Raiders and the Salary Cap

[CanadianBoltFan]

Does anyone know where the Raiders will be this year in regards to the cap?

I read their payroll is at 137 million now.

Isnt the cap 112 million?

How are they going to pull this off with all these ridiculous contracts?

[kiwibolt]

Hall joins the Raiders (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/20/SP0FVNFGS.DTL) - SF Chronicle (Nancy Gay)

The Raiders capped an extraordinary free agent signing (and spending) period Thursday afternoon, finalizing a seven-year contract for cornerback DeAngelo Hall that will pay the former Falcons Pro Bowler just over $66 million total and $24.55 million guaranteed.

......

The deal, NFL sources confirmed, was brokered almost exclusively by Raiders owner Al Davis ...

Final contract figures were not immediately known, but the deal is believed to pay Hall $30 million over the first three seasons and as much as $11 million in 2008 - $10 million in the form of a guaranteed but prorated signing bonus and $1 million in base salary. That would make his cap charge for '08 less than $2 million.

....

Despite the enormous contracts the Raiders have paid to players such as defensive lineman Tommy Kelly and wide receiver Javon Walker, the team was nearly $4.6 million under the NFL's $116 million salary cap limit as of midday Wednesday. Only the top 51 player salaries in the offseason count toward the cap limit. During the regular season, all contracts count toward the cap.

Under his new contract, Hall, sources said, could be paid as much as $15 million in 2009 in the form of an option bonus - one that could eventually be converted to a prorated signing bonus for salary cap purposes.

.....

While Hall is known as a strong family man who is not a troublemaker off the field, his me-first persona during the Falcons' tumultuous 2007 season, which saw Vick sent to prison and coach Bobby Petrino quit the team in midseason to bolt for Arkansas, helped turned many in Atlanta against him.
Don't ask me HOW they're doing it. It's obvious that they're backloading some contracts.... Probably setting themselves up for cap hell in a few years, but perhaps Al figures he won't be around to deal with the mess.

[CanadianBoltFan]

Thanks for posting the article.

I didnt know that a team doesnt have to count all salaries in the off season. As for the regular season it sounds like the Raiders might have to release some players before then to get down to the cap.

Joe McRugby, if you are around can you offer any comments about the Raiders situation? You seem to know the cap ramifications well.

[Shamrock]

Does anyone know where the Raiders will be this year in regards to the cap?

I read their payroll is at 137 million now.

Isnt the cap 112 million?

How are they going to pull this off with all these ridiculous contracts?

From that article kiwi posted:

... the team was nearly $4.6 million under the NFL's $116 million salary cap limit as of midday Wednesday

They are backloading everything, going for small first year hits on these new contracts, with huge out year cap charges.

That $4.6 mill available under the cap will need to be used on draft picks. As that article cited, the Raiders could free up some money by getting Asomugha to sign a long term deal and lower his nearly $10 mill cap hit for the Franchise Tag.

The problem for the Raiders will be some real cap issues in '09, '10, and '11. Al Davis is trying to put all his chips on the table for a final run before The Grim Reaper comes knockin' on his door. With Al's actions this offseason, it seems he might know something about how long he's got before his doorbell rings.

[CanadianBoltFan]

From that article kiwi posted:



They are backloading everything, going for small first year hits on these new contracts, with huge out year cap charges.

That $4.6 mill available under the cap will need to be used on draft picks. As that article cited, the Raiders could free up some money by getting Asomugha to sign a long term deal and lower his nearly $10 mill cap hit for the Franchise Tag.

The problem for the Raiders will be some real cap issues in '09, '10, and '11. Al Davis is trying to put all his chips on the table for a final run before The Grim Reaper comes knockin' on his door. With Al's actions this offseason, it seems he might know something about how long he's got before his doorbell rings.

Thanks Shamrock.

With the cap I guess you have to pay the piper at some point. It sounds like Davis is setting the raiders up for cap hell in the coming seasons.

