Salary Cap Issues: What Decisions Are The Steelers Faced With in 2012, Part I,II,III

by Neal Coolong on Feb 9, 2012 10:44 AM EST


With the releases of CB Bryant McFadden and WR Arnaz Battle, the Steelers are taking their first steps toward getting their top 51 players under the salary cap by the start of the 2012 league season - March 13.

Other moves will certainly be coming, but there are several options the team could pursue by that date.

In part I of this two part series, we'll dive into the looming cuts expected within the roster, and some projections for restricted free agency.



Smith's Decision
There are two choices, both between the team and Aaron Smith. After an outstanding career in Pittsburgh, Smith could decide to hang them up. The team would then eat the remaining balance of his contract, but not the whole thing, and save around $1 million.

Option 2 is a bit more blunt (but at least as realistic). If Smith doesn't retire, he won't play for the Steelers next year. The time and money they've sunk into the defensive line came through most of last season, and young players like Cam Heyward and Ziggy Hood have nowhere to go but up. It would, perhaps, be ideal to have a healthy Smith play through a farewell tour in 2012, provide adequate amount of playing time and continue to foster the development of the younger players. The financial reality is his physical condition makes him too much of a liability to risk paying that much, and a reduced salary may not be of any benefit, should he get hurt again.

Pay Reductions
The Steelers will also ask some guys to take paycuts. WR Hines Ward said he would, and is under contract for one more year. Getting him down to the veteran minimum would save another $1 million and change, and regardless of his stats from 2011 (under former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians), he can still contribute as the team's 4th receiver. WR Jerricho Cotchery is a value guy, not a necessary guy, and likely won't be back in 2012, judging by the current cap predictions of around $120 million.

NT Casey Hampton tore his ACL Jan. 8 at Denver. That means the 35-year-old began the rehabilitation process in 2012, and the likelihood of making a full recovery in the same calendar year at his age (let alone conditioning issues) is very low. Nine months is the typical stated recovery time for a torn ACL - even if you don't factor in the time to get back into shape after that many months of relative inactivity, Hampton would have to exceed expectations if he'll be ready to play by Week 1. He likely does not have much of a choice but to take a pay reduction and start the year on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. That would give the Steelers a roster exemption to keep Hampton there until he's able to play.

With James Farrior and Larry Foote - the current buck linebackers - it seems at least one of them will have to take a paycut to stay in town. The Steelers could decide to cut one and reduce the contract of the other, but the main concern with this is depth. The buck is the quarterback of the defense - the guy who makes the pre-snap adjustments at the line. The Steelers will not find anyone this year more experienced and ready to play the position in this regard than Farrior or Foote, so the release of either of them will hurt this team on the field in the short run. It's something that likely has to be done though, so expect the Steelers to find someone in this year's draft to groom for the spot in 2013.

Contract Restructures

(read more)http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/2/9/2786740/steelers-2012-salary-cap-restricted-free-agency-mike-wallace-aaron-smith-ben-roethlisberger

This is the second part of a series on the Steelers' salary cap issues, and the moves we can expect them to either contemplate or make before March 13 - the start of the league's 2012 year - and after it. Previously, we explored candidates whom will be asked to take a pay cut, which players will have their salaries restructured and what we can expect in Restricted Free Agency.

Poison Pills


In relation to NFL contracts, the term "Poison Pill" means a clause in a qualifying offer from another team that would make it extremely difficult for the original team to match. For example, let's say the Minnesota Vikings offer Wallace a 5-year, $50 million contract, but 100 percent of contract is guaranteed if Wallace is on the roster for five games in which the team plays at Heinz Field in 2012.



If Wallace is agreeable to that deal, he signs what's called an offer sheet. That means if the Steelers do not match the offer the Vikings made him, word-for-word and dollar-for-dollar, the offer sheet becomes a valid contract. It's nothing until Wallace signs the offer sheet, but after he signs it, the Steelers would be forced to match it exactly. Another offer cannot be made.

Since no other team (except the University of Pittsburgh) will play five games at Heinz Field this year, in order for the Steelers to match that offer, they would have to guarantee Wallace $50 million over five years. There's no chance the Steelers would do that, and while they would receive a first-round draft pick in return (the likely tender level Wallace will receive), using such tactics isn't in the spirit of good faith negotiations, and it undermines the collectively bargained restricted free agency process.



There's been a lot of pushback on agents for using that tactic, but there's no concrete rule prohibiting it. In the end, it doesn't seem likely Wallace or any of the Steelers RFAs would permit such tactics due to the unethical nature of it.

An Extension for Wallace


The possibility of Wallace being offered elsewhere, though, exists, albeit unlikely. The team will look to lessen some of the blow of the likely $2.7 million hit they'll have to guarantee Wallace this season if he plays through his RFA contract by signing him to a long-term deal.

In three seasons, Wallace leads active receivers with 18.7 yards per catch, and while that figure is positive, it won't help as much in his contract negotiations as it may seem, considering second and third on that list are Devery Henderson (4 years, $12 million in 2009) and Malcolm Floyd (2 years, $5 million in 2011). He fits in comparably with Green Bay's Greg Jennings (4 years $26 million), but has 100 less receiving yards in three more games during the years of Jennings' contract. Wallace has increased his catches per year in each of the last two years, and still remains one of the best - if not the best - big play receiver in the NFL.

