Recently, Pro Football 24×7 was able to obtain updated Salary Cap information. Based on this new information, the Ravens presently stand $4.342M under the Salary Cap.
Since the last update, the following events have occurred:
1. The restructure of Samari Rolle’s contract:
At the time of the last update, the ramifications of Rolle’s restructure were unknown. The new information obtained by Pro Football 24×7 indicates that Rolle’s base salary of $3.9M was reduced by $2.5M and in return, Rolle received a $500K roster bonus that will count against this year’s Cap. As such, the Ravens have created $2M in Cap space with this restructure. While Rolle indicated in an interview that he would be able to make the $2M back if he stayed healthy and played, it appears that may not be the case. Based on the information obtained by Pro Football 24×7, it does not appear that Rolle had any incentives added to his deal.
2. The signing of Cornerback, Frank Walker:
Reports indicate that Walker’s deal included a $1.25M bonus and that he would make $1.9M in the first year of his deal. Based on those reports, Walker’s 2008 Cap number will be $1.255M.
3. The re-signing of Linebacker, Nick Greisen:
Greisen received a 3-year deal with a reported signing bonus of $1M. Assuming veteran minimum salary for 2008, Greisen’s Cap number will be $938M.
4. Willis McGahee’s 2009 Option exercised:
The Ravens apparently decided to exercise a 2009 option bonus on Willis McGahee’s contract a year early. As such, $250K was added to this year’s Cap.
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Disclaimer: Collecting Salary Cap data is truly an inexact science. It is especially so for a team like the Ravens, who rarely give out any contract details. As such, it is left to Pro Football 24×7 to obtain the details of contracts from various local media sources and football-related websites (ESPN, KFFL, NFLPA, USAToday, Scout.com, etc.).