https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-fixing-teams-least-salary-cap-space-2023-free-agency

(full article at link, intro and Chargers' section copied below)

Fixing the 5 NFL teams with the least salary cap space: Cuts, extensions, restructures and more

By Brad Spielberger
Feb 23, 2023
• Another year, another New Orleans Saints cap struggle: The Saints would save around $20 million by adding a void year and restructuring the contracts of cornerback Marshon Lattimore and tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

• Los Angeles Chargers can save with restructures: The Chargers could recoup nearly $25 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

• Shaquill Griffin a potential cap casualty for the Jaguars: The Jaguars are currently projected to have -$22,753,686 in cap space, and releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin already takes more than $13 million off the books.

Every offseason, a handful of NFL teams begin February projected to be well over the following year’s salary cap before they start to release players and restructure contracts. All 32 NFL teams must be compliant with the 2023 cap — recently set at $224.8 million — by Wednesday, March 15.

A few clubs have already started their cap purge — an annual tradition for the New Orleans Saints, who kicked things off with restructures for safety Marcus Maye and center Erik McCoy. We wanted to provide one potential path to get above water for the five teams currently projected to be most over the 2023 salary cap.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Current projected 2023 cap space: (-$20,511,524)

Restructure EDGE Joey Bosa (+$15,223,333)
Release OL Matt Feiler (+$6,500,000)
Restructure EDGE Khalil Mack (+$10,867,500)
Restructure DI Sebastian Joseph-Day (+$2,710,000)
Extend RB Austin Ekeler (+$2,170,000)
Approximation without getting into the weeds of what an extension could look like
End result 2023 cap space: $17,959,310

The Chargers may have to make several more moves beyond these, with a major decision looming on wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is owed $19 million in 2023. Allen missed roughly half the season, breaking a streak of five straight years with at least 100 receptions (including playoffs), but he earned an 84.4 receiving grade and averaged nearly 10 targets, 7.5 receptions and 87 receiving yards from Week 11 through the end of the regular season once healthy.

While cornerback J.C. Jackson’s five-year contract provides a lot of flexibility, the Chargers may not want to push too much cap into the future given his injuries in 2022, with no guarantees beyond 2023. A massive extension for quarterback Justin Herbert should come this offseason and will require more room, and that's in addition to the draft class and any internal or external free agents the team wishes to bring aboard.

phlash74 wrote:
> https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-fixing-teams-least-salary-cap-space-2023-free-agency
>
> (full article at link, intro and Chargers' section copied below)
>
> Fixing the 5 NFL teams with the least salary cap space: Cuts, extensions, restructures and more
>
> By Brad Spielberger
> Feb 23, 2023
> • Another year, another New Orleans Saints cap struggle: The Saints would save around $20 million by adding a void year and restructuring the contracts of cornerback Marshon Lattimore and tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
>
> • Los Angeles Chargers can save with restructures: The Chargers could recoup nearly $25 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
>
> • Shaquill Griffin a potential cap casualty for the Jaguars: The Jaguars are currently projected to have -$22,753,686 in cap space, and releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin already takes more than $13 million off the books.
>
> Every offseason, a handful of NFL teams begin February projected to be well over the following year’s salary cap before they start to release players and restructure contracts. All 32 NFL teams must be compliant with the 2023 cap — recently set at $224.8 million — by Wednesday, March 15.
>
> A few clubs have already started their cap purge — an annual tradition for the New Orleans Saints, who kicked things off with restructures for safety Marcus Maye and center Erik McCoy. We wanted to provide one potential path to get above water for the five teams currently projected to be most over the 2023 salary cap.
>
> LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
> Current projected 2023 cap space: (-$20,511,524)
>
> Restructure EDGE Joey Bosa (+$15,223,333)
> Release OL Matt Feiler (+$6,500,000)
> Restructure EDGE Khalil Mack (+$10,867,500)
> Restructure DI Sebastian Joseph-Day (+$2,710,000)
> Extend RB Austin Ekeler (+$2,170,000)
> Approximation without getting into the weeds of what an extension could look like
> End result 2023 cap space: $17,959,310
>
> The Chargers may have to make several more moves beyond these, with a major decision looming on wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is owed $19 million in 2023. Allen missed roughly half the season, breaking a streak of five straight years with at least 100 receptions (including playoffs), but he earned an 84.4 receiving grade and averaged nearly 10 targets, 7.5 receptions and 87 receiving yards from Week 11 through the end of the regular season once healthy.
>
> While cornerback J.C. Jackson’s five-year contract provides a lot of flexibility, the Chargers may not want to push too much cap into the future given his injuries in 2022, with no guarantees beyond 2023. A massive extension for quarterback Justin Herbert should come this offseason and will require more room, and that's in addition to the draft class and any internal or external free agents the team wishes to bring aboard.
>