A rough estimate of $7 million per season isn't a bad guess. Spacing signing and roster bonuses out over the life of the contract, and keeping it off the first year of the deal, could save the Steelers some cash as well.

Franchise and Transition Tag




(read more)http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/2/10/2786959/steelers-2012-salary-cap-restricted-free-agency-mike-wallace-aaron-smith-ben-roethlisberger

Unrestricted free agency is a bonanza for fans. With speculation and rumors flying every day up to and through the period in which players can sign with new teams, it offers excitement and hope to fans of all teams.

The Steelers don't really buy into that. Literally and figuratively. It's not an organization that will spend much on other team's players, but they do make it a point to re-sign their own guys.

In that way, the Steelers' free agency period is usually conducted before unrestricted free agents are allowed to sign with other teams. Their efforts are put into re-signing their own players, and this year won't be any different.



Unrestricted Free Agency


The Steelers aren't particularly active in the free agency market even when they do have some cap space. It's even less likely they'll dip into it any deeper than a veteran with a minimum asking price.

It's more likely they'll save whatever cap room they create through all these moves to sign injury replacements in camp and during the season.

There are rare exceptions where the team will bring in a player to vie for a starting position - past examples of this are FS Ryan Clark, ILB James Farrior and C Jeff Hartings. The Steelers typically bring in veteran free agents to bolster the depth of a position, a la DE Nick Eason, WR Jerricho Cotchery and QB Byron Leftwich.

They will, however, sign a few of their own players who are currently scheduled to hit the free agency market.

Teams are free to sign unrestricted free agents as of March 13, and the Steelers will say goodbye to a few more players, including the ones they've already parted ways with - NT Chris Hoke, CB Bryant McFadden and WR Arnaz Battle.

QBs Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon are all currently unsigned for the 2012 season. Leftwich is one the Steelers will agonize over. He's reportedly very interested in staying with Pittsburgh long-term, but Batch's spot-start and subsequent quality play in that Week 16 game could make it tough for Leftwich to ask for more than the veteran minimum. Keeping a veteran quarterback around and drafting a future second-string passer behind Ben Roethlisberger is a logical option. Signing both Batch and Leftwich isn't out of the realm of possibility, either. Dixon will not be with the Steelers in 2012.

If re-signed, UFA Mewelde Moore would be in a dog fight to make the roster out of training camp, but with Rashard Mendenhall likely to start the season on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List, he may be offered a veteran minimum contract to compete with Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay and 2011 camp favorite Baron Batch for the two running back spots behind Mendenhall and Isaac Redman.

The wide receiver position also looks to be for some difficult decisions. WR Hines Ward has already said he's agreeable to a paycut, which would be the only way he'd be in Pittsburgh in 2012. Giving Ward his outright release won't likely save the Steelers much, considering that would leave them with just three receivers on the roster anyway. The replacement cost would probably be the amount Ward would be willing to play for, so odds of him staying are pretty good.

Jerricho Cotchery, on the other hand, is in a tough spot. With the emergence of Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, and productive - if not outstanding - play from Emmanuel Sanders when healthy, Cotchery falls closer to the "luxury not necessity" bucket. He performed well in the opportunities he was given, and could garner a larger offer than a veteran minimum deal the Steelers seem poised to make. On the other hand, it's very likely this is Ward's final season in Pittsburgh, depending on cap projections for the 2013 season, the Steelers could offer Cotchery a two-year deal with the bulk of the money coming in 2013 and beyond.

The Steelers traditionally have kept veteran receivers on the roster, and even with the high level of talent they have at that position, they're still going to want an eight or nine-year guy there to help with the younger players.

This is a sneaky favorite position for a high draft pick as well.

While there is only one top-10 type of receiver in this draft (Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State), There are four maybe even five who figure to be strong picks between 19-35. With a few positions of need, but overall good team depth, the Steelers may think about seeing what they can get by trading down a bit from 24, and getting one of those receivers, many of whom have size the current Steelers receivers do not (6-foot-4 Alshon Jeffery, 6-foot-3 Michael Floyd and 6-foot-2 Mohamad Sanu come to mind).

(read more) http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/2/10/2789270/steelers-2012-salary-cap-unrestricted-free-agency-nfl-franchise-tag-transition-tag-exclusive-rights

As I said before, it's going to be a hard off-season. Hines look's to be gone, and other veteran's are surely soon to follow. But look at it this way:

It's been a short time since the end of the season, and we led all salary cap danger's with a 25 million debt. Now, in just a few day's, we're at 6 million. Now of course this is only if indeed Ward's gone, but even if he's not, that's still 10 million. 15 million shaved off in a matter of day's. That's a testimate to our great front-office.

Wallace has great potential, but I disagree with putting him in the Jennings category. So far, he's still showing to be the one-trick-pony, with a few bubble screen catches that did well. He tends to go down real easy on short and medium length passes. Jennings seems to find a way to turn any catch into a TD.

Wallace just fell off in the second half of the year. So he didn't have the dominant and consistent performance to strike it rich. Also, he hasn't really come up big in big games. I'm trying to think of a playoff game where he had those catches that broke the spirit of the other team (as seen by Brown and Sanders).

Don't get me wrong, I like the guy and think he's got tons of talent ... but he's not worth dominant money because he's hasn't shown dominance.