Jason La Confora: Kruger looking for 9m/year...

[GOTA]

Good break down.

We also aren't sure of how the cap is going to look in 2014. Supposedly, the cap is supposed to increase at some point to reflect new revenue. (or so I thought).

What does change for the cap this year is that the cap floor begins. Those teams that haven't spent money like the Bucs and the Bengals are going to have to get up to the cap floor this year. That could mean that free agents in certain positions get a lot more money. We saw that last season with the bidding up of wide receiver contracts. I would expect that pass rushers, corners and tackles are all going to be more expensive in 2013 than they were in 2012.

[LukeDaniel]

What does change for the cap this year is that the cap floor begins. Those teams that haven't spent money like the Bucs and the Bengals are going to have to get up to the cap floor this year. That could mean that free agents in certain positions get a lot more money. We saw that last season with the bidding up of wide receiver contracts. I would expect that pass rushers, corners and tackles are all going to be more expensive in 2013 than they were in 2012.

Good point(s). I'm not sure if the Bucs are still in that cap poverty stage anymore with the contracts given out to Nicks, Jackson, and Wright last year, but I'm sure other teams are. I'm thinking the Browns might be big free agent players this year, provided they can convince anyone to want to play in Cleveland. Can you see Kruger lining up in Brown against Oher next year??? gulp

[RavensDomination]

1. NFL salary cap for 2013 is tentatively placed at or just under 121 million according to reports.

2. No way Boldin is coming back under his current contract, will have to renegotiate or be released.

3. Yanda, Suggs, Ngata, could restructure if we need it even though that could hurt us down the road.

4. Jacoby is definitely staying, Leach is probably staying.

5. Birk, Williams gone for sure.

Ravens could be headed for a (hopefully short) rebuilding stage starting next season.

[ursula]

Ravens could be headed for a (hopefully short) rebuilding stage starting next season.

Which will make this draft with our 11 picks a crucial one.

[LukeDaniel]

1.

Ravens could be headed for a (hopefully short) rebuilding stage starting next season.

Good post. I agree with most of what you say. I would argue that Jones at $4 million against the 2013 cap is really not that much more of a "deal" than Boldin against the cap for $6 million. Boldin is a more valuable player IMO and the two million more he costs is probably a better value to our franchise. I do agree that one of the two will be cut. If we cut Boldin, I think we might be able to re-sign him for a cheaper contract. If Jones is cut, he's going to get a 2-3 year offer elsewhere and would be gone.

I'm not sure the Ravens are going to be in rebuild mode at all. Even without Reed and Lewis, they still are loaded with talent. Out of Kruger, Ellerbe, C.Williams, Boldin, Jones, and Leach, we are likely going to retain at least 2, possibly 3-4 on that list.....or at a minimum, find players of similar talent via free agency. I think we can consider C. Williams a lost cause and try to find a way to retain 4 out of the other 5.

Ravor.....question....what would prevent us from adding a year onto the contract of Leach, Boldin, and Jones and then converting some of their 2013 salary into a bonus to be prorated between 2013 and 2014? For instance, Leach counts $4.33 against the 2013 cap ($3 million salary and $1.33 bonus). What's to say we don't give him a 1 year/$2.7 (with a $700k signing bonus) million extension for 2014 and then convert $2 million of his 2013 salary into a bonus. We could apply $1 million of that bonus to 2013 and $1 million to 2014. That would reduce his 2013 cap # to $3.33 million ($1 million base salary + $1.33 bonus from original contract+ $1 million restructuring). His 2014 cap # would be $3.7 ($2 million base+$700k signing bonus+ $1 million restructured amount). That would free up $1 million for our 2013 cap and secure a good player for another year. I'm sure Leach would be on board because he would not only pocket the $700k for signing the one year extension, but would also pocket a $2 million bonus right now, rather than waiting to collect in on a game-by-game basis next year.

Is this allowable under NFL salary cap rules?

