Moderators: Eventually this should go into the NFL Forum, but since that doesn't get a lot of traffic, and it directly relates to discussions we had during FA about whom the Jets should sign for the OL and also the draft, about drafting Sewell and/or other OL early, I think this will get more discussion in the Jets' Forum. Thanks. This past spring a number of posters were advocating for drafting Sewell rather than Wilson or for signing more big ticket FA OL. I argued against that because of cap ramifications. This article clearly delineates the problems with having too much cap space tied up in the OL (not many $s are left for the QB and skill position players). It is likely that Douglas and the Jets may follow a similar path as the Colts. If so, I hope that it doesn't mean that if Moore and/or Carter become as good as we think they will be that we eventually wind up having to trade them or let them walk in FA. WARNING: THIS IS A LONG ARTICLE, BUT WELL WORTH THE TIME TO READ IT IMO. https://theathletic.com/2692427/202...will-raise-tough-questions/?source=dailyemail Colts’ rapidly increasing offensive line spending will raise tough questions By Stephen Holder 4h ago If you want to know where NFL teams’ priorities lie, it’s best to look at where they spend their money. Follow the money and you’ll come to learn a lot about a given team. Like the Colts, for instance. More than a quarter of Indianapolis’ 2021 salary-cap spending will be allocated not to quarterback, defensive line or wide receiver. No, that money will be directed to the Colts’ offensive line — and they wouldn’t have it any other way. And their offensive-line spending is likely to grow substantially very soon. The team is already working on an extension for right tackle Braden Smith that figures to make him one of the highest-paid players at his position. And about this time next year, it’s expected that left guard Quenton Nelson will reset the market for his position as he has already become one of the best players in the game, regardless of position. The Colts’ current offensive-line cap spending ranks third in the NFL, and the team likely will lead the league in that category by next year. That might be a bit jarring to Colts fans, especially when considering the team’s cap spending at receiver, running back, linebacker and defensive back is currently below the league average for those positions. So, I decided to examine this issue to see what we could learn. Above all, I tried to search for the elusive answer to this complicated question: Can a team spend too much on its offensive line (or any single position, for that matter)? The process Here are some relevant details on this exercise. First, I used salary-cap spending as the metric for this story. Cap numbers are just one way to view team spending. Others include annual average salaries or pure cash (not cap) spending. No method of examining spending is ideal and all result in a handful of skewed numbers. When it comes to salary-cap figures, you should know there are a variety of methods teams can employ to massage a player’s cap number. Take, for example, the 49ers’ Trent Williams. He will have a cap number of just $8.2 million in 2021 despite having signed a stunning $138 million contract earlier this year that averages $23 million. But San Francisco structured the deal using a method that will result in Williams’ cap value rising significantly in future years, including an eye-popping $33 million in 2026. But that kind of deal is definitely an outlier. Looking at cap figures does generally give a good representation of a team’s investment in a particular position. Most of the salary information in this story is according to spotrac.com and overthecap.com.
Very good but you didn't inform us of how many words it was and how long the average board member would take to read it. So gonna have to deduct some points for that. B+
The breakdown As previously stated, this is only something of a snapshot. But here’s every NFL team’s offensive-line spending in salary-cap dollars. Offensive line spending TEAM OL CAP SPEND HIGHEST CAP NUMBER Browns $53.4M Jack Conklin ($13M) Jaguars $52.7M Andrew Norwell ($15M) Colts $50.4M Ryan Kelly ($14.65M) Titans $46.7M Taylor Lewan ($13.4M) Eagles $46.6M Lane Johnson (17.85M) Washington $46.6M Brandon Scherff ($18M) Cardinals $42.2M D.J. Humphries ($19.93M) Jets $41.6M George Fant ($9.8M) Bills $40.8M Dion Dawkins ($11.38M) Buccaneers $38.1M Ali Marpet ($12.03M) Seahawks $36.4M Duane Brown ($13.29M) Cowboys $36.1M Zack Martin ($9.95M) Ravens $34.9M Ronnie Stanley ($15.25M) Raiders $34.8M Kolton Miller ($13.5M) 49ers $34.7M Trent Williams ($8.2M) Patriots $33.5M Shaquille Mason ($9.5M) Panthers $33.4M Taylor Moton ($13.8M) Lions $33.3M H. Vaitai ($10.4M) Texans $32.7M Laremy Tunsil ($9.3M) Saints $32.1M Terron Armstead ($8.3M) Giants $32M Nate Solder ($9.5M) Falcons $31.9M Jake Matthews ($12.3M) Bengals $31.2M Trey Hopkins ($6.6M) Chargers $30.7M Bryan Bulaga ($11.1M) Broncos $29.5M Graham Glasgow ($11.9M) Packers $28.7M David Bakhtiari ($11M) Chiefs $26.8M L. Duvernay-Tardif ($4.75M) Rams $25M Rob Havenstein ($8.3M) Bears $20.9M Cody Whitehair ($5.2M) Dolphins $19.9M Jesse Davis ($4.6M) Vikings $19.5M Garrett Bradbury ($3.5M) Steelers $16.9M Zach Banner ($2.9M) Look for the Colts to potentially top this list depending on whether they strike a deal with Smith and the structure of that deal. The details of the Colts’ offensive-line spending are revealing. Of the team’s top eight salary-cap figures, four are offensive linemen — center Ryan Kelly, Nelson, guard Mark Glowinski and left tackle Eric Fisher. Smith, a 2018 second-round draft pick, is further down the list. He’s scheduled to earn $2.433 million in base salary with a cap number of $3.261 million in 2021. You can expect both of those to increase if Smith gets a new deal. Contrast the Colts to a team like the Packers. Green Bay has one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL in terms of average salary, left tackle David Bakhtiari. But the Packers have offset that by paying next to nothing for the rest of their line. Right tackle Billy Turner averages $7 million in salary per year and has a cap number of $4.846 million this season. But the remaining starters count a combined $3.688 million against the cap for 2021.
