The Cap Minimum/Floor thing

[membengal]

Doesn't apply to individual teams for 2011. It is a league-wide (total) requirement.

So, no, Bengals don't have to spend up to 99% of the cap this year. That apparently doesn't kick in - per team - until 2013.

Forced spending will not be so much an issue then.

For what it's worth.

[HoosierCat]

Yeah, the 99% number is a league-wide aggregate. However, my understanding is that there's a salary floor of 89% of the cap (a little higher than the old floor of 86%) for individual teams. That would be around $108 million.

[membengal]

Hoosier, not for this year I don't think. That is per reedy on mcalister's show earlier. Teams apparently have an exemption this year that allows them to go up to three million over the cap for this season. If five or six teams do, then bengals can be, say, up to $20 million or so under still and not have to kick anything in toward league-wide 99% total.

Parenthetically, that ia another reason palmer doesn't have much leverage. If he tries to show up in week 10, Bengals will easily be able to shoulder his cap number.

[HoosierCat]

I've seen conflicting reports as well. I think part of the trouble is that there's two things going on at once: the salary cap/floor and the cash spending minimums/maximums.

Again, this is just as I understand it from picking through all the CBA stories, but for purposes of cash spending, what teams actually spend this year is what counts toward that 99% cash commitment. So for example, the $12 million bonus the Bengals gave to Green counts as $12 million in cash spending toward that 99%. But for cap purposes, it can be amortized in $3 million chunks over the four years of his deal.

Of course, knowing the Bengals, they will go ahead and accelerate the amortization so they take the full $12 million cap hit in 2011. That way, they can get to the cap floor quickest and with the least possible actual spending (a.k.a. "pay as you go"). Richer teams will amortize bonuses over years so they can spend more.

If this is wrong, I'm happy to be corrected.

[HairOnFire]

Parenthetically, that ia another reason palmer doesn't have much leverage. If he tries to show up in week 10, Bengals will easily be able to shoulder his cap number.

Told ya'. Or rather, I told you what LaCanfora said weeks ago. That Palmer has no leverage and all of the scenarios based upon him suddenly reporting and forcing the Bengals hand were based upon small piles of shid.

BTW, Jordon Palmer told Steve Wyche just today that his brother is...(wait for it)...."a man of his word" who has no intention whatsoever of reporting now or later this season with the intent of forcing the Bengals hand. Wyche went on to say that he's spoken with the Bengals and now believes they have no plans to dump Jordan Palmer.