NFL salary caps to have major fantasy impact

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NFL salary caps to have major fantasy impact

The offseason is in full swing and anyone with a keyboard and an inkling of interest in the NFL has seemingly put guys like and on about 40 of the league's 32 teams. I mean seriously, landing spot speculations are competing with #DamnDaniel retweets right now. But trying to figure out where Forte, or any notable offensive free agent for that matter, will go is about as easy as trying to make a shot on a mini hoop while sitting on a kayak in choppy waters; there's a lot of moving parts.For any player to connect with a team that team must not only have a need for his position, but also have the nece sary salary cap space. Sounds pretty simple in concept but extremely tricky in practice.I set out to analyze every single team's cap situation in order to give you a realistic look at the chances your favorite team has of signing a marquee offensive free agent. Huge task, and as a result Baby Koh's diaper hasn't been changed since the Reagan Administration. C'est la vie. That's life kid.We'll start by looking at your top free agent running backs in a very rough-ish order of how I rank them with their age and official status. (UFA = unrestricted free agent, RFA = restricted free agent) , age 27, UFA, age 24, UFA, age 30, UFA, age 27, UFA, age 27, UFA, age 27, UFA, age 25, RFA, age 24, UFA, age 30, UFA, age 29, UFA, age 30, UFAOther notable FAs:, age 30, UFA, age 29, UFA, age 29, UFAIn terms of wide receivers, received the franchise tag from the , so he's not going anywhere.Of the rest, there are not that many sexy names. is probably the one guy I get the most excited about. If given the opportunity in the right system and with the right quarterback he could pop off 1,200 yards and seven or eight scores. Again, nothing too, too sexy. But here's the list for those of you so inclined., age 25, UFA, age 26, RFA, age 26, UFA, age 26, UFA, age 26, UFA, age 27, UFA, age 24, RFA, age 31, UFAI'll pound out all 32 teams in a second but if you want the Cliff's Notes version (do they still make those? Whatever, if they don't, Google it) here you go: will likely be back with Tampa Bay. It's not certain, but I'd be stunned if Martin walks out the door. could be a Bronco or a Packer come next season and it's not a stretch for either team to sign him to a reasonable one- or two-year deal. If anyone is going to make a big-time run at a free agent running back it will either be Tenne see or Houston. Both have a healthy amount of cap space and nothing terribly exciting on their respective rosters at running back. I can easily see ending up in either of those locales. The won't sign a free agent back to any kind of significant money. Neither will the or the . Keyboard warriors, stop and breathe. Look at the numbers below, they're not going to do it.Ok, if you haven't left yet, remember we're talking about the NFL salary cap here and cap math is funnier than Common Core. The numbers will change DRAMATICALLY once players are cut or retire (cough, PeytonManning, cough).All the data is current as of February 29 and courtesy of the fine folks at Spotrac.com and OverTheCap.com who do a tremendous job of compiling salary information. The figures are estimates. Very, very, very good estimates but estimates nonethele s.So you'll see the team, their estimated cap figure and I've listed some notable offensive skill-position guys that paint a rough picture of what a team may or may not need on offense. Finally, we're talking offense obviously, but you can't consider cap figures without at least mentioning defensive players that are also due to eat a bunch of cap space (thus impacting the potential signings of offensive players). So here you go:Jacksonville Jaguars - $82-83 millionRB:, WR:, TE:Analysis: The Jags have a huge amount of cap space and only have and po sibly (7.5 sacks in 2014) to worry about re-signing for any kind of significant money. That being said this team needs to shore up their offensive line in a big way and because their core nucleus is so young, I don't expect them to make any splashy free agent signings on offense.Oakland Raiders - $60-65 millionRB:WR:, Analysis: Most of the ' money will be spent shoring up their offensive line and their defense, which was one of the 10 worst in terms of yards and points allowed. Again, as we saw with Jacksonville, teams normally only have this kind of cap space when their offensive core is so young and operating on rookie contracts (read: , , ).Chicago Bears - $46 millionRB:, WR:, Analysis: A big chunk of the ' cap was eaten up by franchise tagging for more than $14.5 million. enters a contract year as