[LukeDaniel]

Ravor---another example.

What if we were to offer Terrell Suggs a one-year extension for 2015 at $7.5 million. This would be delivered in the form of $5.7 base salary and $1.8 signing bonus. We then restructure his current 2013 salary by turning $4.2 of his $6.4 2013 base salary into a bonus and then distribute it evenly in increments of $1.4 million over 2013,14, and 15.

2013- Original cap # for Suggs was $13 million ($6.4 million, $6.6 bonus) New Cap # ($2.2 million salary, $8 million) $10.2 million

His 2014 cap # would go up $1.4 million from $12.4 to $13.8 ($7.8 salary+ $6 million bonus), however with a base salary of $7.8 million, there is even more room for another restructure.

His 2015 cap # would be $8.9 ($5.7+$3.2)

$7.5 might be a bit under market value for a player of Suggs' ability, but he will be 33 by the time 2015 rolls around and it's certainly not a unreasonably low amount.

Also, I don't think it would be hard for Sizzle to want to sign off on the extension, because it would bring him an immediate $6 million bonus ($1.8 million for extension + $4.2 for restructuring).

Most importantly, it would open up $2.8 against the 2013 cap, which is enough to bring in a nice free agent or to go a long ways to clearing room to resign Ellerbe/Kruger.

What do the rules say on doing something like this? Is it allowed?

[leachisabeast]

I love how people think we're going to be in re-build mode every year, and yet we still make the play offs one way or another. Ozzie's philosophy has kept us as competitive as the Patriots for years now, and I don't see things changing any time soon. We still have a lot of talent, especial on offense, and most of it is young talent. It's not as if we're an old team anymore. Guys like Ellerbe, Kruger, Flacco, Rice, Pierce, Webb, Yanda, KO, Torrey Smith, and Pitta have stepped up recently, and I see us remaining a competitive team even without Reed and Lewis. Leadership may be lost, but Ray Rice is a great leader, and we still have Ngata and Suggs. Until Ozzie stops finding gems every year like Corey Grahame, and starts drafting like AJ Smith, we wont be rebuilding any time soon. At worse, I see us going 9-7 just missing out on the play offs, but that is hardly a rebuilding year.

[RavensDomination]

Good post. I agree with most of what you say. I would argue that Jones at $4 million against the 2013 cap is really not that much more of a "deal" than Boldin against the cap for $6 million. Boldin is a more valuable player IMO and the two million more he costs is probably a better value to our franchise. I do agree that one of the two will be cut. If we cut Boldin, I think we might be able to re-sign him for a cheaper contract. If Jones is cut, he's going to get a 2-3 year offer elsewhere and would be gone.

The reason I feel Jacoby is a lock is because of his special teams ability. We really have struggled in the return department before his arrival. Regarding Boldin, he is getting older and the end is near. I think he will re-negotiate because he would probably have a hard time finding another starting job. I doubt the Ravens will flat out release him.

[Sirdowski]

The reason I feel Jacoby is a lock is because of his special teams ability. We really have struggled in the return department before his arrival. Regarding Boldin, he is getting older and the end is near. I think he will re-negotiate because he would probably have a hard time finding another starting job. I doubt the Ravens will flat out release him.

I think Deonte Thompson will be the reason Jacoby doesn't return.

[RavensDomination]

Which will make this draft with our 11 picks a crucial one.

Every draft is crucial, but this one, given our salary cap situation, is critical. We simply cannot afford another Sergio Kindle, or Terrence Cody. We need more of the Webb/Rice/Yanda type picks. If we have a solid draft we could avoid any major rebuilding for sure.

[RavensDomination]

I think Deonte Thompson will be the reason Jacoby doesn't return.

You could very well be right, but then again the Ravens would have to decide if they wanted to go with an unknown in Thompson or a proven commodity in Jones who could also catch a 70 yard TD in the playoffs rather than just be a return guy.

