All right, everyone. Let's dive into this week's questions:
Question from BSJ subscriber chaumd during Chris' Q&A: Whose salaries will be reduced or cut altogether in the off-season? D-Mac/High/Cannon/Clayborn/Chung all look like guys where the salary and production aren’t matching up.
Answer: Devin McCourty's 2019 cap information
Signed through 2019
Cap hit = $13,435,000
Cash = $9.5 million (6th highest)
Gross cap savings = $9.5 million
Net savings = $9.05 million since it is likely a player with a $495,000 salary will replace Devin on the Top 51 list.
Dead money if cut/retires/traded = $3,935,000
Dont'a Hightower's 2019 cap information
Signed through 2020
Cap hit = $10,375,000
Cash = $7,875,000
Gross cap savings = $5.375 million
Net savings = $4,880,000 since it is likely a player with a $495,000 salary will replace Hightower on the Top 51 list.
Dead money if cut/retires/traded before his $7,000,000 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2019 League Year (March 17) = $5,000,000Corrected on March 16, 2019. Two million of Hightower's salary becomes fully guaranteed on March 17.
Marcus Cannon's 2019 cap information
Signed through 2021
Cap hit = $7,550,000
Cash = $7,875,000
Gross cap savings = $6.15 million
Net savings = $4,255,000 since it is likely a player with a $495,000 salary will replace Cannon on the Top 51 list.
Dead money if cut/retires/traded before June 2 = $2,800,000
Adrian Clayborn's 2019 cap information
Signed through 2019
Cap hit = $6 million
Cash = $4 million
Gross cap savings = $4 million
Net savings = $3,505,000 since it is likely a player with a $495,000 salary will replace Clayborn on the Top 51 list.
Dead money if cut/retires/traded = $3,935,000
Patrick Chung's 2019 cap information
Signed through 2020
Cap hit = $4.2 million
Cash = $3 million
Gross cap savings = $1.8 million
Net savings = $1,305,000 since it is likely a player with a $495,000 salary will replace Chung on the Top 51 list.
Dead money if cut/retires/traded before June 2= $3,935,000
My guess as of today is that McCourty and Hightower will be asked to take pay cuts and that Clayborn will be released. I reserve the right to change my mind based on what happens the rest of the season.
Question from BSJ subscriber cyberkarl during Chris' Q&A Twitter: Idea for a piece by Miguel (or maybe he’s done it): How is it we have no cap room find immediate help and no true cap hogs? When I see a team that has to rely on Patterson as a 4th WR (assume Edelman is back), I wonder where all the money went and why we can’t keep people like Cooks or Dola. My guess: we pay middle of the pack people above average and we have relatively few productive players on cheap rookie deals.
Answer: The Patriots believe in a strong middle class and having a roster that is strong from the top all the way down to the practice squad. They have the second-most highest number of players with at least one million dollar cap hits. New England is also one of the few NFL teams that pay some of the practice squad players more than the minimum.[table id=146 /]
Question from Twitter follower Tylere: Apologies if you’ve answered this... who are players likely to have salaries converted to bonuses and how much cap space would it create? Not panicking yet but think this offseason is key
Answer: The below are the Patriots who are signed past the 2019 season who could have part of the salaries converted into signing bonus:
- Stephon Gilmore
- Dont'a Hightower
- Marcus Cannon
- Shaq Mason
- Duron Harmon
- Patrick Chung
- Lawrence Guy
- James White
- David Andrews
- Rex Burkhead
- James Develin
- Joe Cardona