Salary Cap - Pick your 5 guys

[CrashDavisSports]

After Beckhams deal, not sure how teams are going to be able to keep their core intact still. I know the cap keeps rising, but with Beckham getting nearly 20 million a year as a WR, and getting 65 million in guarantees...it just boosted the WR market with AJ Green set to hit it after next season. Granted, Beckham is younger.

Then you have Aaron Donald working towards 20 million a year as a DT.

Le'Veon Bell working towards 17 - 18 million per for a RB.

QB's now making 30 million per.

Von Miller now making 20 million a year as a LB.

You can maybe keep about 5 stars on your team, and the rest have to be filler players, guys working off rookie contracts, etc.

With this said, who are our 5 guys in your opinion?

Mine...

QB Andy Dalton
WR AJ Green
DE Carlos Dunlap
DT Geno Atkins
DE/LB Carl Lawson

I am kind of torn here, because my 6th man would be William Jackson, and based off age he might be a better option at this point than Dunlap, but damn, you have to keep some franchise players around, especially guys that are on the verge of becoming HOF'ers, especially since we have like 1 in our franchise history.

3 of those guys are on their way to becoming HOF'ers (Dunlap, Atkins, Green) right now, and I think it is important to hold on to those icons especially while they are still producing.

 

[cincygrad]

Jackson is much more valuable than Dunlap.... And possibly even Atkins. I'm basing this on his age and potential going forward. As good as Atkins is at his job, I can't see him being as dominant 3 seasons from now as he is now. Father time is undefeated and I can't think of a dominant DT that continued that way into their mid-thirties.

 

[cincygrad]

Oh, and keeping guys around just because they are franchise HOF type players is the same line of thinking that sunk the Reds with guys like Barry Larkin. Right?

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Oh, and keeping guys around just because they are franchise HOF type players is the same line of thinking that sunk the Reds with guys like Barry Larkin. Right?

So who ultimately wound up replacing Larkin that produced as he did at SS? Who did they let go bye bye because they rather of kept Larkin? You are going to have a very hard battle here with me trying to prove to me that Larkin wasn't worth the money or the position. I mean hell, he made the All-Star team at the age of 40.

I can see about Jackson. I told you he was my bubble player. However, I still have a tough time giving a CB 20 million, as the opposing offense just throws to the other side of the field. You can't take a DT or DE out of the game plan without throwing 3 guys on them and keeping guys in instead of spreading your offense out.

Atkins in my opinion is the best in the game at his position, so even as father time takes over little by little, he will still be an average to above average DT when his next contract expires. That is all you can ask of your star as they enter their 30's.

If you are only willing to give younger guys big multi-year contracts, then we shouldn't be signing AJ Green, Dunlap or Atkins. That would certainly make this offseason a lot easier on management if they feel the same way.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Question on the cap...

You think you can give a guy a lesser contract overall if you make the whole thing guaranteed? Are you able to still give the guarantee in the way of salary per year basis, but if he was to get cut or hurt the whole rest of the unpaid guarantees kick in for that player and the team cap hit?

Example:

Give Atkins 5 years / 65 million (100% guaranteed)

2019 - $15 million
2020 - $14 million
2021 - $13 million
2022 - $12 million
2023 - $11 million

There is absolutely NO WAY he can't receive every single penny of that contract no matter what happens. However, will the league allow you to pay a guy a complete guaranteed contract over 5 years like that with no signing bonus for the structured cap?

This is a risk for both parties because the player is giving up top end dollar above guarantees. The ownership is guaranteeing that they have to fulfill the entire contract.

Plus, since Atkins is on that side of 30 now, a structured pay scale that pays him more during his more productive years and decreases a little each year as "father time" begins to make himself known.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

In what universe is Carlos Dunlap a HOFer?

Also lol at not keeping WJ3. He’s a shutdown corner. He takes away an entire side of the field. If the Bengals don’t keep him then I don’t wanna hear another peep about how CB is a premium position when they take 4 more of them in the 1st round.

 

[cincygrad]

So who ultimately wound up replacing Larkin that produced as he did at SS? Who did they let go bye bye because they rather of kept Larkin? You are going to have a very hard battle here with me trying to prove to me that Larkin wasn't worth the money or the position. I mean hell, he made the All-Star team at the age of 40.

I can see about Jackson. I told you he was my bubble player. However, I still have a tough time giving a CB 20 million, as the opposing offense just throws to the other side of the field. You can't take a DT or DE out of the game plan without throwing 3 guys on them and keeping guys in instead of spreading your offense out.

Atkins in my opinion is the best in the game at his position, so even as father time takes over little by little, he will still be an average to above average DT when his next contract expires. That is all you can ask of your star as they enter their 30's.

If you are only willing to give younger guys big multi-year contracts, then we shouldn't be signing AJ Green, Dunlap or Atkins. That would certainly make this offseason a lot easier on management if they feel the same way.

You mean, if I'm willing to function more like the Patriots and Steelers? Sure. Age HAS to be a factor when cutting these huge deals. Atkins best days are behind him. You can't pay him for past productivity.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Larkin was making 9 million in his final season and was an all-star SS during that time. Not sure how that was going to bust the team to have a leader, all-star at a premium position out there at 9 million.

Carlos Dunlap is still just 29 years old, right, or am I wrong on that? He already has around 65 sacks. He stays on the current pace until he is 35 and the dude will have close to 100 sacks. Not saying he is going to continue that trend, but I would have to say that near 100 sack career should get you consideration for the HOF.

I agree about William Jackson, but I would like to see more than a partial year of coverage before declaring him a necessity. I guess same could be said about Lawson, but I think pass rusher is a more premium position. That is just me.

So I guess you guys are on board for not keeping Dunlap nor Atkins. Justified for the sake of younger guys who do not have contracts ready to be renewed.

Once again, I asked the question, what 5 do you keep as your franchise?