Though the cap does keep going up each season it seems. He could be hoping for that. Maybe even for an uncapped season if the CBA falls apart.

One thing is for certain, if they finish 4-12 AGAIN it will look really lame!

[JoeMcRugby]

From that article kiwi posted:



They are backloading everything, going for small first year hits on these new contracts, with huge out year cap charges.

That $4.6 mill available under the cap will need to be used on draft picks. As that article cited, the Raiders could free up some money by getting Asomugha to sign a long term deal and lower his nearly $10 mill cap hit for the Franchise Tag.

The problem for the Raiders will be some real cap issues in '09, '10, and '11. Al Davis is trying to put all his chips on the table for a final run before The Grim Reaper comes knockin' on his door. With Al's actions this offseason, it seems he might know something about how long he's got before his doorbell rings.

We've all seen Al with his walker, etc. He doesn't have a lot of time left before he departs for the great Death Star in the sky.

After the end of the 2007 season, Al was quoted that he wants to win two more rings before he's done. It's obvious that if that's his plan, he needs to do it in 2008 and 2009 - future of the franchise be damned.

Somehow he's under the delusion that he can transform this dysfunctional team that probably doesn't even have its head coach in position yet into champions by throwing a lot of money at a few free agents to transform the losing franchise.

It hasn't worked before, and it won't work now. The "cherry on top" is that Darth has destroyed any chance of a future for the franchise with this insane spending spree that is designed to produce a Super Bowl in 2008.

[Shamrock]

I guess articles like this are what confuse people. The "payroll" - ie money paid this year - is not the same as the salary cap. The cap is based on the actual base pay plus the amortization of the signing (or option) bonus. Some monies can (and are) pushed into out years to lower the current year's cap charge for each player. Basically, it's using a credit card.

Davis, Raiders in the midst of eye-popping spending spree (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=3299615) - ESPN Clayton

The pending DeAngelo Hall trade, which won't be completed until Hall agrees to an Asante Samuel-like contract, is Davis' latest venture into a wild spending spree. He gave safety Gibril Wilson a six-year, $39 million contract. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly received a seven-year, $52.5 million deal. Offensive tackle Kwame Harris moved across the bay from the 49ers for a three-year, $14 million deal. Wide receiver Javon Walker caught a six-year, $55 million pass.

With quarterback JaMarcus Russell receiving a $19.9 million option bonus this year, the Raiders' payroll has soared to $137 million -- $23 million higher than the next-closest team (Cleveland) -- and Davis isn't done yet. His plan is to keep CB Nnamdi Asomugha, whose franchise tag will count $9.465 million against the cap. Davis also plans to keep the No. 4 pick in the draft, which will net a contract worth between $5 million and $9 million a year.

Davis, impatient about the team's football fortunes (only 19 victories over the past five seasons), is going against the financial bottom line to improve the team's football bottom line.

In 2005, he tried to give the franchise a jolt by trading for wide receiver Randy Moss and making free-agent moves such as the signings of RB LaMont Jordan, DE Derrick Burgess and others. It didn't work, and Moss became so disinterested in football in Oakland that he was traded to New England for the fourth-round pick.

Those moves seem modest compared to 2008, and the interesting part about it is that Davis is the one pulling the trigger. After a disappointing 4-12 season, Davis removed head coach Lane Kiffin from the personnel decision-making process. It's Davis himself working the deals with the help of selected front-office employees.

Unlike the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and other cost-conscious teams, Davis isn't looking for bargains. He didn't blink about coughing up $107.5 million in contracts for Kelly, coming off ACL surgery, and Walker, who is coming off a knee injury that limited him to eight games in Denver last season. Last weekend, Davis instructed negotiators within the organization to make the Hall deal a priority after agreeing to trade terms with the Falcons.

Recently, Davis sold non-voting shares in the Raiders, which gave him the money to go on this spending spree and invest in so many players.

