinson examined the extension candidacy of Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Meanwhile, Luke Adams took a look at a possible extension for Vikings kicker Blair Walsh.
  • Luke Adams focused on the remaining unsigned draft picks from around the NFL. Interestingly, the Rams remain the only team to have not signed any of their rookies. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick, is the most notable name to remain unsigned.
  • Luke asked the readers which revamped contender improved their roster the most. More than half of you voted for the Dolphins, with the Eagles and Saints following.

Extension Candidate: Andrew Whitworth

May 22nd, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With four straight postseason appearances under their belt, the Bengals didn’t have many pressing needs heading into draft season. The club’s pass rush was a concern, but many mock drafters projected that Cincinnati would select an offensive tackle in an attempt to shore up their front five for years to come. Prior to the draft, Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth, a free agent after the 2015 season, didn’t seem concerned that a rookie could eventually take his spot:

“I’ve always had the opposite mentality,” Whitworth said. “Mess up and draft somebody at my position because you are going to sit around and watch him sit the bench. That’s always been my mentality. I see it as a challenge.”

That was April 28. Fast forward six days to May 4, after Cincinnati had drafted not only Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi in the first round, but Oregon tackle Jake Fisher in the second, and the 33-year-old Whitworth had changed his tune. “It’s hard to [Nov 30, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth (77) blocks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sportsbe a team leader] when that feeling is not reciprocated and is just a one way street,” said Whitworth. “‘We’d like you to prepare two guys to be really good football players, we’d like you to be the leader of football team, but we’d also like to have the best situation possible for us. We’ll talk to you when we want to.’”

Later that week, Whitworth was involved in a bizarre social media snafu, as a message sent out from his Twitter account seemed to express even more frustration about his future with the Bengals. “[Bengals owner] Mike Brown told me I’m done here,” the tweet read. “Said I can play this year and go home. So I told him I want a raise or I’ll sit my a– at home this …” Whitworth later downplayed the situation, blaming the incident on his wife’s unfamiliarity with technology, but it’s easy to connect the dots between his earlier vexation with management and this tweet, whether or not it was intended to be released.

Despite his age, the fact that Whitworth hasn’t yet been offered an extension is a bit strange, simply because Cincinnati is willing (much more so than other NFL clubs) to hang onto its veteran players. Nearly every other team in the league would have released defensive tackle Domata Peko — among the NFL’s worst at his position — and saved more than $3MM in cap space, but as of now, he remains on the roster. 30-year-old corner Leon Hall has the second-highest cap figure on the Bengals’ roster, and has lost a step after rupturing each Achilles in the past four seasons — but he hasn’t been cut or even asked to restructure.

However, Whitworth, who along with Peko is the longest-tenured Bengal, will head into his contract year without a new deal on the horizon. The former second-round pick will earn a $5MM base salary in 2015, and account for $6.2MM on Cincinnati’s cap. While that may seem modest given Whitworth’s production, his current contract terms are part of a two-year extension tacked onto the back end of an old contract, so his ~$9.76MM AAV is actually good for the sixth-highest left tackle contract in the league.

Obviously, dollar figures will be the driving force in any sort of negotiations between Whitworth and the Bengals. But Whitworth’s fit along the offensive line could be a secondary topic of discussion, as his role come 2016 could be unclear. As noted, Cincinnati selected two players in Ogbuehi and Fisher who played primarily left tackle in college. Their addition only further clouds a Bengals front five that could look very different next season.

Like Whitworth, right tackle Andre Smith is a free agent at season’s end. The former first-round pick’s play has stagnated in recent years, and at this point it’s highly unlikely he’ll return to southern Ohio when his contract expires. Left guard Clint Boling was recently locked up via a long-term deal, but right guard Kevin Zeitler‘s future with the club is less certain — his 2016 option was exercised, and though the Bengals have indicated they’d like to reach agreement on an extension with the Georgia product, Zeitler is currently unsigned after next season. The final member of Cincy’s line, center Russell Bodine, struggled during his rookie season, and remains something of an unknown.

