08-24-2023, 02:20 PM
(08-24-2023, 01:14 PM)Mer Wrote: What's the hurry to sign Burrow? He's still got 2 years left on his current deal if they pick up the option. Wouldn't it be better to stagger these huge contracts so they're more cap friendly? Get Tee signed this year, pick up Burrow's 5th year option so we can pay Chase next year, and then sign Burrow to a HUGE contract during his 5th year option.
Now all you capologists can let me have it for my "crazy" thoughts.
I am not a super capologist, but I do think there is some cap benefit to signing Burrow to the extension this year rather than next. It is that you can then pro-rate the signing bonus out over more years.
However, you are correct that spacing things out will help. We get s8me help on that already. Here is the schedule:
2023: Burrow $11.5, Chase $8.4, Higgins $3.96
2024: Burrow $29.5, Chase $9.8, Higgins FA/new deal around $20 mil
2025: Burrow new deal $45-$50 mil, Chase 5th year opt $20 mil, Tee $20+ mil
2026: all fully on new deals
We have around $22 mil or so in cap space. I think the plan is to structure the extensions so as much as possible gets pushed into this year, while attempting to have a lighter burden in 2024 going forward, where 2 or 3 of them will all be making $20-$30 mil. Or we could roll some savings into next year so our cap number is actually higher.
The main benefit of NOT doing it that way would be more $$ to use in FA, but that ship has mostly sailed at this point for this season.
2024: +40 mil. Burrow goes +$18 mil, Tee +$20 mil (ish), and Chase +$2.
2025: +34 mil. Burrow +$21 (ish), Chase +$10 (ish), Tee +$3 ish. (his raise).
2026: +16 mil. Chase gets his big bump (+$10 mil), Joe & Tee yearly's (+3 each?)
The cap will go up some ($15 mil, $20?). And we have some big tickets FAs: Jonah ($12.6), Reader ($15 mil), Boyd ($10 mil), Chido ($8). But everyone on contract will also get raises (Brown, Hendrickson, Wilson, Pratt).
Even if some guys take a haircut, keeping everyone is not an option. Unless Burrow takes the haircut.