Still, the timing of these moves is unusual because of the uncertainty of the head coaching position. Kiffin comes to work each day not knowing for sure if he's going to be the head coach by the start of the 2008 season.

Reports surfaced in January that Kiffin was asked to resign. He didn't, and even though the Raiders have denied the resignation story, numerous sources have backed up the tenuous relationship between the coach and owner. One sign of the discord was Davis' hiring of James Lofton as wide receivers coach without getting Kiffin's blessing.

Of course, Davis has always believed in getting the best players to win, and he's showing an aggressiveness reminiscent of the Al Davis of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

• Davis believes in man-to-man cornerback play. Putting Hall at cornerback with Asomugha gives the Raiders their best man-to-man cornerback tandem since Charles Woodson and Eric Allen. In many ways, Davis is flashing back to the Mike Haynes-Lester Hayes days in making this trade. It probably means former first-round choice Fabian Washington will be traded.

• Davis believes in big-play passing ability. With strong-armed Russell at quarterback, the Raiders added deep speed with Walker and Drew Carter, who signed a one-year deal for around $2 million. Ronald Curry will be the possession receiver.

• Kelly received his big payday to make the conversion from defensive end to defensive tackle, replacing the retiring Warren Sapp. Davis is hoping Kelly's athletic ability will replace the inside pass rush lost with Sapp's departure.

• The Wilson signing was one of the most debatable. The Raiders' defensive schemes require their safeties to play more man coverage. Two years ago, the Raiders drafted Michael Huff in the first round because of his coverage ability at safety, but he has been up and down. Safety is a tough job with the Raiders, but Davis didn't mind making Wilson the third highest paid safety in football.

Not everything has gone right for the Raiders. While the team was wrapping up the Kelly contract, it lost defensive end Chris Clemons, an eight-sack pass-rusher on the rise. He signed for less than $3 million a year with the Eagles.

Once the Hall trade is completed, it creates problems in trying to keep Asomugha. He's on the one-year franchise tender, and he's not going to sign for much less than the six-year, $57 million deal given to Samuel. To keep him as a franchise player next year, the price goes to $11.35 million.

But Davis isn't thinking about the green. He's thinking about the silver and black. He's just trying to win, baby.

Senior writer John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

The article didn't list RB Justin Fargas' deal:

02/13/2008 - The Raiders re-signed running back Justin Fargas on Wednesday in a move that resolves one of their most pressing issues long before training camp opens.

Fargas, 28, signed a three-year, $12 million contract that includes $6 million guaranteed this year, agent Stephen Baker said. Fargas could earn as much as $14 million by reaching some performance levels.

[ghuero619]

Dont forget they still have to pay the #4 pick of this year's draft something around 30 million guaranteed.

[CanadianBoltFan]

I am willing to admit their secondary looks good, though I think they had bigger issues than acquiring DeAngleo Hall. Both of their lines still are questionable and now they have one pick in the first 3 rounds.

I guess you can at least say that Al Davis is making things happen but the coaching situation is bizarre.

I think the signing the Raiders will regret the most for the money is Javon Walker. Kwame Harris is a major reclamation project also if they plan on using him at LT.

[RaiderCAD]

it is believed the Raiders are 4.6 mil under the cap with 7-8 extra buy cutting Jordan and Stu and the possible trade of Fabian might give us more

also people like to claim Al has lost his mind but does anyone really think Walker or Kelly will see all that money? and maby Hall as well? (he could because he is young and could forfill it) i doubt it Walker and Kelly could get cut in a few years and Raiders will receive a high chunk of that cash back so really its not concerning

i just hope the Long term contract i want is Nnamdi Asomugha's

[Vengeance, Inc.]

I don't think Al Davis is doing this because he's dying. He's one year older or younger than George Steinbrenner, but not sick like Steinbrenner, otherwise he'd give control to his son, just like Steinbrenner. He's in good health, which you guys would call good news, whatever. If you're basing his health on him using a walker, then I guess he'll die of Bad Hip Disease.