So where does this leave Whitworth (were he to be extended)? One possible scenario (which I first heard floated by Andy Benoit of TheMMQB.com) could see a complete shuffle of the Bengals’ front five. Left-to-right, Cincinnati’s possible 2016 offensive line could read Ogbuehi-Whitworth-Boling-Zeitler-Fisher. The concerns here are obvious: Boling has no pro experience at center, and trusting two young players with no NFL experience whatsoever on the outside could be troubling for a contending team. But if Ogbuehi and Fisher develop, this setup could mean an improvement at every position along the line. For his part, Whitworth was dominant while moonlighting as a guard during the 2013 season (check out these three GIFs as evidence).

It’s conceivable, however, that Whitworth doesn’t want to move off the blindside at this point in his career, and even if he is amenable to transitioning inside, I’d wager that he’d still want to be compensated as a left tackle. The years tacked on to the end of Whitworth’s deal in 2011 amounted to a two-year, $20MM extension. He’d probably want something similar to that to stay in Cincinnati, and given his track record, that’d be a fair deal for both sides. At 33, Whitworth shouldn’t expect a long-term deal, especially with two youngsters fighting to take his job, but a short-term pact at a respectable salary would work.

So if the Bengals do express interest in re-signing Whitworth, the only hurdle would be the level of intrigue the former LSU Tiger could attract from around the league. There isn’t a ton of precedent for age-30+ offensive lineman generating free agent bidding wars, but it’s conceivable that a club with a dire need at left tackle — Panthers? Vikings? Jaguars if Luke Joeckel continues to disappoint? — could present a large offer to Whitworth that Cincinnati would have no interest in matching.

Cincinnati has more pressing issues on its plate than the contract status of Whitworth. A.J. Green, George Iloka, Dre Kirkpatrick, Zeitler, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Reggie Nelson are just some of the Bengals whose contracts expire in the next two seasons. Green, in particular, figures to take up much of Cincinnati’s negotiating time and cap space during the next ten months, so Whitworth could be on the back burner. But a short-term deal to keep the team leader in the Queen City almost makes too much sense not to happen.

Poll: Most Improved Revamped Contender?

May 22nd, 2015 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

Every team in the NFL has undergone changes to some extent this offseason, but some clubs have managed to maintain more continuity than others. Among the teams that have overhauled their rosters most significantly are three teams that just missed out on playoff spots by a game or two in 2014. The Eagles, Saints, and Dolphins have all seen major turnover at key spots on their rosters over the past few months.

In Philadelphia, Chip Kelly continues to allow standout offensive players to leave town, trading LeSean McCoy to the Bills and allowing Jeremy Maclin to walk in free agency. The Eagles also have a new starting quarterback (Sam Bradford) and landed the top running back (DeMarco Murray) and cornerback (Byron Maxwell) available in free agency.

While the Eagles’ biggest changes came in free agency, the Saints went the trade route, shipping out Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills, and Ben Grubbs in separate deals. The team did add a few free agents, including running back C.J. Spiller and cornerback Brandon Browner, but New Orleans will be relying heavily on its rookie class, after having added extra picks in the first and third rounds.

As for the Dolphins, it’s no secret what their biggest offseason move was: Ndamukong Suh was the most noteworthy free agent to change teams in years, and he’s headed to Miami for the 2015 season. However, that was far from the only splash made by the Dolphins. The club also overhauled its wide receiving corps, acquiring Kenny Stills, signing Greg Jennings, and jettisoning veterans Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson, and Brian Hartline. Ryan Tannehill will also have a new weapon at tight end, in former Brown Jordan Cameron.

As noted above, there are plenty of other teams – both playoff clubs and non-contenders – who underwent major roster changes in the offseason, but few overhauled their rosters as significantly as the Eagles, Saints, and Dolphins. Will that pay off for those teams in 2015? Which of these three teams do you think improved the most this offseason?