well so it will be interesting to see if the team commits to him long term, or re-signs , who is a free agent. Regardle s, the team will have opposite Jeffery next season, meaning will e sentially have a trio of power forwards out there catching balls.At the running back spot, they just let go of for monetary reasons and played extremely well when given an extended opportunity. Don't expect any additions here.Los Angeles Rams - $44-45 millionRB:, WR:, Analysis: Offensively the team has Gurley... and that's about it. enters into a contract year, which makes him an interesting fantasy sleeper-ish guy for those of you who buy into that sort of thing.Key defensive players like , and are all entering contract years and I imagine the team will at least explore an extension (a HUGE one) this year as well instead of sitting back and waiting for next year. Cornerback was given the franchise tag, so he'll be making the move to Los Angeles with the team.The team needs an upgrade at quarterback but that generally has to come through the draft. They also need an upgrade at wide receiver where makes a lot of sense, but unle s they overpay I can't see him going here with so many other clubs likely to make competitive offers. All in all, don't expect any splashy signings. New York Giants - $57 millionRB:, WR:, Analysis: Jennings and Vereen count nearly $8 million against the salary cap next season combined and cutting them would save almost no money. So will New York invest more into this position? Probably not. The will likely look to pour money into the defensive side of the ball, a defense that gave up the MOST yards in the NFL and the third most points in 2015.Cruz is interesting because he is set to make about $10 million but cutting him would save the club about $6 million in cap space. Normally I would think he'd be cut but the team has a ton of cap space already, so I'm not sure. If they do cut Cruz, opposite Odell would look incredible. San Francisco 49ers - $62 millionRB:WR:Analysis: This team has needs. LOTS of them. It just happens to be that running back isn't one of them. You can expect the Niners to make a big push to get pa s catchers, because when is your No. 1 and your next best receivers are // ... you're in trouble.The free agent wide receiver group is pretty weak though and quite frankly with all the drama that has surrounded the Niners and their new head coach Chip Kelly, I can't imagine the Bay seems all that desirable a free agent destination.Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $53-57 millionRB:WR:, Analysis: It's fun to talk about in a fill in the blank jersey but given the team's cap flexibility, his age, his production and the roster, I would be extremely surprised if the Douggernaut isn't back in Tampa.Cutting makes a TON of financial sense, po sibly saving the team around $10 million in cap space, but I think the team will roll with V-Jax for one more year and see what's out there on the free agent market next year or addre s the position in the draft.Tenne see Titans - $47-49 millionRB:, WR:, , , Analysis: It's an unbelievably underwhelming group of runners they have in the Music City. Sankey looks like a ma sive flop, was battling injuries and his weight last year en route to a team low 2.8 yards per carry. Yet they make le s than $2 million combined, meaning if the team wants to get crazy in pursuing a nice young running back to help take some pre sure off of , they most certainly can. who is just 24 years old and hasn't had a lot of work in South Beach makes way too much sense here and I would expect the team to pursue him aggre sively.Cleveland Browns - $40-50 millionRB:, WR:Analysis: NFL Media's Rand Getlin reported that contract negotiations with have hit a wall and that Benjamin and his 966 receiving yards . and his outrageous $8 million contract for 2016 are all but gone. , aka "The Hartline Bling," was signed to a much more reasonable contract but Treveon Graham Jersey his time could be up as well since cutting him could save the team about $3 million in cap space. could be reinstated but his effectivene s will be in serious question after mi sing an entire season of football.The rewarded NFL LIVE darling with an extension, but the bottom line is that this team desperately needs pa s catchers in an offseason where there aren't too many big-time difference makers.Again, makes a LOT of sense here. He's familiar with Hue Jackson's system and if the team nabs a nice, young QB in the draft as they are expected to, an offense featuring Jared Goff/Carson Wentz, , , and is at the very least extremely intriguing.Cincinnati Bengals - $39 millionRB:, WR:Analysis: We've talked about but , 26, is also a free agent this year. Cincy will