The takeaways Ballard’s philosophy reflected: You don’t have to question what part of the roster the Colts value. They have made that exceedingly clear with their financial commitments and with their draft investment. General manager Chris Ballard said from the day he was hired that his focus would be on creating a team that was formidable in the trenches. He was specifically adamant about solidifying the offensive line. What you see now is the result. But drafting good players on the offensive line comes at an eventual cost. Kelly, who was drafted by Ballard’s predecessor, Ryan Grigson, was re-signed last year to a $50 million contract that made him the league’s highest-paid center at the time. Smith is now on deck, with Nelson still to come. And while this is still very hypothetical, the Colts have an eye on retaining Fisher, who is scheduled to become a free agent when his contract voids after the season. Assuming Fisher recovers well from his torn Achilles, that won’t be cheap. On a related note, it’s no coincidence the second-biggest area of cap investment for the Colts is the defensive line. That’s largely a result of All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner’s hefty $84 million contract — a deal the Colts are happily paying. It’s yet another reflection of Ballard’s unwavering focus on winning the line of scrimmage. Other positions affected: Whatever your view of the Colts’ allocation, here’s something that is inarguable: Every dollar the Colts spend on the offensive line is a dollar they cannot spend at receiver, cornerback or someplace else. The Colts’ investment in the offensive line has a clear impact on other areas of the roster. The Colts rank 17th in wide receiver spending against the salary cap, for example. Their spending in the secondary ranks 23rd against the cap. The Colts are 29th in spending against the cap at linebacker, though, to be fair, teams with 4-3 defenses will by nature spend less at that position and that ranking could likely rise when Darius Leonard gets an expected big extension. What the Colts are doing is very intentional. Ballard has always taken a passive approach to spending big at skill positions. There are just a handful of examples of him handing out significant contracts for offensive or defensive players on the perimeter. Given the choice, he will always spend his money closer to the line of scrimmage. When Ballard says he believes the Colts will win if they succeed in the trenches, he means it. The verdict So, back to the question posed earlier. Can a team spend too much on the offensive line? If you’re looking for a definitive answer, you won’t find one. The best we can determine is this: It doesn’t hurt. What have the Colts gotten for their money? One of the finest offensive lines in football in recent years. Indianapolis allowed 93 pressures and 21 sacks in 2020. Both marks were the second-fewest in the NFL last season. Trust me, the Colts are not complaining. And while this is hardly scientific, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the Browns, who top the list of offensive-line cap spending, also topped Pro Football Focus’ 2020 offensive-line rankings. Then there’s a team like the Jaguars, who rank second in offensive-line salary-cap dollars for 2021 but allowed a disappointing 44 sacks last season. Granted, judging sack numbers involves more than the offensive line. But that number seems difficult to explain for a team with Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell and Brandon Linder up front. Now, let’s look at the Dolphins. They might be one of the lowest spenders on offensive linemen, but the Dolphins sure do throw cash at their secondary. Miami has dedicated $52.2 million in 2021 salary-cap dollars to its defensive backfield — more than 26 percent of its cap spending for the coming season. It’s a huge commitment brought about by the rare collection of talent Miami has assembled in its secondary, including Byron Jones, Xavien Howard and Eric Rowe. By contrast, the Dolphins have a somewhat negligible investment in their offensive line: $19.9 million, the third-lowest salary-cap figure in the league. But is it a miscalculation by the Dolphins to spend richly at a spot where they have their best players? That would be a difficult argument to make. Perhaps it’s not about whether the Colts are spending too much on their offensive line. Instead, it might be more appropriate to ask what they’re getting for their money and whether they can live with the consequences of that concentrated spending. And, at least for now, the Colts are comfortable with those answers.
LOL You're too fast, my friend. You posted before I could even get the entire article posted. As you can see, I planned to put a warning at the top that it was long.
