It seems to me the Packers are perfectly positioned to gain maximum benefit from the capless year.
We have a high number of RFAs which means we have a big number of high performing players coming to the end of their cheap rookie deals.
Not only have we been able to tender them, we also get to sign them to long term deals and dump big chunks of their money into this uncapped year.
We've already locked up Collins, Pickett and Clifton to front loaded deals. Before this league year is over we may have also re-signed Tramon, Jolly, Spitz and maybe College and Bigby to similar deals.
If the cap returns next season we could have a number of starters locked up with cap friendly contracts.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/87528642.html
The deal nose tackle Ryan Pickett signed is worth $28 million over four years and pays him $10 million in the first year, a source said.
Pickett joins safety Nick Collins and left tackle Chad Clifton in signing new deals. The grand total of the three contracts is roughly $75 million.
The salaries the Packers will be paying out in the first year to those three are: $14 million (Collins), $10 million (Pickett) and $7.5 million (Clifton). That's a total of $31.5 million in payroll to three guys.
The upside for the Packers in doing it this way is that if the salary cap returns they will have put the majority of the money in those contracts into the uncapped year. Those three guys will come very cheap in the future if the cap returns.