undoubtedly make a push to bring Jones back and will for sure be one of the front runners to sign his services. And the team signing a free-agent back is about as likely as Kimbo Slice and/or Dada 5000 running a marathon.Detroit Lions - $25-$34 millionRB:, WR:Analysis: appears set to walk away from the game and obviously you don't just go and replace that kind of talent. The wide receiver pools in both free agency and in the draft are not the greatest, so it'll be interesting to see what Detroit does to try and mitigate the lo s.Will they overpay to bring in a or ? Or will the team po sibly draft a guy like Laquon Treadwell who will almost a suredly be there at No. 16 when the draft? Either way, the team will do something to addre s wide receiver.The cut ties with which means Abdullah and The Chronicles of should form a clear cut 1-2 punch.Kansas City Chiefs - $18 millionRB:, , , WR:, , Analysis: Given 's skill set, actually makes a lot of sense here if they wanted to go with a free agent wideout. A bigger, po se sion type receiver would be good opposite Maclin. But it's MUCH more likely that the team stands pat with what they have at the skill positions and hope stays healthy.San Diego Chargers - $35-$36 millionRB:, WR:, Analysis: enters the final year of his rookie deal and the team will look to extend him. Both and are free agents and while it probably makes more sense to sign Green and let Gates walk ... how do you do that if you're the ??? Then again this is the same team that released LaDainian Tomlinson, so ... If the team wanted , they could make a serious run at him. Jones is from Los Angeles, would have a clear cut role with the team as a 1B receiver, a good quarterback in and he and have a good relationship going back to their Cal days.Houston Texans - $41-$43 millionRB:WR:, Analysis: Maybe even more than the , the are the strongest candidate to throw some serious cash at running backs. The team has cap space and could/should make a serious run at or . Should Denver make a surprising run at for one last championship push, would be suddenly available and a very interesting upside player for the at a reasonable cost.Atlanta Falcons - $24-27 millionRB:, WR:Analysis: You want to talk about bargains? Freeman and Coleman will cost the team about $1.5M COMBINED. Given Freeman's succe s and Coleman's lofty draft expectations, this team is set at running back. But the same is not true at wide receiver, where was basically asked to be a one-man wrecking crew. makes a lot of sense here, giving the a downfield threat that can alleviate pre sure off of Jones and the run game. That being said, his asking price may be too much considering contract talks were broken off between his camp and the .Philadelphia Eagles - $16 millionRB:, WR:, , Analysis: A lot of casual fans may believe that Murray could/should be cut, but the way his deal was structured makes absolutely no sense from a cap perspective for the team to part ways. Spotrac has Murray's dead money at $13 million, meaning even if the team were to cut Murray and save $7 million in real salary, it would offer no relief in terms of the cap. As a result, and his $3.5 million base salary could be the casualty here. Either way, the team is most certainly not in the market for another running back and probably won't pursue wide receiver free agents either given the makeup of youthful talent they need to evaluate in Philly.Indianapolis Colts - $24-29 millionRB:WR:, , Analysis: Gore is a machine, there's no doubt about it. Even at age 31, he was able to tote the rock 260 times (tied for the fourth-most carries in his career) for nearly 1,000 yards. That being said, he's 32 years old now and for the first time in his career had a YPC average of le s than 4.0, managing just 3.7 yards per carry in 2015. The team absolutely needs to get younger here and they may do just that in the draft. But a sneaky free agent move could be to pursue and see if a tandem of Foster and Gore could make both more effective in 2016. At worst, the would be looking at getting an extremely motivated Foster for two key divisional games against the next year. At best, Foster, with le s wear and tear on his body, regains form and helps stabilize a position the team has been trying to patch together for years now. The team gave Hilton a long-term commitment and they clearly like what Moncrief and Dorsett bring to the table. was a big time swing and mi s and he has already been cut. Minnesota Vikings - $23-26 millionRB:, WR:, , Analysis: could be a surprise cut given his enormous $11.5 million salary. There's no dead money at this point in his contract, either, increasing the chances of the team cutting him. What that means is that the could be a sneaky