Somebody explain this nonsense to me.

[Direckshun]

As we all know, I am not a very smart person.

So in a recent thread, with Just Passin' By posted a link about Brandon Flowers' contract specifics (to answer the question "how much would we save against the cap if we cut Flowers"), I, of course, became flummoxed.

Here's the link.

So, I want you to pretend you're talking to your 12 year old son (I like to think of myself as ChiefsPlanet's 12 year old son, anyway):

What do these words mean?

• Base Salary
• Prorated Bonus
• Roster Bonus
• Workout Bonus
• Other Bonus
• Cap Number
• Dead Money
• Cap Savings

Also:

• What's the difference between Cap Flow and Cash Flow?
• What's a Cash Bonus?
• What's a Cash Number?
• What's Cash-To-Cash?
• What the hell is on this page?

I thank you for your time.

[redshirt32]

Shit I feel dizzy after reading that good info though thanks !

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

An NFL contract basically consists of guaranteed money and non-guaranteed money.

Guaranteed money is the signing bonus. You earn that simply by signing the contract. Because this money is guaranteed, a team has to pay you that money. In order to make the contract more manageable under the salary cap, they will spread the signing bonus (or "prorate" the bonus) over X number of years. If you have a $10M signing bonus spread over 5 years, if you cut that player after year 1, they have to take an $8M hit on the cap. If you cut him in year 2, you take a $6M hit on the cap. Because you're paying for a player not on the roster, that's called dead money.

Non-guaranteed money means you have to earn it. Base salary is earned by playing in games. Roster bonuses are earned by making the roster. Workout bonuses are incentives to encourage players to work out in the offseason (because the players union limits mandatory workouts a team can hold). Other incentives can be earned if they make the pro bowl, etc.... If the team decides to cut you tomorrow, then you don't earn any of this money. Hence... non-guaranteed.



I don't know what the **** most of those other things are on the bottom of the list. If I'm explaining that to a 12 year old kid, I'd say "I don't know what the devil most of those other things are."

Oh, forgot one. Cap savings. Cap savings is the opposite of dead money. It's the amount you save on the salary cap by cutting a player. Not all cut players will lead to savings. If you cut a player, for example, that has $8M in dead money, but only counts as $3M against the cap, you're not saving money. Basically, if Non-guaranteed money for this year > Dead guaranteed money for this year, then you create cap savings if you cut that person tomorrow.

[jkw87]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Looking at the first link:

In 2011 Brando Flowers signed a $49.35 M contract. Broken down as follows:

Signing bonus: $14M ($10M in 2011 + $4M in 2013)
Base salary: $28.1 M over 6 years
Roster bonuses: $6M ($2 M each in 20014-2016)
Work out bonuses: $1.25M ($250,000K in 2012-2016)

The signing bonus is given to Flowers at the time he signed in 2011. He got a second guaranteed installment of his signing bonus in 2013. The effect of a signing bonus on the salary cap is prorated over the length of the contract. However if you cut a player the effect of any remaining prorated bonuses are immediately applied to the cap in the year you cut the player.

The base salary is what the player gets payed for the NFL season if he is on the opening day roster. It isn't guaranteed money until he makes the roster. The base salary goes directly to the cap.

The roster bonus is usually paid in the Spring if he hasn't been released. It goes to the cap in that year.

Workout bonuses are paid if the player participates in off season workouts. It goes to the cap that year.

The cap number in any given year is the prorated signing bonus + base + roster + workout.

Dead money only applies if you cut a player. It is the salary cap hit related to the unpaid prorated bonus in the remaining years in the contract. For example, if we cut Flowers before the 2014 season, the prorated bonus for 2014, 2015, and 2016 ($3M + $3 + $1M = $7M) would count against the Chiefs 2014 salary cap, even though Flowers wasn't on the roster.

Cap savings is the difference in the cap number and dead money. Cap number is how much the player will count against the cap if you keep him and dead money is how much the player will count against the cap if you release him.

Cap flow is everything I explained above. It relates to the salary cap.