He is spending like crazy because he had the freedom, more freedom than he's had in a long time. He's spending so much because he knows that's what will take to get players here. The risk is MUCH greater than the reward, but Al Davis is not about rebuilding or building through the draft, otherwise he would've done things the conventional way and prepared after 2002, when it was obvious our old team needed to be rebuilt through the draft. And he had the picks too, but he didn't use them for guys in the trenches, just fast cornerback busts.

He wants to win. At all costs. His problem is that his costs are at the Raiders' expense in the long run. If he is banking on an uncapped 2k10, that is foolish. He's too smart for that, despite what you guys say. He is still a smart business man. He's not banking on 2k10 or his deathbed. He is literally going for broke and he's tired of losing.

He also knows how to manage the cap in his favor. In all the years since the cap came into place, they rarely lost a player they wanted to keep simply because of cap numbers. They couldn't sign free agents, but they rarely lost players unless they played their way out, like Charles Woodson. I bet that if we lost 10 players on our roster next year, no more than two of them will hurt us. And a smart draft can give him an inexpensive replacement, but that's not his forte recently.

There is a small chance that a lot of mediocre players can make a good team. I am not excited about most of these offseason moves, especially the injury risks. I could care less about the headcases. It's all or nothing for Oakland this year. I just hope we are no worst than 4-4 come midseason, which will make for yet another dramatic nailbiting soap opera in Raider Land. Problem is, there are already 6 playoff favorites (NE, Pitt, Ind, Jax, Cle, SD) and a 10 win season might not be good enough for a wild card if we need that.

[CanadianBoltFan]

it is believed the Raiders are 4.6 mil under the cap with 7-8 extra buy cutting Jordan and Stu and the possible trade of Fabian might give us more

also people like to claim Al has lost his mind but does anyone really think Walker or Kelly will see all that money? and maby Hall as well? (he could because he is young and could forfill it) i doubt it Walker and Kelly could get cut in a few years and Raiders will receive a high chunk of that cash back so really its not concerning

i just hope the Long term contract i want is Nnamdi Asomugha's


You need to keep in mind the Raiders are on the hook for alot of guarenteed money. 24 million to Hall.....16 million to the injury prone Walker...not to mention Wilson and Kelly

[TBOLTZCALI]

raiders having a 10 win season? Not until you have a real QB, a real OL, and a real threat and JWalk is not a real threat.

[SuperBowlBolts]

it is believed the Raiders are 4.6 mil under the cap with 7-8 extra buy cutting Jordan and Stu and the possible trade of Fabian might give us more

also people like to claim Al has lost his mind but does anyone really think Walker or Kelly will see all that money? and maby Hall as well? (he could because he is young and could forfill it) i doubt it Walker and Kelly could get cut in a few years and Raiders will receive a high chunk of that cash back so really its not concerning

i just hope the Long term contract i want is Nnamdi Asomugha's

Unless the contracts are front loaded I doubt you'll receive a high chunk of that cash back.

[Shamrock]

I don't think Al Davis is doing this because he's dying. He's one year older or younger than George Steinbrenner, but not sick like Steinbrenner, otherwise he'd give control to his son, just like Steinbrenner. He's in good health, which you guys would call good news, whatever. If you're basing his health on him using a walker, then I guess he'll die of Bad Hip Disease.

He is spending like crazy because he had the freedom, more freedom than he's had in a long time. He's spending so much because he knows that's what will take to get players here. The risk is MUCH greater than the reward, but Al Davis is not about rebuilding or building through the draft, otherwise he would've done things the conventional way and prepared after 2002, when it was obvious our old team needed to be rebuilt through the draft. And he had the picks too, but he didn't use them for guys in the trenches, just fast cornerback busts.

He wants to win. At all costs. His problem is that his costs are at the Raiders' expense in the long run. If he is banking on an uncapped 2k10, that is foolish. He's too smart for that, despite what you guys say. He is still a smart business man. He's not banking on 2k10 or his deathbed. He is literally going for broke and he's tired of losing.

