2009 Cap

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

does the eonomic pinch come into salary concerns for next year for sports or is it just a concern for us working folks. what if nfl revenue is down? even uncapped, may not be a salary boom.

The split of teams considered "haves" and "have nots" should only widen in a recession. Houston is a "have" though, so locally it shouldn't be a big concern. The effects of lower-than-anticipated NFL revenues ought to translate into a lower cap figure for each of the teams. And maybe that has already happened...? The 2009 cap was originally projected at $124 million for each team and now the estimate is at $123 million. I've not heard anyone say that is a reflection of the economy though, at least not yet.

Originally Posted by dalemurphy

Keith, NFL.com published a story that 7 of this year's franchised players will become RFAs and only get a 10% raise next season if it's uncapped. It included Dunta as one of those players. However, it was quoting the rule that those are the players with less than 6 years of service. Unfortunately, next season will be Dunta's 7th. So, my question is:

If 2010 is uncapped can teams still use a franchise tag. If they can, then the Texans could still threaten it next season and use it as incentive for a long term contract. However, if there is no 2010 cap, then Dunta can look at this season as earning a quick $10 million, increasing his market value with good play, and then have the opportunity as a UFA to make a ton of money in the first uncapped season in 18 years....

So, what's the story, Keith?

Wow, good catch. I should fix the 2010 cap page for that. I think Schefter made a mistake with including Dunta on that list. I wondered if Dunta's IR/PUP seasons might have had an effect, but I think both seasons are still considered accrued. His IR and PUP (for football injuries) seasons should still be included.

As for this year's RFAs not being listed on the 2010 page, that was a purposeful omission... I don't list any free agents for more than one season as free agents. Once the tenders are known, I'll update the 2010 page in addition to the 2009 cap page.

And yes, teams can still use the tags in the uncapped year. The change in 2010 is that a team can have two transition tags plus the one franchise tag.

There is a ton of helpful info on the last capped and uncapped years in this blog entry from Chris Pika, a former media relations guy from the Falcons who now blogs for Baltimore radio station's site. Lots of weird stuff... like try reading up on the Final Eight Plan, also in gory detail in the CBA and try to keep your head from spinning.