George 'MFing' Fant is our highest paid OL member, WOW. I think we should sack JD immediately for this monstrous error. Seriously though, they surely must have expected a lot more out of him last season that's for sure.
That's because he was signed/paid to play LT, but then we got Becton. He'll only be the highest paid for another year, two at the most.
If Becton progresses and AVT lives up to the hype, we'll have at least 2 highly paid OL in a few years. Considering how many of our 1st rounders didn't get a second contract with us, I wouldn't complain one bit if that happens.
So the Colts have been experimenting with operating on a 'we'll figure out the QB position later' mentality since Luck left and it's yielded solid enough results but nothing extremely fruitful. The mentality is that three-four players is better than one as it pertains to a big QB contract or a great offensive line. For whatever reason they have now punted on that and believe that going all in on Wentz will yield the Super Bowl appearance and win they're looking for. It's an interesting strategy and I think had they not kamikaze'd their own salary cap over the next couple years it might've worked out for sustaining success for them. There's positive and negatives to both strategies I think. I think the shortened top end window (11-5's to 13-3's) is better by staying away from the big QB contract and loading up on the rest of the team because you can pull 2017 Case Keenum's out of your ass here and there. It doesn't have the long term wide range of "success" that a Philip Rivers can have at a franchise where even when the teams talent is depressed they're still relatively in every game even if they go 7-9 up to 12-4 as he did in San Diego.
I know it’s popular to sign our best players… but when the time comes, I like the patriot way - trade for future draft picks
The Patriots don’t sign monster contracts. To your point. The NBA GOAT and the NFL GOAT have something in common… neither took the most they could from their team. Winning was more important and they knew money would come regardless… I hope Zach has that same train of thought when the time comes. Dream contract has 2 provisions: 1. Yearly salary = 15% of the salary cap 2. Highest paid player on the team
Jordan did his last two years and was the highest paid player but you are right otherwise. Jordan + Brady could see the forest for the trees - I won't have to worry about money for the rest of my life regardless, but if I become an elite winner, the money will offset through all the playoff bonuses, endorsements, etc.
One positive here is that the way the Jets value their positions due to the schemes they run might allow them to place a greater value on investing in both the OL and DL. On most teams CB is a premium position in a zone system CB is not a premium position and we can use CBs of lesser value. We don't need a Revis. We might be able to shift some of that CB money to OL. Our offense is predicated on running the ball, lateral movement by the OL and making everything the offense does look the same. This places a great emphasis on having quality mobile OL. As frugal as JD is and how he seems to like to push salary cap space outwards tells me that I would not worry about salary cap issues. If ZW become an all pro and wants 50 million a year in 4 years then that might be an issue. But. A good issue to have. Let's build a decent OL first and then if the players develop and we have to pay them worry about that problem down the road. We don't have many premium positions and I doubt cap space will be an issue until we have a QB we have to pay.I
I hate the Patriot and Steeler way. Maybe I'm a sentimental old fool, but if a player has been a great player for the Jets, I think he should be able to retire as a Jet. I absolutely hated that Klecko and Namath finished their careers elsewhere. I think Wesley Walker may have as well. There has to be a place for loyalty. They can let the lesser players who want too much money walk and end their careers elsewhere, but I Wilson, Becton, Moore, AVT, and Mims (as well as others) wind up being as good/great as I think they will be, I want them finishing their career as a Jet, not elsewhere.
The article proves in today's NFL a GM needs to mix and match for a position group. Especially the OL. It isn't wise to invest 5 first round picks for each OL position - eventually it will kill your cap ( assuming the team hits on all 5 picks ) and then eventually a team has to pick and choose who to keep messing up the synchrony. Look at the Cowboys with all of those high picks on the OL. It has killed their ability to shore up their defense therefore they haven't advanced past a divisional round playoff game..... JD and the Jets appear to be rebuilding the OL the right way. 2 high picks to augment FA signings and lower round picks. An all-pro at every single position is just impossible in order to balance the salary cap.
You may hate their way but they're 2 of the winningest franchises in NFL history. Being an Professional athlete is a job more than ever; Its not a marriage. (Although many marriages don’t last forever either)
Thanks for the article NC. It seems pretty clear that JD thinks the same way Ballard does about the game being won in the trenches. But I also think he realizes you need to have weapons that can take advantage of your great (hopefully) OL. I really like how Douglas is doing things so far.
the colts traded a second round pick for wentz, i wouldnt consider that going all in ... and even after extensions for smith and nelson, they will be among the league leaders is cap space next year so i dont see how they kamikaze'd their cap
You're right - they didn't. I thought they needed to absorb more of his contract than they did. But they are relatively locked in to him for 2-3 years so it's somewhat boom or bust. I do think he'll rebound though. I don't think he was the only problem in Philly. That roster was old and that locker room was sour about Foles leaving and what not.
