Are There Ways Around The Salary Cap?

[Benton]

(06-06-2017, 10:13 AM)ochocincos Wrote: I thought that in the case of the performance clauses that the cap space had to be reserved for that extra incentive, and only in the case of that performance not being achieved would it count as available after the season was over?
So like let's say Eifert had a 10 TD incentive of $1 million. Until the season is over, that $1 million counts toward the cap, and it's only until after the season but before the start of the new league year does that money come off the cap books if he doesn't meet the performance. In which case, that freed up $1 million could then be rolled over to the next year or used toward an extension or pocketed by the owner?

That was my thinking of it.

And I think it leads into some of the differences between organizations saying they have X in cap space and media saying they have Y. The X is the money they could have to spend, the Y is what they will at a minimum.

(06-06-2017, 11:49 AM)Au165 Wrote: Yes, but that eventually comes due. It is kind of like a Ponzi scheme. They basically take the hit after they hit on a couple rookies who are really good but under contract a couple years and don't need resigned. The scheme collapses when you don't draft well for a while.

Yup. It's not just the Steelers. It happens to other teams where you push things off for a few seasons and suddenly wake up with no talent and pushed to the cap. You have a bad season or two and start all over again. The new wage scale has made it easier to do this in a way. You can still have some affordable talent through the draft even during those years where your restructures catch up to you.