Two teams lose cap space (grievances filed)

[Rich Rane]

I don't understand this. What rules did they break that offseason?

[Icness]

I don't understand this. What rules did they break that offseason?

They loaded huge bonuses into that year so they could effectively avoid salary cap issues down the road when the cap came back. Dallas gave Miles Austin a 7 yr/$57M deal, and they structured it so all the guaranteed bonus $$ got fronted. He had a $17+M cap figure for 2011 (which had no cap) and won't have one higher than $2.5M in any of the next three years. Then there is the backloaded portion which they will eat, but he already got the $$ up front so he won't care when they cut him after 2014. The Skins did the same thing with more guys. They were told not to do that because it violates the spirit of the salary cap. Even though there wasn't a cap.

I think it's BS. The other owners aren't going to say anything because their teams got that stripped money added to their own caps. How about nailing the Bucs and Bengals for not spending to the old floor once that got removed? Tampa would have had a cap figure of under $78M last year (the floor would have been $108M), how is that not violating the spirit of the cap?

[TSE]

I don't understand this. What rules did they break that offseason?

The rule that says you are not allowed to use super smart ways to circumvent the salary cap's intended purpose with zealous greed of player-hogging beyond a reasonable degree.

[TSE]

Tampa would have had a cap figure of under $78M last year (the floor would have been $108M), how is that not violating the spirit of the cap?

Because Tampa is not owned by monstrously greedy gluttons that will do anything they can to think of themselves first, and the NFL doesn't like that kind of attitude? Or perhaps Goodell is waiting to penalize Tampa until after he finds out how this play works, because if it doesn't go down well then he doesn't want to get sued twice?

[Bucksfans1and2]

I don't understand this. What rules did they break that offseason?

They loaded huge bonuses into that year so they could effectively avoid salary cap issues down the road when the cap came back. Dallas gave Miles Austin a 7 yr/$57M deal, and they structured it so all the guaranteed bonus $$ got fronted. He had a $17+M cap figure for 2011 (which had no cap) and won't have one higher than $2.5M in any of the next three years. Then there is the backloaded portion which they will eat, but he already got the $$ up front so he won't care when they cut him after 2014. The Skins did the same thing with more guys. They were told not to do that because it violates the spirit of the salary cap. Even though there wasn't a cap.

I think it's BS. The other owners aren't going to say anything because their teams got that stripped money added to their own caps. How about nailing the Bucs and Bengals for not spending to the old floor once that got removed? Tampa would have had a cap figure of under $78M last year (the floor would have been $108M), how is that not violating the spirit of the cap?

I thought part of the problem was that it was to gain a competitive advantage.

Bengals and Bucs would be up to the player union to go after IIRC.