So the Saints tried to do a sign and trade
 

That was their plan to get Clowney to have a team like Jacksonville sign him and then they'd give compensation for the Jags eating money..

If this becomes a practice that is used that would make the NFL a very different league.

I bet veach was paying attention because we're going to need to do some stuff like this in the next few years.

Hats off — that’s a super creative move.

The Ravens were planning to swoop in and steal their thunder if the NFL allowed it. Cleveland and New Orleans had an agreement where they'd essentially pay 5 million of Clowneys salary in exchange for a second rounder. The Jaguars and Ravens apparently set up something similar.

This is something that could change the hell out of the NFL teams using cap space to speed up rebuilds by eating money in sign and trades.

Yeah that would be a major change in how teams handle the cap. I don't think allowing teams to rebuild faster is in our interests.

Yea for now the NFL said no but I expect this to be revisited in the offseason.

I thought the Osweiler deal a few years back was precedent for stuff like this.

Football is as much an accounting game as a sport these days. I'm not a big fan of that, but I guess it's a necessity if you have a salary cap.

NFL said no or it would have likely happened. Don’t see how it could become a thing.

This happens to me all the time!

That's what threw me when I first saw it. I don't see much difference in that trade and this proposal.

Paying for draft picks should be a big no no.

NBA style trade.

So much for that concept. Someone was wrong yet again.

It was the first of that type of deal and its obviously not caught on.

So wheres the line? Players get signed in the offseason and traded before the deadline already. Does the NFL have some unwritten rule a player has to play a game before they can be traded? If so, the raiders broke the rule by trading their draft pick from this year.

What if Clowney plays two games for Cleveland? His signing bonus would be paid by the browns and two game checks. But the rest would be paid by the team that trades for him. Would that be shot down by the league?

^^ The difference between a sign and flip vs trading into the season is risk. Cleveland would have to adjust their roster going into the season, and if the player gets hurt then they get nothing.

I personally don't see this becoming a thing, the NFL flatly refused because its a pretty clear violation of salary cap rules.

He could be inactive on game days. I don't see it becoming a thing either, i don't think the nfl liked the Osweiler trade. But I think they've drawn an arbitrary line.

NFL should never allow this...

Teams are trying to use draft picks as salary cap relief...to sign FA players they cant afford.

The Osweiler deal is a little different as he wasn't a FA...there wasn't a third party involved...say NE used Cleveland to make a deal with the Texans. Cleveland eats Brock's salary for a pick from Houston...then the Browns trade him to NE for another pick..and NE gets a player they cant afford while Cleveland pays for him.

That scenario is a little closer to what NO was trying to do...

Don't turn the NFL into the NBA please

Good thing they NFL turned it down. The NBA is by far the worst professional sports league and the NFL should make sure it doesnt become like them.