Which postseason contender improved the most by revamping its roster this offseason?
Miami Dolphins 60.23% (524 votes)
Philadelphia Eagles 30.23% (263 votes)
New Orleans Saints 9.54% (83 votes)
Total Votes: 870

Extension Candidate: Blair Walsh

May 21st, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

As we noted on Wednesday, Vikings kicker Blair Walsh recently expressed optimism that he’ll be able to work out a long-term extension with the team that keeps him in Minnesota beyond 2015, the last year of his rookie contract. While Walsh’s comments suggested that contract talks hadn’t gotten serious between the two sides yet – he says there’s been “a little bit of communication” – it’s possible that the kicker will reach a deal with the club before the season gets underway.Blair Walsh

As Walsh prepares to discuss his future with the Vikings, the roles of kickers around the NFL are evolving. The ball will be placed at the 15-yard line for extra-point attempts in 2015, meaning kickers will have to make 32- or 33-yard PATs rather than 19-yard kicks. That change will go into effect on a trial basis, but it’s extremely unlikely that the NFL will decide to return to the old format in 2016. In fact, as Newsday’s Bob Glauber (Twitter link) and TheMMQB.com’s Peter King observe, it’s more probable that the league will continue to push those extra-point tries back even further in future seasons, perhaps by another eight or 10 yards.

With the requirements for the extra point changing, it’s fair to wonder how exactly that will affect the value of kickers going forward. It’s possible that some teams will rely less on their kickers, opting to go for two points more frequently. But NFL kickers don’t miss 33-yard attempts very often, and most head coaches are fairly conservative, so I expect the majority of the league’s teams will still opt for the single point most of the time.

What does that mean for kickers? It’s not as if they’re an afterthought now, since games are frequently won or lost on field goal attempts. However, if a handful of a team’s games each season are now decided on extra-point tries, clubs figures to give the kicker position a little extra attention. Teams may be more willing to offer more money to a reliable kicker, particularly if the spot for the PAT keeps moving back in future seasons. As Josh Brown of the Giants suggests, players capable of regularly making kicks in tough weather conditions should see their value increase as well.

It raised some eyebrows around the league when the Patriots used their franchise tag this offseason on kicker Stephen Gostkowski. After all, once Gostkowski signed that one-year tender, he assured himself of a $4.54MM salary for 2015, which is significantly more than the per-year salary of any other player at his position, as Over The Cap’s data shows. The Patriots are a smart team, and likely suspected this extra point change was coming (theirs was one of the three proposals considered by the NFL). It’s not unreasonable to assume that New England was willing to go a little higher than expected to retain Gostkowski, one of the league’s most consistent and reliable kickers, having anticipated that his role would be slightly more crucial in 2015.

All of this brings us back to Walsh, whose next contract will depend at least in part on how confident the Vikings are that he can continue to make all of his extra points. Through his first two NFL seasons, Walsh was virtually automatic from inside 40 years, converting 37 of 38 attempts (97.4%). However, 2015 was a shakier season for the 25-year-old. He missed nine field goals in total, and three of those misses came from less than 40 yards away.

With extra points becoming more difficult, the Vikings may want to wait to see how Walsh performs in 2015 before committing to him on a long-term deal. If he’s the player who made 89.7% of his field goals in his first two seasons, he’s worth that multiyear investment; if he’s the guy who converted just 74.3% of his tries last year, the team may want to explore other options. Walsh’s big leg makes him valuable – he has made 17 attempts of 50+ yards in his three NFL seasons – but accuracy will be more important than ever for kickers going forward.

I expect a nice bounce-back year from Walsh, and perhaps the Vikings will have a window to buy low over the next few months, while the former sixth-round pick is coming off the worst season of his career. If Minnesota can get Walsh locked up for a deal in the neighborhood of $3MM per year, I think it makes sense for the team to try to get something done. That’s the price that kickers like Graham Gano, Matt Prater, and Nick Folk have signed for within the last couple years, and if the position’s value is truly on the rise, getting Walsh for a similar rate could be a nice coup, assuming he bounces back in 2015.

