Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100910/PKR01/100910149/Dougherty-column-Packers-in-good-shape-for-possible-salary-cap 

The NFLs next collective bargaining agreement is going to limit players salaries, some way, some how.

Most likely, the new deal, whenever it gets done, will have a salary cap, though maybe it will be a luxury payroll tax or the like.

No matter, the Green Bay Packers will be in good shape.

General Manager Ted Thompson and Vice President Russ Ball have kept the Packers payroll on sound footing no matter the rules, and they, like many teams, took advantage of this uncapped season to get in even better shape.

In March they signed three players (Nick Collins, Ryan Pickett and Chad Clifton) to lucrative contracts that paid them a collective $34.4 million that wont count against future salary caps, assuming the next CBA keeps basically the same accounting rules as before.

So as of today, the Packers 2011 commitments for salary-cap pay are about $111 million. That doesnt include any bonuses or raises triggered by performance this season, or any raise for cornerback Charles Woodson with the contract extension he signed Thursday. It also accounts for only the 42 players who are under contract next year. They have 10 players on their roster who will be unrestricted free agents next year if the eligibility minimum returns to four years service.

However, that total includes linebacker A.J. Hawks $10 million salary for 11, and theres no way the Packers will bring him back at that cost. It also includes Johnny Jollys $2.521 million salary, which will be dropped from their books if they cut him after his one-year suspension for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy.

For context, the NFLs salary cap in 2009 was $128 million, presumably would have been about $10 million higher this year if the cap were in place and another $10 million or so higher in 2011.

The leagues owners are committed to cutting the players piece of the pie, which was 59 percent of total revenue, but theres no way to know how far the 2011 cap under a new
CBA will be from the $148 million or so it would have been. But its hard to see the players giving in to a gigantic difference, so Thompson surely will have plenty of flexibility.

Not that hell spend on free agents, he almost surely wont. But he will use his money to re-sign and extend the deals of his current roster.

As far as the specific terms of the next CBA, negotiations have been almost nonexistent, so its difficult to even guess.

Its easier to predict when there will be a new deal.

Theres no deadline to push the process until the start of the new league year in early March. That could spur a deal, though its far more likely there wont be enough urgency until the start of training camp or the start of the regular season, when owners start losing revenue and players miss paychecks.

If theres no deal by early March, the owners will lock out the players. If they dont, theyll have to pay all the big option and roster bonuses due at the start of the league year at the risk of there not even being a season.

If theres a lockout, the CBA still calls for a draft in April, but there wont be free agency, an offseason workout program, offseason practices or training camp.

The owners insist their net profits have declined under the current CBA because of increasing costs not only on players, but in building new or refurbished stadiums to help grow revenue that they say benefits players too.

The players want the owners to open individual teams books to prove duress, but its hard to see that happening. The Packers as a public, non-profit organization are required by their by-laws to disclose publicly their finances, and NFL owners point to them as proof of an unsustainable economic model. But actually, at closer look the Packers finances this year are ambiguous on that point.

For the Packers fiscal year 2009, their revenue was a record $258 million, yet their profit from operations dropped to $9.8 million from $20.1 million the year before. Also, their players costs increased at a much higher rate (11 percent) than revenue (5 percent).

However, their fiscal year runs from April 1 through March 31 each year, so their player costs for 09 included $36.22 million in roster bonuses paid in March 10 to Collins, Pickett, Clifton, Mark Tauscher, B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. Thats far more than the Packers usually pay out at that time of year.

Regardless, the owners and players will have to compromise somewhere to reach a deal, and how much the league asks players to give in from 59 percent depends in part on what the players give up elsewhere. For instance, agreeing to an 18-game schedule. Publicly the players are against it because of career longevity and long-term health. Theres plenty of reason to think a lot of them are against it privately, too, for those reasons.

An 18-game season definitely undercuts the NFLs recent emphasis on player safety.

But it also could help clear the big hurdle.

It could be a game-changing issue, said Andrew Brandt, the former Packers vice president who blogs on NFL business issues for and co-owns NationalFootball Post.com.

Depending on who you believe, (the owners) may be offering between a 9 and 18 percent rollback. Lets say they go to the players and say, Were going to give you a much more modest rollback or no rollback at all, but we want you to play these two extra games. That could be a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Some other issues are:

The owners want to be able to recover more of a players signing bonus if he holds out on his contract or gets suspended. The owners will have to give something to get this.

Drug testing, most notably for human growth hormone. The owners want it, the players dont, though why players wouldnt want testing is beyond me. If they know other players arent using it, theyll know they dont have to keep up.

A more rigid rookie wage scale so the top few picks in the draft arent receiving $40-million plus guarantees. Both sides favor this.

Minimum years to qualify for free agency. It was four years, and when it moved to six years this year, it was a disaster for the players. Brandt said he thinks a new deal will keep it at four.


UserPostedImage
Mckennj3
14 years ago
Great read, clears a lot of the confusion up towards who wants what. I knew Ted would take advantage of it but this proves it.
We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.
dyeah_gb
14 years ago
I have been looking for an article like this for some time. Thank you for the post.