It's hard to know what to make of restructure proposals because they
don't show you what the restructured contract looks like, or at least
this particular example doesn't.

Herbert's big extension kicks in in 2024 (or else the Chargers will
execute his fifth year option) and his cap hit will increase enormously.
Will these restructure proposals (which just push currently-due money to
future years) starve the Chargers of cap room in those future years? And
restructures typically turn non-guaranteed annual salary into guaranteed
signing bonuses, making it impossible to save the money by releasing the
player.

Rumors are starting to fly around the league about players being traded
or released for cap reasons. The Chargers have until 4 pm ET on March 15
to become cap-compliant. I'm waiting anxiously to see what they will do.
I wish restructuring will be able to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but
I am doubtful.

--Robin

Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:

> phlash74 wrote:
>> https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-fixing-teams-least-salary-cap-space-2023-free-agency
>>
>> (full article at link, intro and Chargers' section copied below)
>>
>> Fixing the 5 NFL teams with the least salary cap space: Cuts, extensions, restructures and more
>>
>> By Brad Spielberger
>> Feb 23, 2023
>> • Another year, another New Orleans Saints cap struggle: The Saints
>> would save around $20 million by adding a void year and
>> restructuring the contracts of cornerback Marshon Lattimore and
>> tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
>>
>> • Los Angeles Chargers can save with restructures: The Chargers could recoup nearly $25 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
>>
>> • Shaquill Griffin a potential cap casualty for the Jaguars: The
>> Jaguars are currently projected to have -$22,753,686 in cap space,
>> and releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin already takes more than
>> $13 million off the books.
>>
>> Every offseason, a handful of NFL teams begin February projected to
>> be well over the following year’s salary cap before they start to
>> release players and restructure contracts. All 32 NFL teams must be
>> compliant with the 2023 cap — recently set at $224.8 million — by
>> Wednesday, March 15.
>>
>> A few clubs have already started their cap purge — an annual
>> tradition for the New Orleans Saints, who kicked things off with
>> restructures for safety Marcus Maye and center Erik McCoy. We wanted
>> to provide one potential path to get above water for the five teams
>> currently projected to be most over the 2023 salary cap.
>>
>> LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
>> Current projected 2023 cap space: (-$20,511,524)
>>

>> Restructure EDGE Joey Bosa (+$15,223,333)

pay about $23M salary up front amortized over 3 years

>> Restructure EDGE Khalil Mack (+$10,867,500)

pay about @21.7M salary up front amortized over 2 years

>> Restructure DI Sebastian Joseph-Day (+$2,710,000)

pay about $5.4M salary up front amortized over 2 years

>> Extend RB Austin Ekeler (+$2,170,000)
>> Approximation without getting into the weeds of what an extension
>> could look like

That's a weird number. Even if they extend him just 1 year, they could
save a bit more.

> It's hard to know what to make of restructure proposals because they
> don't show you what the restructured contract looks like, or at least
> this particular example doesn't.

All they are doing is converted the 2023 salary minus the league minimum
into an up-front bonus, whose cap hit is amortized over the remaining
years of the contract.

> Will these restructure proposals (which just push
> currently-due money to future years) starve the Chargers of cap room
> in those future years?

Of course they will.