[blah3]

Kruger is a guy who gets his stats because of the system and is not a key player in making it work. He is certainly nowhere near a 9million guy. He's not even worth 7. The Ravens need to let him walk.

[bacchys]

Pass rushers always get paid. Some team is going to pay Kruger very big money and it won't be us since we just don't have the cap space. It will be interesting to see how he performs. As we all know Kruger started playing great once Suggs came back. If Kruger is the man, teams are going to double team him every time and take him away. He doesn't have the skills to be a teams only pass rusher even though he's going to get that kind of money.

This. If it comes down to Kruger or Ellerbe, I suspect Ozzie will pick Kruger. He's always highly valued these "tweeners"- DE/OLB guys, and finding effective pass rushers is harder than finding ILB's.

Hopefully it doesn't come down to a choice. I'd like to see them both back.

[blah3]

This. If it comes down to Kruger or Ellerbe, I suspect Ozzie will pick Kruger. He's always highly valued these "tweeners"- DE/OLB guys, and finding effective pass rushers is harder than finding ILB's.

Hopefully it doesn't come down to a choice. I'd like to see them both back.

You also need to look at who is already available to replace them with. It could be argued that Upshaw could be the next man up and replace and improve on Kruger.

[bacchys]

You also need to look at who is already available to replace them with. It could be argued that Upshaw could be the next man up and replace and improve on Kruger.

Could be, especially if Newsome thinks we'll have the old Suggs back- and I don't know why he wouldn't.

Upshaw is the replacement (long term) to Johnson. He's not really a pass rush guy. He's stout against the run and can bring some pressure on the QB. Kruger hasn't shown the run D skill set that JJ developed and Upshaw seems to have. So it might well depend on how Ozzie sees the value Kruger brings versus Ellerbe.

But Ozzie has had a fetish for these kinds of guys since Bouleware. It hasn't been just Suggs. Remember Dan Cody? He was another Bouleware-type tweener who never made the field. Oz is always looking for Bouleware...every draft it seems.

[LukeDaniel]

Kruger is a guy who gets his stats because of the system and is not a key player in making it work. He is certainly nowhere near a 9million guy. He's not even worth 7. The Ravens need to let him walk.

Kruger will probably start off wanting $54 over 6. Ravens will probably start off offering $24 over 5. If a common ground can be found in the 5yr/32 or 6 yr/36 million range, I think it could happen. I'm nervous about giving him 6 years though. It really comes down to the amount of the signing bonus, though, far more than the actual contract value. The Ravens always seem to be very competitive in terms of signing bonuses, even if they don't go as nuts as other franchises in terms of contract length. Given this factor, I think there's hope. Kruger is such an enigma. He was largely invisible his first two years, had some isolated flashes of great play last year, and has been a world-beater the last dozen games. He's, without any debate, been the best Raven player since about week 4-5 this year.

[Bigfish]

If Kruger can get 9 million then he would be foolish not to grab the money and run. Considering his body of work he's not worth that. I agree with a lot of you, 5 to 6 million max would be fair market. I'd like to see him back at the right price.

With the salary cap you can't fill your roster with just higher priced veterans. Players on their rookie contracts is inexpensive production so we need draft picks who are ready to play. KO has been a great pic for us this year. To me, Krueger is a model to be avoided in the future. Develop a rookie for several years, increase his price by playing him at the end of his rookie then let him go because he's too expensive.

[pslholder96]

If the Ravens win the Superbowl this year then all that is left for Kruger is a chance to make big money and be an every down player elsewhere. Superbowl champions will look good on his resume and even more so if he plays lights out on the big stage. He might very well be satisfied with getting his first and only ring. You never know because some players are built that way.

[Volse11]

I don't see how they are going to keep him for that. I don't blame him, but it is too bad he has to go. Great player...

[bensmotorcyclehelmt]

Kruger is good. But that's an awful lot.
Depends on what Ozzie and co. think of Hamilton etc.

I'm kinda curious what happens with Boldin.