A Forum GM Challenge

[So Be]

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/

Free Agency is close to being here, and there are many mixed opinions on what our team should do. Time for some serious thoughts and plans. The above link will give you all FA's and what they cost last year. You can go up top to their tool bar to see what other players are getting at every position. Doing a little homework will scare many away but, it will add a lot to what you think and plan for our team.

I'm going to start by giving you two budgets to work with. The first is cap space available for players I believe will not be kept at their current deal. Then if you want to go over that budget, add in $18M for a Suh restructure. You have to add in from scratch to restructure guys like Wake, Cameron etc.or keep players at their current deals.

Contracts Cap Savings

Coples- $7.5M
Cameron- $7.5M
Jennings- $4M
Jordan- $$3.2M

Grimes- $6.5M
Wake- $8.4M
Misi- $3.7M
Mitchell- $2.5M

That's $43.5M to spend. The draft will net cost a few mil and keep $5M for injury protection. You have $35M to spend or $53M with Suh.

Remember that the first year on a multi year deal is cheap with the signing bonus (average is 25% of the real figure) and that one year deals kill cap space.

Anyone care to play?

[DolphinsFreak]

Sign Evan Mathis - Guard - 4 Million - 2 years
Sign Manuel Ramirez - Center & Guard - 3 Million - 3 years
Sign Kelechi Osemele - Guard - 7 Million - 5 years
Sign Mackenzy Bernadeau - Cener & Guard - 2 Million - 3 years
Sign Tashaun Gipson- Free Safety - 7 Million - 5 years
Sign Trumaine Johnson - Cornerback - 5 Million - 5 years
Sign Walter Thurmond - Cornerback/Safety - 4 Million - 4 years
Von Miller - Linebacker - 10 Million - 5 years

Sign Coples - 6.5 Million - 4 years
Sign Jordan Cameron - 6.5 Million - 4 years
Sign Cam Wake - 7.5 Million - 3 years
Sign Mitchell - 2 Million - 3 years
Sign Lamar Miller - 5 Million - 4 years

Grand Total - 69.5 Million

TRADE - Mike Pouncey - Saves Roughly 5 Million
Restructure Branden Albert - 7 Million - Savings Roughly 1.5 Million
CUT - Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas - Savings - 1.7 Million
CUT - Grimes - Savings - 5 Million
CUT - Misi - Savings - 3 Million
CUT Jennings - Savings - 3.5 Million

Grand Total - 50 Million

[FTLDOLFAN]

OG/OT Kelechi Osemele - $7M

DB Trumaine Johnson - $8M

DE Olivier Vernon - $9M

DE/DT Akiem Hicks - $4M

TE Zach Miller - $3M

FS Tashaun Gipson - $6M

RB Lamar Miller - $4M

Thats $41 M. Then our draft needs would still be DB DE ILB OLB QB WR

[So Be]

OG/OT Kelechi Osemele - $7M

DB Trumaine Johnson - $8M

DE Olivier Vernon - $9M

DE/DT Akiem Hicks - $4M

TE Zach Miller - $3M

FS Tashaun Gipson - $6M

RB Lamar Miller - $4M

Thats $41 M. Then our draft needs would still be DB DE ILB OLB QB WR

I think some of your number are low, the combined total for this year would likely be around half of the $41M you mention with the signing bonuses.

[So Be]

Very important to consider the signing bonus on any contract over one year. The first year cap hit is going to be much less that the average per year. For example. sign OV to a 5 year $60M deal, give him a $10M signing bonus with a $2M first year salary. He still banks $12M but our cap only takes a $4M hit because the bonus is prorated at $2M a year over 5 years. You have a lot more to spend.

The hit will go up a bunch next year but we have lots of space to take care of that in 2017. As of now, we would have $63M with only 24 players under contract. That's with Grimes, Misi, and Mitchell on the books for a combined $18M. If they are not here, we have $81M and will likely restructure Tannehill's $20M hit for more.

This is why I question the need to restructure Suh this year.

[So Be]

I'm working on a combined effort with a few friends. I put up a starting point and am getting opinions on filling in the blanks. Would like to do the same here. To make it simple, I am giving the numbers I would pay in year 1, and going with the $35M budget.

Vernon- 5 year $60M, $10M signing bonus, and a $4M cap hit this year.

Miller- 5 year $25M, $5M signing bonus, and a $2M cap hit this year.

Brooks- 4 year $24M, an $8M signing bonus, and a $3M cap hit this year.

CB- 5 year $40M, $10M signing bonus, and a $3M cap hit this year.

Total- $12M this year and the increases next year can easily be absorbed.

Wake- Restructure with a $5M cap hit this year

Cameron- Restructure with a $5M cap hit his year.

Combined total- $22M with $13M or so left on my budget without tapping the Suh fund.

Missing needs

LB

Swing OT

FS

Backup QB

Opinions?

[Bahamas]

Contracts Cap Savings

Coples- $7.5M
Cameron- $7.5M
Jennings- $4M
Jordan- $$3.2M

Grimes- $6.5M
Wake- $8.4M
Misi- $3.7M
Mitchell- $2.5M

I am going to keep Jordan, so that is going to give me around 50 in cap space. It's sad to see Wake and Grimes leave, but Wake deserves to play for a contender and I tell him that. Go and see what it feel like to play in a playoff game. I hope he signs with Seattle.

FA targets I go after

OG/OT Kelechi Osemele - $7M
OG Jeff Allen - 4M
DB Trumaine Johnson - $8M
DB Leon Hall - 3M
FS Reggie Nelson - 5M
DB Pacman Jones - 3M
ILB - Danny Trevathan -5M

I would resign the following player;
Lamar Miller - 5M
Cameron - 4M

That's it....I then focus my attention on the draft and use my top 2 picks on CB (VG or Mack) and DE (Jaylon Smith, Shaq Lawson).

[Bahamas]

http://fanspeak.com/mtc/

You can actually play GM here.