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BACK in March I reported that the Eagles would face major salary cap woes in 2015. My assessment was echoed two days later by CSN columnist Rueben Frank. It was a simple process of first looking at the 2015 salary structures for the Eagles roster, then adding up everything everyone was making, and finally subtracting that number from the projected 2015 salary cap.
Put bluntly, this was extremely basic stuff. The Bottom Line is that there is going to be some major belt tightening coming up.
So today I come across an article by Jimmy Kempski, talking about the Eagles rolling over $20M from this year’s cap into next years cap. This is all fine and dandy and sounds like it’ll be a huge help toward next years problem. Except for two things.
1) NFL teams are REQUIRED to spend a minimum of 89% of the salary cap. PLAIN ENGLISH: This year the cap is set at $133M. The Eagles must spend at least $118.37M. That leaves a rollover maximum of $14.63M, not $20M.
2) This years rookie class must still be signed. If this team takes say…a WR, his salary will top out at more than the salary of a G would. PLAIN ENGLISH: This year the Eagles will be picking more expensive positions (OLB, WR, S) than they did last year (OT, TE, NT).
The Eagles have about $6M in space left between their current 20 and the maximum of 14 that they’d be allowed under the CBA. And that’s if they don’t run across a group of rookies looking to make larger bank than last years class, which topped out at about $6M.
We have lot to brace for in 2015. Better to take off the rose tinted glasses now and be ready, than to lie to yourself and be shocked by what comes later.
And make no mistake: It IS coming.