player this offseason with their cap space pushing $40 million. is entering a contract year and considering the level he's been playing at, don't be surprised to see an extension coming his way soon. Other than that the team doesn't have much in-house spending to do so expect them to be active in pursuing free agents everywhere except at the running back position.Seattle Seahawks - $20 millionRB:WR:, Analysis: Baldwin enters a contract year and given how he rampaged secondaries in the back half of 2015, it would make sense for the team to try and work out an extension this year. is a free agent, but it's po sible the team moves on so they can add some depth behind Rawls and of course re-sign their defensive veterans.I would be shocked if is back with the team next year given his cap charge, injury and the fact that it was a clear cut square-peg-round-hole problem in Seattle last year. He wasn't a good fit and the offense saw a huge boost once Graham was gone. Cutting Graham would save the 'Hawks $9 million in 2016 with no dead money. Money they desperately need to retain their defensive stars.From a free agent perspective, the team may make some minor moves offensively but I think they are comfortable with Rawls as a lead dog and with Baldwin and Lockett as their primary weapons at receiver.New York Jets - $7 millionRB:WR:, , Analysis: Both and are unrestricted free agents this offseason and neither was deemed worthy of franchise-tag money. The have a good coach in Todd Bowles, an offense with two plus-receivers and a scary-good defense. That's the kind of climate where running backs thrive. Who will be back there is anyone's gue s, though. The team franchised and could also spend money bringing back . That won't leave a ton of room to make a run at any free agent running backs, but actually makes a LOT of sense here. A rugged runner who can help salt away leads and obviously has experience playing in the division, Blount just turned 29 this past December and won't command a large contract.Green Bay Packers - $20-22 millionRB:WR:, , Analysis: All I want you to do is picture me chanting "Forte, Forte, Forte" to Drake and Future's Forte's likely too cla sy to say it but you know he'd be stoked to get back at the by chasing a ring with a divisional foe. Lacy enters a contract year but the way he has battled staying in shape (not withstanding round being a shape) the organization will undoubtedly have concerns committing long-term dollars to the Gouda Buddha, as some have um ... affectionately called him in Green Bay.The Pack don't have a ton of cap space but they also don't have huge needs and have nearly all of their key pieces in place and under contract for 2016. They can legitimately make a run at Forte, offer him a chunky two-year deal and not hurt their cap figure at all moving forward. This offense with ? Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, them boys up to something, WHOOOOOO. Sorry that was bad, I know.Carolina Panthers - $28-$29 millionRB:, , WR:, Jr., Analysis: The runners-up will have some cash to throw around even after is tagged, but given their "depth" (read: financial committments) at the offensive skill positions I don't see the team making any major roster upgrades on offense. Surprisingly, the were statistically one of the better units in the league, sixth in both total yards and points. Once comes back, he'll add some stability to the wide receiving corp, and the team still has self-admitted poor sport/football superstar back there wreaking havoc on defenses.Arizona Cardinals - $16 millionRB:, WR:, , Analysis: enters a contract year but it may not matter if size/speed freak continues to improve and builds upon a fantastic rookie campaign. enters a contract year as well, and I know we've been saying this for years now ... but really you guys, he appears to be the heir apparent to Fitz. And even if Larry takes a step back, the team is set at the position because they have approximately 83 good, small, fast receivers not named who all wear numbers in the 10s. Plus the Cards need to extend , meaning they ain't making moves on offense this offseason.Washington Redskins - $21 million**RB:, WR:Analysis: is a free agent meaning and are going to form a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield. Cutting would save the team $8 million in cap space making him a strong cut candidate.The team obviously needs to clear the decks after tagging and addre s the defensive side of the ball that was largely ineffective, giving up the fifth-most yards. The team already released , Dashon Golson, and , freeing up some much needed cap space. Denver Broncos - $9-11 millionRB:WR:, Analysis:The trickle-down effect of 's retirement on is