Measuring some of the moves the Patriots made in the last day or so and their impact on the salary cap:
--ESPN's Mike Reiss tweeted James Develin's salary information after the fullback agreed to a two-year extension:
2018: $1.675 million
2019: $1.7 million
2020: $1.9 million
Develin's 2018 cap number before the extension was $1.475 million. It consisted of:
$800,000: salary
$100,000: March roster bonus
$200,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($12,500 per game)
$200,000: playing-time incentives
$150,000: signing bonus proration from 2017 re-signing
$25,000: offseason workout bonus
His 2018 cap number after his extension is $1.675 million (a $200,000 increase). It consists of:
$800,000: salary
$100,000: March roster bonus
$200,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($12,500 per game)
$200,000: playing-time incentives
$200,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$150,000: signing bonus proration from 2017 re-signing
$25,000: offseason workout bonus
His 2019 cap number is $1.7 million. It consists of:
$1,000,000: salary
$400,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($25,000 per game)
$200,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$100,000: playing-time incentives
His 2020 cap number is $1.9 million. It consists of:
$1,200,000: salary
$400,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($25,000 per game)
$200,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$100,000: playing-time incentives
Develin's deal has a $1.9 million APY (average per year) value, sixth-highest for a fullback. It's a good value for the Patriots, as Develin is a Top 5 fullback. Since Develin does not have any guaranteed salary, the Patriots can release him at any time during his deal and create cap space. If the league cap continues to increase by $10 million each year, Develin's cap number will always be less than one percent of the Patriots adjusted cap.
--Reiss also noted long snapper Joe Cardona's four-year extension included $1 million guaranteed and $850,000 in bonuses.
Salary-cap charges:
2018: $860,000
2019: $955,000
2020: $990,000
2021: $965,000
2022: $1.21 million
Cardona's 2018 cap number before the extension was $730,000. It consisted of:
$705,000: salary
$25,000: signing bonus proration from 2015 signing bonus
His 2018 cap number after his extension is $860,000 million (a $130,000 increase). It consists of:
$705,000: salary
$25,000: signing bonus proration from 2015 signing bonus
$130,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
His 2019 cap number is $955,000. It consists of:
$805,000: salary
$130,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$20,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($1,250 per game)
His 2020 cap number is $990,000. It consists of:
$820,000: salary
$130,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$40,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($2,500 per game)
His 2021 cap number is $1,025,000. It consists of:
$835,000: salary
$130,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$60,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($3,750 per game)
His 2021 cap number is $1,210,000. It consists of:
$1,000,000: salary
$130,000: signing bonus proration from 2018 extension
$80,000: 46-man active roster bonus ($5,000 per game)
The $1 million in guaranteed money in Cardona's extension consists of his $650,000 signing bonus and $350,000 of his 2018 salary. The $850,000 in bonuses consist of the $650,000 signing bonus, and the $200,000 in 46-man active roster bonuses.
The Patriots lost a total of $330,000 in cap space with these two extensions.
--We're still waiting on Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel to be signed. I was asked on Twitter what the holdup could be -- my guess is the team and players' agents are negotiating over how much the fourth-year (2021) salaries will be fully guaranteed. Evan Engram, the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 draft, had $1,550,000 (80.45 percent of his fourth-year salary, or $1,926,621) fully guaranteed. Expect Wynn's camp to want both a higher amount and percentage. Every draft pick taken before Wynn who has signed has all four years fully guaranteed. Wynn's reps probably don't want to be the highest player drafted to have less than 100 percent of their deal fully guaranteed. Reuben Foster, the 31st overall pick in the 2017 draft, had $339,000 (23.51 percent of his fourth-year salary, or $1,697,124) fully guaranteed. I expect Michel's camp to want both a higher amount and percentage.
Answering some logical follow-up questions:
Question: Where does this deal leave Cardona when it comes to the highest-paid long snappers?
Answer: Cardona's deal has a $1,077,500 APY value, which makes him the 12th highest paid long-snapper. Please note -- the long-snapper deals have a very tight range. If Cardona's APY was $100,000 higher, he would now be the highest-paid long-snapper. If Cardona's APY was $100,000 less, he'd be the 16th highest paid long-snapper.
Question: How much cap space will the Patriots have after signing Wynn and Michel?
Answer: $8,898,840
Question: How many players are now on the Patriots active roster?
Answer: By my count, 90 -- the offseason limit.
Question: What is the positional breakdown of the Patriots roster?
Answer:
I consider Matthew Slater, Brandon Bolden, Nate Ebner, Nicholas Grigsby, and Brandon King special teamers.
Question: As of May 22, what compensatory picks should the Patriots receive in 2019?
Answer: A third-round pick for Nate Solder, a third-round pick for Malcolm Butler, a sixth-round pick for Dion Lewis, and a seventh-round pick for Cameron Fleming. (Matt Tobin's $655,000, Luke Bowanko's $720,000 , Troy Niklas' $940,000, Jordan Matthews' $1,000,000 and Ulrick John's $745,000 cap numbers are too small to be included in the 2019 compensatory pick calculations.)
In addition, it's important to note that the Jeremy Hill signing currently offsets the loss of Johnson Bademosi. And the Adrian Clayborn signing currently offsets the loss of Danny Amendola, according to Over The Cap.
Question: What are the Patriots 2019 draft picks?
Answer:
- 1st round: their original assigned pick
- 2nd round: from the Bears as part of a 2018 draft-day trade
- 2nd round: their original assigned pick
- 3rd round: from the Lions as part of a 2018 draft-day trade
- 3rd round: compensatory Pick (Solder)
- 3rd round: compensatory Pick (Butler)
- 4th round: their original assigned pick
- 5th round: their original assigned pick
- 6th round: compensatory Pick (Lewis)
- 7th round: from the Eagles as part of a 2018 draft-day trade
- 7th round: their original assigned pick
- 7th round: compensatory Pick (Fleming)
