Quote:
Originally Posted by Laz
Of course the tags have an effect. A by-product of the salary cap is that teams and players have started looking for more front-loaded contracts. Big signing bonus of 15,20 even 30 million now to counter salary caps and non-guaranteed contracts.
Not only that, but the tricks of working around the salary cap by prorating the signing bonuses and then restructuring the contracts over and over again allow teams to push the salary cap numbers around. Teams can spend 180/190 million dollars in a year and still be under the 110 million dollar cap.
All this "front" money and cap "cheating" is more difficult for small market teams.
Especially when it comes to big name elite players.
The franchise/transition tags help smaller market teams have some addition leverage to keep those elite players.
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When you use the franchise tag on positions like kicker and guard, it pushes the salaries up for other positions.
I like the transition tag, and believe that it should still be a part of the next CBA.
They do need to work out something that eliminates the poison pill in contracts, like the one that Steve Hutchinson signed with the Vikings a few years ago.
If they do keep the franchise tag, they need to change the money to average of top ten, rather than top five, because that's where it raises the salaries.
If a guard makes 5 mil a year, then a LT will want 10 mil a year.