Cash flow is how much money comes out of Clark's wallet each year if Brandon Flowers is on the roster. Clark cares about this number. Sometimes he will elect not to participate in FA if his cash flow is bad in a given year.

That is the important stuff.

I feel smarter

[jkw87]

How much would it hurt the cap when Robinson is cut?

[ChiliConCarnage]

Originally Posted by jkw87

How much would it hurt the cap when Robinson is cut?

It depends on when he is cut. If they cut him today it'll all be dumped into 2014 I think so 3 million.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by jkw87

How much would it hurt the cap when Robinson is cut?

Robinson's cap number for 2014 is $5.3M if he plays. If they cut him, Robinson will count $2M against the cap (that's the dead money). So they would save $3.3M against the cap by cutting him before the roster bonus is due.

[jkw87]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Robinson's cap number for 2014 is $5.3M if he plays. If they cut him, Robinson will count $2M against the cap (that's the dead money). So they would save $3.3M against the cap by cutting him before the roster bonus is due.

I still don't understand how he got such a contract at his age and his previous performance the year before...

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by jkw87

I still don't understand how he got such a contract at his age and his previous performance the year before...

If you look at how it was structured it was essentially a 1 year deal for $4.75M. There is no way he was ever going to see year 2 and 3 of that contract. We'll release him in the Spring and suffer the $2M in dead cap money in 2014 and be none the worse for it.

Even so, it was a horrible signing. Clark set fire to almost $5M. heh.

[BossChief]

A signing bonus isn't the same thing as guaranteed money.

Like with Bowes deal,

3/4/2013: Signed a five-year, $56 million contract. The deal contains $26 million guaranteed -- a $15 million signing bonus, Bowe's 2013 and 2014 base salaries, and $1.75 million of his 2015 salary. Bowe is eligible for annual $250,000 workout bonuses throughout the contract's life. 2014: $8.75 million, 2015: $10.75 million, 2016-2017: $9.75 million, 2018: Free Agent

That means if Bowe doesn't have a good year in 2014, sianara.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by BossChief

A signing bonus isn't the same thing as guaranteed money.

In terms of the cap, you're right. In terms of cash, it's absolutely the same.

[BossChief]

I'm still wondering what they have cooking with the cash cap this year.

According to overthecap, we have like 125 million spoken for in cap dollars next year, but only 95 million or so in cash spending accounted for and the team needs to be at 99% of the total cap being spent in cash to be compliment with the cap floor that was instituted with the new CBA.

That leaves us about 30 million under the cash spending threshold.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by BossChief

I'm still wondering what they have cooking with the cash cap this year.

According to overthecap, we have like 125 million spoken for in cap dollars next year, but only 95 million or so in cash spending accounted for and the team needs to be at 99% of the total cap being spent in cash to be compliment with the cap floor that was instituted with the new CBA.

That leaves us about 30 million under the cash spending threshold.

Well, we're going to give a ton of cash to Houston plus there's some restructuring going to happen that is going to convert cap to cash to free up cap room, it will even out over the next few months.

[O.city]

Thats why I don't get caught up in the whole "we're close to the cap" stuff. The salary cap is basically an arbitrary number that can be moved around if you have smart people in charge.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Well, we're going to give a ton of cash to Houston plus there's some restructuring going to happen that is going to convert cap to cash to free up cap room, it will even out over the next few months.

I think Berry, Hali, Flowers, Alex and Houston all get new deals over the coming months.

[jkw87]

Originally Posted by cdcox

If you look at how it was structured it was essentially a 1 year deal for $4.75M. There is no way he was ever going to see year 2 and 3 of that contract. We'll release him in the Spring and suffer the $2M in dead cap money in 2014 and be none the worse for it.

Even so, it was a horrible signing. Clark set fire to almost $5M. heh.

Yeah, that's why I get. He'd be gone by spring.. But that contract is terrible. Who would we actually been in competition with to sign him? Are what I worry about with Dorsey... Daniels, Robinson, Bowe... In that order they get worse...