Skins' Cap Problems

Here’s Peter King’s report on the Redskins’ looming problems with the ’08 salary cap. Keep in mind, this was written before Sean Taylor’s death. The Skins will take a $2.5 million hit next year on Taylor’s pro-rated signing bonus. Incredibly, I read an article in the Washington Post which suggested not that the league could step in and void that salary cap hit given the extraordinary circumstances, but that the Redskins could try to eliminate the damage by trying to recoup the $2.5 million from Taylor’s estate. In other words, take the money from Taylor’s 18 month-old daughter.

 

Of course, not even Dan Snyder would do such a thing. Still, I am surprised that the league wouldn’t step in – and perhaps the Skins could petition the Commish - but I suppose there was a precedent set with the untimely deaths of other players in the past that must be adhered to.

 

Writes King, “There is only one team with less than $5 million in 2008 cap room left as we stand right now, and that team, to no one's surprise, is Washington. It would be understandable if the 'Skins were a few bucks north or south of the $116-million cap figure for 2008, but the Redskins are miles away from that. They are $19.5 million OVER the 2008 cap as we sit here this morning. That means they're $25 million worse-off than any team in the NFL entering the offseason.

 

Some of this can be cosmetically addressed, like converting a sizable roster bonus due to tight end Chris Cooley in 2008, which would be payable all in 2008, to a signing bonus, which would pro-rate it over the life of his contract. That's fine, except all that does is continually push more and more financial obligation into the future. There's significant dead weight on this cap. If they choose to cut unimportant wideout Brandon Lloyd, that would cost them $7.1 million in cap charges on the '08 ledger.”