He also knows how to manage the cap in his favor. In all the years since the cap came into place, they rarely lost a player they wanted to keep simply because of cap numbers. They couldn't sign free agents, but they rarely lost players unless they played their way out, like Charles Woodson. I bet that if we lost 10 players on our roster next year, no more than two of them will hurt us. And a smart draft can give him an inexpensive replacement, but that's not his forte recently.

There is a small chance that a lot of mediocre players can make a good team. I am not excited about most of these offseason moves, especially the injury risks. I could care less about the headcases. It's all or nothing for Oakland this year. I just hope we are no worst than 4-4 come midseason, which will make for yet another dramatic nailbiting soap opera in Raider Land. Problem is, there are already 6 playoff favorites (NE, Pitt, Ind, Jax, Cle, SD) and a 10 win season might not be good enough for a wild card if we need that.

This mess is pure comedy.

Davis has "freedom" ? Freedom from what? Because he has a little more cap room? Isn't he the one who messed it up in the first place? How does a guy grant himself "freedom" ?

The Raiders have needed to rebuild for five years. They did have the draft picks, especially the extra ones they received for trading Chuckie to the Bucs. Al Davis squandered all those picks through poor scouting and bad trades.

Al knows how to manage the cap in his favor? How? By putting a bunch of these deals into out years? By mortgaging the future with big money contracts for injured former stars and some no-names? Didn't he just get cap "freedom" (granted by himself) for coming out from under some repressive cap regimes he caused himself?

This next one is your funniest part .... you should write comedy:
They couldn't sign free agents, but they rarely lost players unless they played their way out, like Charles Woodson. I bet that if we lost 10 players on our roster next year, no more than two of them will hurt us.
You know why you don't lose good players? Because you don't have any. You could lose 20 players and only a couple would hurt you. Why? Because your roster sucks.

Don't worry about the playoffs. You won't even sniff .500, let alone 10 wins.

[SillyBoltsFan]

It's all or nothing for Oakland this year.

If that's the case... get ready for a nothing season by your team Vengeance :)

[RaiderCAD]

Unless the contracts are front loaded I doubt you'll receive a high chunk of that cash back.

Hall's is "heavily backloaded" (probably meaning a long term committment )

Walker's is frontloaded ( great idea because giving him money early while he is younger and healthier is wiser then backloading because as he gets older his knees are a concerning problem so its probably really a 3-4 yr deal then he will be cut

Harris got hardly any guarantees

Kelly's im not sure about i think its frontloaded

[TBOLTZCALI]

so im assuming that this year they will be fine but next year and after they could be in big trouble???

[RaiderCAD]

so im assuming that this year they will be fine but next year and after they could be in big trouble???

possibly bro, but Al knows how to work the cap, love or hate him history says he isnt afraid of cap and will work around it dont let the past five years of horrid play fool you

what scares me is Asomugha isnt locked up and the "firm" in Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison will want MASSIVE deals so i dont know how they will lock both up as well as a 4th overall pick this year

adopting the ZB system was a wise move because a superstar RB and OL arent needed which saves some money but letting either of those three core guys go would be a huge mistake

[Vengeance, Inc.]

This mess is pure comedy.

Davis has "freedom" ? Freedom from what? Because he has a little more cap room? Isn't he the one who messed it up in the first place? How does a guy grant himself "freedom" ?

The Raiders have needed to rebuild for five years. They did have the draft picks, especially the extra ones they received for trading Chuckie to the Bucs. Al Davis squandered all those picks through poor scouting and bad trades.

Al knows how to manage the cap in his favor? How? By putting a bunch of these deals into out years? By mortgaging the future with big money contracts for injured former stars and some no-names? Didn't he just get cap "freedom" (granted by himself) for coming out from under some repressive cap regimes he caused himself?