Eddie Grove wrote:
> Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:
>
>> phlash74 wrote:
>>> https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-fixing-teams-least-salary-cap-space-2023-free-agency
>>>
>>> (full article at link, intro and Chargers' section copied below)
>>>
>>> Fixing the 5 NFL teams with the least salary cap space: Cuts, extensions, restructures and more
>>>
>>> By Brad Spielberger
>>> Feb 23, 2023
>>> • Another year, another New Orleans Saints cap struggle: The Saints
>>> would save around $20 million by adding a void year and
>>> restructuring the contracts of cornerback Marshon Lattimore and
>>> tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
>>>
>>> • Los Angeles Chargers can save with restructures: The Chargers could recoup nearly $25 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
>>>
>>> • Shaquill Griffin a potential cap casualty for the Jaguars: The
>>> Jaguars are currently projected to have -$22,753,686 in cap space,
>>> and releasing cornerback Shaquill Griffin already takes more than
>>> $13 million off the books.
>>>
>>> Every offseason, a handful of NFL teams begin February projected to
>>> be well over the following year’s salary cap before they start to
>>> release players and restructure contracts. All 32 NFL teams must be
>>> compliant with the 2023 cap — recently set at $224.8 million — by
>>> Wednesday, March 15.
>>>
>>> A few clubs have already started their cap purge — an annual
>>> tradition for the New Orleans Saints, who kicked things off with
>>> restructures for safety Marcus Maye and center Erik McCoy. We wanted
>>> to provide one potential path to get above water for the five teams
>>> currently projected to be most over the 2023 salary cap.
>>>
>>> LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
>>> Current projected 2023 cap space: (-$20,511,524)
>>>
>
>>> Restructure EDGE Joey Bosa (+$15,223,333)
>
> pay about $23M salary up front amortized over 3 years
>
>>> Restructure EDGE Khalil Mack (+$10,867,500)
>
> pay about @21.7M salary up front amortized over 2 years
>
>>> Restructure DI Sebastian Joseph-Day (+$2,710,000)
>
> pay about $5.4M salary up front amortized over 2 years
>
>>> Extend RB Austin Ekeler (+$2,170,000)
>>> Approximation without getting into the weeds of what an extension
>>> could look like
>
> That's a weird number. Even if they extend him just 1 year, they could
> save a bit more.
>
>> It's hard to know what to make of restructure proposals because they
>> don't show you what the restructured contract looks like, or at least
>> this particular example doesn't.
>
> All they are doing is converted the 2023 salary minus the league minimum
> into an up-front bonus, whose cap hit is amortized over the remaining
> years of the contract.
>
>> Will these restructure proposals (which just push
>> currently-due money to future years) starve the Chargers of cap room
>> in those future years?
>
> Of course they will.
>

That's my point. Restructures may get the Chargers through this season,
but then in subsequent seasons they will have both Herbert's big
extension plus these restructures to fit under the cap. I'm not sure
that's really a solution at all.

--Robin

Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:

> That's my point. Restructures may get the Chargers through this
> season, but then in subsequent seasons they will have both Herbert's
> big extension plus these restructures to fit under the cap. I'm not
> sure that's really a solution at all.
>
> --Robin

You are really overthinking this. That's all anyone is doing when they
talk about restructuring. So long as owners can't evaluate coaches on
anything more than wins and losses, it is in the coaches' [and GM's]
interest to do anything to win more now at the cost of losing later.
Who cares how the team does next year if you are fired before then?

Eddie Grove wrote:
> Robin Miller <robin.miller@invalid.invalid> writes:
>
>> That's my point. Restructures may get the Chargers through this
>> season, but then in subsequent seasons they will have both Herbert's
>> big extension plus these restructures to fit under the cap. I'm not
>> sure that's really a solution at all.
>>
>> --Robin
>
> You are really overthinking this. That's all anyone is doing when they
> talk about restructuring. So long as owners can't evaluate coaches on
> anything more than wins and losses, it is in the coaches' [and GM's]
> interest to do anything to win more now at the cost of losing later.
> Who cares how the team does next year if you are fired before then?
>

Well, I'm very anxious to see what decisions the Chargers make. They
have a lot of players in play right now.

--Robin