obvious, but the impact could be felt truly in the running game with a restricted free agent and an unrestricted free agent. With Manning gone, it frees up cap space that was eaten up after franchise tagging . The team is geared to win now, with or without Peyton, which makes re-signing Osweiler (or acquiring a different, capable quarterback) a priority. If is serious about winning above all, could be a sneaky play here for the , especially since the team appears willing to risk losing Anderson after offering him a low tender.New England Patriots - $10-15 millionRB:WR:, TE:Analysis: Like everyone else, I think it's fun to say, "Wouldn't it be interesting to see insert high profile RB/WR in a Pats uni???" But guys ... it's not going to happen. , and are all entering contract years and I think the team is comfortable with what they have on the offensive side of the ball. Gronk is Gronk-ing, the combo of / is good enough and the team liked what they saw in so much they signed him to a multi-year deal in the middle of the season. is a free agent but I actually wouldn't be shocked to see him back in New England. The position has been devalued by teams acro s the league, the draft will provide at least three or four studs at the position and Blount made le s than $1 million last season. If the team can get him back for another one-year, low-cost deal, why not? Pittsburgh Steelers - $8-11 millionRB:, WR:, Needle s to say, but AFC's best offense (based on total yards) doesn't need to do much except keep everyone healthy. Lev Bell, and all mi sed time due to injury and then we saw and get bit by the injury monster in the postseason as well. Given their cap situation and their woeful secondary play last year (they were statistically the AFC's worst pa s defense) don't look for this team to add any pieces on the offensive side of the ball.Dallas Cowboys - $11-12 millionRB:WR:, , TE:Analysis: There's obviously not a lot of wiggle room but the offensive line has proven to be so good that it's impo sible not to think about the 'Boys signing , or . And quite frankly any one of those three in a Dallas uniform would push their fantasy stock into the early second round or even into the first if we see something electric in the preseason. But again ... it's not going to happen. was more than just serviceable; he racked up more than 1,400 total yards and boasted an extremely efficient 4.6 yards per carry average. The team's limited cap space will likely be spent on defense where they have some very hard decisions to make regarding their own free agents like and . Running back will almost a suredly be a position fortified through the draft. If is still there near the top of Round 2, Jerry Jones being the SEC guy that he is will take a long look at the mountainous Alabama back. Miami Dolphins - $20-27 millionRB:WR:, Analysis: The have quickly fixed what was a dire cap situation by cutting , and in recent weeks, but they're not out of the woods yet. Regardle s of what their cap number is once all the details are worked out, the big question, from both a real-life and fantasy perspective is whether will be back in South Beach next year. He's just 24 years old and sports a 4.6 YPC average over his four-year career, but for whatever reason the team never gave him a very large work load. He's only had more than 200 carries once and as a result has only had one season where he's run for more than 1,000 yards, with both benchmarks coming in 2014.If the team lets Miller go because of cost, obviously it would be extremely unlikely they add any high-priced offensive guys. The team has a nice young nucleus of pa s catchers anyways, so look for them to stand pat and hope Parker develops (SLEEPER ALERT!!!).Buffalo Bills - $10 millionRB:, WR:Analysis: The cap is a me s and the team has so many of their own players that are due extensions. which is part of the reason that was released. Regardle s, don't look for this team to be active signing free agents this year. New Orleans Saints - $10 millionRB:, WR:, Analysis: Don't look for the to be major players in the offseason, at least on offense. The team cut to free up some space but the disastrous signing will limit what they can do.Baltimore Ravens - $9-11 millionRB:, Buck AllenWR:, Analysis:, a restricted free agent, played pretty well last year given the team's horrendous slew of injuries. But will he be back given the team's cap situation? The will most likely addre s the wide receiver position in the draft and hope Perriman stays healthy and develops. Why wait? to get your 2016 NFL season started.James Koh is the host of NFL LIVE and a proud Cal Bear. Follow him on Twitter . Charlie Brown Jr. Jersey
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