This next one is your funniest part .... you should write comedy:

You know why you don't lose good players? Because you don't have any. You could lose 20 players and only a couple would hurt you. Why? Because your roster sucks.

Don't worry about the playoffs. You won't even sniff .500, let alone 10 wins.
A little cap freedom is $4 million with a lot more restrictions. A lot of cap freedom is the $24+ he had with very few restrictions to, yes I'll say it, foolishly overpay. And the players that are gone, you're right, they suck. Well except for Fargas who is benefitting from the ZBS.

I wasn't just referring to the last five years, but the entire time of the Salary Cap Era. Which is why I said the Raiders have never had to lose players they wanted to keep ever, not just these last five years. The roster the last ten years, pretty mediocre the last five, damn good those Gruden years. And during most of that time, the Raiders rarely had the "freedom" to spend like Davis is now if they needed to or not, but still were able to add people that helped us get to the Superbowl. And some of that took some work that he and Bruce Allen were, and still are, known for. Davis spends. He never starts a season less than $2 under, if that.

And I said he screwed up the last five drafts and should've prepared to replace the older vets who were on the downside of their careers. He made bad decisions and blew a 2002 and 2003 draft where he could've reaped major rewards from the Gruden trade, but six of the seven players from those first two rounds are no longer on the team and with the exception of Nnamdi Asomugha, they did nothing.

Will these moves pan out? The needle is more on the no than the yes. Too many injury questions. I'm not happy with overpaying for a guy who will need knee surgery, two historically injured d-linemen, a safety who never made the pro-bowl and a corner who could be a better version than Phillip Buchanon. Are these contracts going to finally cripple the Raiders where he has to lose players that he needs/wants, like Morrison, Howard, Asomugha and Huff, while strapped with the ones he follishly overpaid? Again, we'll see. I've seen little or no freedom with the salary cap because I'm a Knicks fan (hold the applause) and THAT'S the epitome of salary cap baffonery.

Will we sniff .500? Who knows, I know you don't. We lost some really close games last year that a better team would've won and where the defense collapsed in the end. I don't know either way, but I'm excited. The Chargers are the team to beat in the division and the AFC will probably see a 10-win team out of the playoffs. See you in September...

[56lightsout56]

it is believed the Raiders are 4.6 mil under the cap with 7-8 extra buy cutting Jordan and Stu and the possible trade of Fabian might give us more

also people like to claim Al has lost his mind but does anyone really think Walker or Kelly will see all that money? and maby Hall as well? (he could because he is young and could forfill it) i doubt it Walker and Kelly could get cut in a few years and Raiders will receive a high chunk of that cash back so really its not concerning

i just hope the Long term contract i want is Nnamdi Asomugha's

those players have a far better chance of seeing that money that Al does of getting to the playoffs.

keep dreamin'-please.

[RaiderCAD]

those players have a far better chance of seeing that money that Al does of getting to the playoffs.

keep dreamin'-please.

uh ok

but if you knew anything about the cap you would know the types of contracts given allow teams to make pre mature cuts

take Nate Clements for example he isnt seeing 80 million just like Walker isnt seeing 55 or Kelly

[SuperBowlBolts]

possibly bro, but Al knows how to work the cap, love or hate him history says he isnt afraid of cap and will work around it dont let the past five years of horrid play fool you

what scares me is Asomugha isnt locked up and the "firm" in Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison will want MASSIVE deals so i dont know how they will lock both up as well as a 4th overall pick this year

adopting the ZB system was a wise move because a superstar RB and OL arent needed which saves some money but letting either of those three core guys go would be a huge mistake

I think it would be bad for you guys to let any of those 3 players go, but I have to say to be successful in the NFL you need more than an avg o-line. You notice the guys in the play-offs year in and year out are the guys with a really good or great o-line.

[Strife9878]

Hall joins the Raiders (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/20/SP0FVNFGS.DTL) - SF Chronicle (Nancy Gay)


Don't ask me HOW they're doing it. It's obvious that they're backloading some contracts.... Probably setting themselves up for cap hell in a few years, but perhaps Al figures he won't be around to deal with the mess.


