Bengals 1# In Cap Space

[TJJackson]

Okoye coming in tomorrow for a visit.

Get that done for at least a 2-4 year deal and I will be happy with the DT spot.

They really need to focus on the FA's coming up, but in looking at that list in the other thread, there are at least 10-12 players I wouldn't care one way or another about.

Peko, Sims, Hayden, Atkins, Okoye.... looking good to me at this point.

Hayden is basically a scrub and Okoye hasn't even visited yet, much less put ink to paper

will they even keep more than 4 DTs? If so, if Okoye signs, I'd imagine Hayden is out - possibly PS eligible?

[ArmyBengal]

Hayden is a nobody when I look at our rotation SHOULD we get Okoye signed.

He is in fact coming in tomorrow for a visit.

As far as cap space, i'm with Derek in that it doesn't matter the month as long as they get it done.

[Sea Ray]

Everyone has to sign rookies yet we're still #1 in cap space. Does anyone doubt that we'll still be at the top of the league in cap space come Sept?

I'm not worried about September. The salary cap applies during the whole season. Leon Hall and Whitworth didn't sign extensions until September.

As long as the money gets used, who cares what month it is? I'm looking for several extensions to take place this year and I'm holding my outrage, because there is still plenty of time for the cap space to be used.

If the cap space doesn't get used by the end of the season, and Mike Brown pockets the cash... then there will be plenty of reason to be angry. Right now, fans are just angry because money didn't get spent the way they wanted it to as armchair GMs. But I think that's a silly reaction to have given the number of extensions that need to be taken care of asap.

That's my point. Mike Brown generally ends the year as he begins it: among the league leaders in salcap space. My guess is that will be the case this yr as well

[HoosierCat]

If the cap space doesn't get used by the end of the season, and Mike Brown pockets the cash... then there will be plenty of reason to be angry. Right now, fans are just angry because money didn't get spent the way they wanted it to as armchair GMs. But I think that's a silly reaction to have given the number of extensions that need to be taken care of asap.

Obviously, no one is going to complain about extending key players. However, I think it may prove more difficult than usual (and not just for the Bengals) because of the expected cap leap in 2014 when the new TV money hits.

Any player who is scheduled to hit the market next March isn't going to be in a hurry to sign an extension unless his team makes him a blockbuster offer. That's usually been true in the past, and it's also true that the Bengals have rarely been willing to extend those sort of deals. But right now I think that's true of guys who are going to hit free agency in March 2014 as well because they will be hoping to score big once the cap jumps.

In short, if the space doesn't get used before the end of the league year, I won't be surprised. It takes two to tango and I'm not sure that the Bengals will find too many dance partners.

[derekshank]

Any player who is scheduled to hit the market next March isn't going to be in a hurry to sign an extension unless his team makes him a blockbuster offer.

We'll see. But players are well aware that playing out their rookie contract is a risky proposition.

They can look at Jonathan Joseph and hope that a top-tier contract is waiting for them... or they can look at Leon Hall and see how happy he probably is that he signed that extension a year earlier than he had to.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Obviously, no one is going to complain about extending key players. However, I think it may prove more difficult than usual (and not just for the Bengals) because of the expected cap leap in 2014 when the new TV money hits.

Bob Kraft seems to think that 'jump' will be more of a phase-in over years. Do the players really think the coffers will spring forth with gold?

[derekshank]

Cap Update

Bengals #3 in Cap Space.

Signing the draft picks ($6.88 million) should bring the cap space to roughly $12.2 million (Not as much space as I expected. Already less than the $15 million that was carried over from last season).

So with that $12 million, I think it is important to get some of the guys in the last year of their contracts (Thomas Howard, Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga, Michael Johnson, Mike Nugent) extended. Not to mention guys who have earned pay increases over their rookie contracts (Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap). And who knows... the Bengals might still bring in another FA or two (Matt Roth?).

They probably won't be able to get all of that done... but I'd like to see a real effort to get as many as possible locked up beyond 2013.

[Sea Ray]

In reality they likely have even more cap space as I'm sure a veteran or two will be cut before Opening Day

[derekshank]

In reality they likely have even more cap space as I'm sure a veteran or two will be cut before Opening Day

True enough. But I wouldn't look for that to add a significant amount of space. There aren't very many highly paid veterans on the team that are at risk of being cut. Robert Geathers is really the only one that I can think of (scheduled to make $4.2 million), and even he isn't at much risk to be cut unless the Bengals go out and sign someone like Matt Roth (who wouldn't probably be significantly cheaper).

The guys who are really at risk to be cut (like Terrance Newman and Brandon Tate) are scheduled to make significantly less than $1 million/year.

[ArmyBengal]

I really am hopeful they can get some of this done.