Speaking to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune this week, Walsh said that he’s embracing the challenge that the new extra point rules will bring: “You’ve got to be confident in what you do. If somebody was telling you, ‘Hey, we’re going to make your job just a little bit more important,’ why wouldn’t you take it? It’s a new challenge.”

As his job becomes more difficult, Walsh’s confident approach should serve him well, and it could help him land a lucrative new contract. His case will be an interesting one to watch, since it could provide a hint at how these PAT changes will affect teams’ valuations of their kickers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Only 51 Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

May 20th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Under the NFL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, signing draft picks has become easier than ever before, making rookie holdouts a thing of the past. With contracts strictly slotted by draft position, teams and agents can haggle over guaranteed money, offsets, and a couple other factors, but for the most part, as soon as a player is drafted, he knows what his rookie contract will look like.

Given the lack of flexibility for rookie deals, it’s no surprise that only two and a half weeks after the 2015 draft ended, over 80% of this year’s draftees are now under contract with their respective teams. Of this year’s 256 draft picks, 205 have reached agreements with their clubs, while 51 remain unsigned, according to our tracker.

Should we expect lengthy holdups for those remaining 51 players? Probably not. As mentioned above, total guaranteed money can be a point of contention, particularly for first- and second-round picks, but it would be a surprise if any of the players currently unsigned are still without contracts when training camps get underway in July.

Here are a few other notes on 2015’s draft pick signings so far:

  • Most of the remaining unsigned draftees – 36 of 51 – are first-, second-, or third-rounders, with the first round still having the most players left to sign, at 13.
  • Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick, is the only player in the top seven who has yet to sign.
  • Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 13 have finished signing their draft classes. The Ravens, Bills, Panthers, Bears, Texans, Chiefs, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, 49ers, and Washington have all taken care of all their draft business.
  • The Rams are the only team in the NFL that has yet to sign a single draft pick, or at least to confirm that they’ve done so — I’d expect the club to formally announce all nine of its signings in one fell swoop.
  • Besides the Rams, every team has signed its sixth-round picks. Similarly, in the fifth round, only two Raiders draftees and Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona remain unsigned. The delay with Cardona may be related to negotiating his obligations to the Navy.

PFR Originals 5/10/15 – 5/17/15

May 17th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Poll: Will Tom Brady Get His Suspension Reduced?

May 15th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

After being slapped with a four-game suspension, Tom Brady is digging in his heels and he’s bringing serious firepower with him. Brady, as we learned earlier this week, will enlist the help of the NFLPA, despite his previously tenuous relationship with them. He’s also bringing Jeffrey Kessler, a man who has been termed as the “arch nemesis” of the NFL. Kessler ran point on Adrian Peterson‘s recent appeal and is also widely credited with helping to forge free agency in football after winning the Freeman McNeil case and settling the Reggie White case.

However, the deck seems to be pretty stacked against him. The 2011 CBA affords commissioner Roger Goodell the right to hear any appeal and, despite the very vocal protests from the union, he’ll be exercising that right. The statement released by the league office seemed to be pushing the notion that Goodell will be an unbiased arbiter, claiming that NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent was the one who determined the punishment with Goodell being the one to “authorize” it. It all seems pretty unfair. That is, if you can ever say life for a four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback who is married to one of the world’s most renowned supermodels is unfair.

The Patriots are still undecided as to whether they’ll fight the penalties handed down to them, but both Brady and Goodell are preparing for battle. The quarterback may be coming in with a Dream Team legal defense, but Goodell plans to interview indefinitely suspended Patriots employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally as witnesses for Brady’s appeal. Brady, meanwhile, is expected to file suit against the NFL to have Goodell replaced with a neutral arbitrator. It is certain that things will get ugly, but the outcome is anything but certain. When all is said and done, do you think Brady will be able to get his suspension slashed from four games?

Will Brady Get His Suspension Reduced?
Yes 62.76% (873 votes)
No 37.24% (518 votes)
Total Votes: 1,391
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