I bring this up way to much, but they are probably going to vote to opt out of the current Colective bargianing agreement and not agree to another cap... the radiers seem to have troubles working with it.

[JoeMcRugby]

uh ok

but if you knew anything about the cap you would know the types of contracts given allow teams to make pre mature cuts

take Nate Clements for example he isnt seeing 80 million just like Walker isnt seeing 55 or Kelly

We all know that. We all know how the cap works with the funny money, CAD. Unfortunately for Raider fans, the Chargers don't use funny money when doing their deals. Thus, if the players work out, then they see every dollar. If they don't, then they get cut without a big cap hit.

It it doesn't take away from the fact that Mr. Hall is being paid $30 million in his first three years in Oakland.

If he "cancers" his way out of Oakland the same way that he cancered his way out of Atlanta, the Raiders are screwed as the bonus money accelerates.

Al doesn't know how to work the cap. Ed McGuire, on the other hand, does. :Bolt:

[CanadianBoltFan]

uh ok

but if you knew anything about the cap you would know the types of contracts given allow teams to make pre mature cuts

take Nate Clements for example he isnt seeing 80 million just like Walker isnt seeing 55 or Kelly

Javon Walker is seeing 16 million guarenteed though and his knee could be blown any time.Even if it doesnt, he is a far cry from the one impact season he had back in 2004 with Brett Favre throwing him the ball.

[RaiderCAD]

I think it would be bad for you guys to let any of those 3 players go, but I have to say to be successful in the NFL you need more than an avg o-line. You notice the guys in the play-offs year in and year out are the guys with a really good or great o-line.

no doubt about it your right the trenches are were games are won but i think Olinmen who fit the Zb mold are easier to find in the later rounds because they are not conventionally the best physically but are agile and smart players which doesnt require big bucks and when implemented properly can be very effective

[RaiderCAD]

Javon Walker is seeing 16 million guarenteed though and his knee could be blown any time.Even if it doesnt, he is a far cry from the one impact season he had back in 2004 with Brett Favre throwing him the ball.

he has said numerous times he is 100% and i will be the first to agree with you i doubt he has that kind of year again but he is a top 10 WR when healthy and playing his best football, i guess in our situation we had to take a risk at the WR position because we literally had no one he is getting alot of his money up front so really i think he will only be around for a 3-4 year time period then cut unless he lights it up but the money flashed at him was a decoy to come here and play as a solid WR then get released before receiving more money

[RaiderCAD]

We all know that. We all know how the cap works with the funny money, CAD. Unfortunately for Raider fans, the Chargers don't use funny money when doing their deals. Thus, if the players work out, then they see every dollar. If they don't, then they get cut without a big cap hit.

It it doesn't take away from the fact that Mr. Hall is being paid $30 million in his first three years in Oakland.

If he "cancers" his way out of Oakland the same way that he cancered his way out of Atlanta, the Raiders are screwed as the bonus money accelerates.

Al doesn't know how to work the cap. Ed McGuire, on the other hand, does. :Bolt:

im pretty sure Al knows how to work the cap, thats a pretty stubborn comment, obviously alot of people (probably you as well) strongly dislike Al and pull out the old man senile jokes but he knows cap, and the deals that are in place are all carefully managed, Al took a risk on Hall because with Nnamdi and Hall playing man to man and locking down the Wrs our scheme can truelybe put into place which is taking the 1 and 2 Wrs out of the equation and drafting a Chris long or glenn Dorsey to help get penetration as well as putting safteys to the line to defend the run, he back loaded his contract because he is young and obviously a great young player , baggage no doubt but well worth the risk

i think Al wants to rekindle with the Lester Hayes and haynes combo that made their defense very good by eliminating the big play from the pass and focusing on the run

im very interested to see how the chargers FO handles the big time players that are having contracts due in the next yr or two