Worst thing that can happen out of the CBA is if they ruin the parity that exists currently in the NFL. I understand that some teams are often in contention and some teams notoriously suck but allowing a team to be a super bowl contender every year just because it is the highest bidder will destroy the sport.

Funny comment last Thursday by the commentator when all the players were on the field giving the #1 sign "(paraphrased) Nothing like a players union statement to start the season."
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool - R. Feynman
Fan Shout
dfosterf (26-Jun) : I think it would be great to have someone like Tom Grossi or Andy Herman on the Board of Directors so he/they could inform us
dfosterf (26-Jun) : Fair enough, WPR. Thing is, I have been a long time advocate to at least have some inkling of the dynamics within the board.
wpr (26-Jun) : 1st world owners/stockholders problems dfosterf.
Martha Careful (25-Jun) : I would have otherwise admirably served
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Also, no more provision for a write-in candidate, so Martha is off the table at least for this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : You do have to interpret the boring fine print, but all stockholders all see he is on the ballot
dfosterf (25-Jun) : It also says he is subject to another ballot in 2028. I recall nothing of this nature with Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy is on my ballot subject to me penciling him in as a no.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : I thought it used to be we voted for the whatever they called the 45, and then they voted for the seven, and then they voted for Mark Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Because I was too lazy to change my address, I haven't voted fot years until this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : of the folks that run this team. I do not recall Mark Murphy being subject to our vote.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy yay or nay is on the pre-approved ballot that we always approve because we are uninformed and lazy, along with all the rest
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Weird question. Very esoteric. For stockholders. Also lengthy. Sorry. Offseason.
Zero2Cool (25-Jun) : Maybe wicked wind chill made it worse?
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : And then he signs with Cleveland in the offseason
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : @SharpFootball WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold”
Zero2Cool (24-Jun) : Yawn. Rodgers says he is "pretty sure" this be final season.
Zero2Cool (23-Jun) : PFT claims Packers are having extension talks with Zach Tom, Quay Walker.
Mucky Tundra (20-Jun) : GB-Minnesota 2004 Wild Card game popped up on my YouTube page....UGH
beast (20-Jun) : Hmm 🤔 re-signing Walker before Tom? Sounds highly questionable to me.
Mucky Tundra (19-Jun) : One person on Twitter=cannon law
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Well, to ONE person on Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : According to Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Packers are working on extension for LT Walker they hope to have done before camp
dfosterf (18-Jun) : E4B landed at Andrews last night
dfosterf (18-Jun) : 101 in a 60
dfosterf (18-Jun) : FAFO
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : one year $4m with incentives to make it up to $6m
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Or Lions
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Beats the hell out of a Vikings signing
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : Baltimore Ravens now have signed former Packers CB Jaire Alexander.
dfosterf (14-Jun) : TWO magnificent strikes for touchdowns. Lose the pennstate semigeezer non nfl backup
dfosterf (14-Jun) : There was minicamp Thursday. My man Taylor Engersma threw
dfosterf (11-Jun) : There will be a mini camp practice Thursday.
Zero2Cool (11-Jun) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
wpr (10-Jun) : That's awesome Martha.
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : How's the ayahuasca tea he makes, Martha?
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : Turns out he like older women
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : I wasn't supposed to say anything, but yes the word is out and we are happy 😂😂😂
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : I might be late on this but Aaron Rodgers is now married
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : Well he can always ask his brother for pointers
Zero2Cool (10-Jun) : Bo Melton taking some reps at CB as well as WR
Zero2Cool (10-Jun) : key transactions coming today at 3pm that will consume more cap in 2025
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jaire played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : reported, but not expected to practice
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jenkins has REPORTED for mandatory camp
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : I really thought he'd play for Packers.
buckeyepackfan (9-Jun) : Packers releasing Jaire Alexander.
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : (Context: he wants his defense to create turnovers)
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2025 Packers Schedule
Sunday, Sep 7 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Thursday, Sep 11 @ 7:15 PM
COMMANDERS
Sunday, Sep 21 @ 12:00 PM
Browns
Sunday, Sep 28 @ 7:20 PM
Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 12 @ 3:25 PM
BENGALS
Sunday, Oct 19 @ 3:25 PM
Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 26 @ 7:20 PM
Steelers
Sunday, Nov 2 @ 12:00 PM
PANTHERS
Monday, Nov 10 @ 7:15 PM
EAGLES
Sunday, Nov 16 @ 12:00 PM
Giants
Sunday, Nov 23 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Thursday, Nov 27 @ 12:00 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 7 @ 12:00 PM
BEARS
Sunday, Dec 14 @ 3:25 PM
Broncos
Friday, Dec 19 @ 11:00 PM
Bears
Friday, Dec 26 @ 11:00 PM
RAVENS
Saturday, Jan 3 @ 11:00 PM
Vikings
Recent Topics
12h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

25-Jun / Around The NFL / Martha Careful

23-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

20-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

20-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

20-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

18-Jun / Random Babble / Zero2Cool

16-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / dfosterf

15-Jun / Random Babble / Martha Careful

14-Jun / Around The NFL / beast

14-Jun / Community Welcome! / dfosterf

13-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / dfosterf

13-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / Adam

12-Jun / Random Babble / Martha Careful

12-Jun / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2025 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.