We're 5-3 with $38 Million in Dead Cap Space

[Tark The Shark]

If we make the playoffs, Grigs should be in contention for GM of the year.

[Tsarquise]

Bottom line.. this squad has some cheez to spend next season...

... heheh..

OL or CB...............................................

Ill take WR!

[unitaswestand]

I have a feeling Grigson won't turn into Daniel Snyder and overpay for big names. Grigson takes pride in being a "backend" talent finder. Clearly,he is showing right now it is possible to win without a lot of big names. So why change that? Sure, we need better offensive lineman and secondary, but my guess is he would get middle of the road, you veterans who have the right attitude over the big names. I have no proof but just a gut feeling.

[bahhummbug]

I get the point of the OP. We are a bit handicapped this season because of the way we terminated some contracts. We're allocating nearly $40 million of our $120 million cap space to players that are no longer on the team.

But the idea of "dead cap space" is a bit of a misnomer, to be honest. Or, I guess I should say, the idea that we're the only team with dead cap space is off base. Every team has dead cap space. The way contracts affect team payrolls means that there is necessarily a "dead cap hit" for a great deal of players on every roster. Dwight Freeney is the best example of this on our roster: his cap hit includes a prorated $5 million bonus that was actually part of a $30 million bonus that was paid several seasons ago. That's a dead cap hit. (Some would say his $14 million base salary for 2012 is a dead cap hit as well, but that's another discussion entirely.)

On our current roster, we don't have very many players that have large prorated bonuses hitting our cap this season. The biggest reason why that's the case is because our five best/most productive players this season are either lower paid players or just signed/re-signed this offseason, or both. For instance, Wayne and Mathis (both in that top five) just signed contracts that will average $6 million/year and $9 million/year, respectively. Their bonuses and first year salary are $8.5 million and $17 million, respectively. But their cap hits for 2012 are $3.5 million and $5.75 million, lower than both the yearly average and the 2012 total cash outlay. Same thing for Luck, Redding, Satele, and the other players we drafted and/or signed this past offseason. We're getting more bang for our buck on a significant portion of our roster, especially among key players.

The only players that are actually on the roster and taking up significantly more cap space than cash space are Freeney (plus $5 million), Vinatieri (plus $1.2 million), and Bethea (plus $1 million). Add to that the $38 million in "dead cap space" for players that aren't on the roster anymore, and we're at about $45 million.

Just as a spot comparison, I picked a team that is generally considered a well-run team, one that doesn't do a lot of flashy free agent signing, but is also up against the cap: the Steelers. They have about $10 million in "dead cap space" for players not on the roster. But they're prorating about $17.5 million in bonuses for Roethlisberger and six other players currently on their roster. So they actually have about $27.5 million in "dead cap space." The Giants have about $3 million "dead cap space," but they have about $24 million in prorated bonuses for 12 players. These are not comprehensive comparisons, just a quick look at the top guys whose 2012 cap hits included prorated bonus money.

Anyways, my point is just that "dead cap space" is not unique to the 2012 Colts. Having $38 million allocated to players no longer on the roster is an anomaly, but we're making up for some of that with contracts for guys we just signed/re-signed. And it's good that we're getting so much contribution from young, cheap players. It is a handicap, and it makes it somewhat difficult to field a competitive team. Of course, we've overcome it, sitting at 5-3, when most people didn't expect us to win five games all season.

handicapped by d freeney

[Captain Americolt]

handicapped by d freeney

Did you see the impact he had on the Fins game? Get over it dude.

[Warhorse]

How is Shipley for a bargain...neh?

We need S help next season. I see us acquiring at least 2 through the draft and through FA. As far as OT, have to see what happens with Big Ben. I think we are fine at C for now as we address other needs. Set at TE. Fine at RB.

We need one bigger WR that can develop into an every down chain mover. I don't see that kind of size and tough after Wayne on this roster. We have the beginnings of a good group, but RW is dipping his feet into a machine after every game and we are witnessing his extended greatness by sheer will alone. It won't last much longer.

Any round where a CB stands out as a great value will be a duh....moment. We have already exercised the FA thing on a CB...jury is still out. Depth at LB will be addressed as well.

[Warhorse]

handicapped by d freeney

I assume you mean by his contract?

[BleedingBlue]

I'm not sure I want a budget team unless we're either winning against contenders routinely or my tickets come at a reduced price.

That is why I never bought into the cap space argument. You never know what players were willing to reneg, what players would leave or be cut . At the end of the day we will still be tied up until 2014. But it was still a popular argument. The thing about winning is everyone wants to get paid and if you keep winning you don't get quality picks so you are forced to sign.

[dw49]

we do have a lot of cap space but we need to save up for when Lucks contract is over in 4 years.

They probably have an option for the 5th years at the "transition tag" price. This is the average of what tghe top 10 QB's in the league are making.

[dw49]

Buffalo guard Andy Levitre would be a great addition that wouldn't break the bank

[jbaron04]

It is nice we'll have cap space next year but if you look at the cap space of other teams we arent the only team with money to spend this offseason.

We're the most attractive of all of them if we make playoffs