Cap Gymnastics

The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the most salary cap-savvy teams in the NFL under the expertise of personnel chief Howie Roseman. But a recent arbitration ruling on collusion over guaranteed contracts puts the future of cap maneuvering into question.

On the latest episode of “Inside The Birds,” Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan explained the recent ruling and how NFL owners may reconsider ways to manage the cap as a result. 

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles GM Howie Roseman has been one of the best in the league at managing the cap with limited room for guaranteed salaries.

Collusion Ruling

Geoff Mosher: “This arbitrator found that the NFL encouraged teams to not give out guaranteed contracts. However, at the same time, the arbitrator ruled that despite the encouragement, there was not evidence to conclude that the NFL owners did in fact collude. There was an attempt at coercion, but in the end, there was not enough evidence of it.”

Salary Cap

Mosher: “When the salary cap went down coming out of Covid, smart and crafty teams started to do things that you see the Eagles do routinely now, which is take non-guaranteed money and turn it into guaranteed cash. It is a form of giving non-guaranteed money and turning it into guaranteed money. Part of the concern from the NFL management council was that there was too much guaranteed money starting to be given to contracts and that was opening a door into the slippery slope for the future…This thought process is a threat to how the Eagles do business.”

Adam Caplan: “Let’s say we get to 2028 and they’re doing a five-year deal…the best players are now getting three years guaranteed. Let’s say the fourth year that deal is after the CBA expires. That becomes a slippery slope because how are you going to structure that deal?”

Guaranteed Money

Caplan: “The reason why clubs, the commissioner and others are worried about the fully guaranteed money is because of the injury factor. If guys are not available, they don’t want to be on the hook for future cash.”

Roger Goodell

Mosher: “When Roger Goodell wants something, he typically tends to get it. When he’s already sowing the seeds of salary cap inauthenticity, he’s sowing the seeds for a reason. I don’t think it’s going to take a whole lot to convince owners to come together in a non-collusive way to make sure that the cap is not maneuvered the same way now and there’s more integrity.”

Caplan: “It’s the haves and haves-nots. The Colts and the Bengals are not cash rich teams. The Eagles are a cash rich team. The clubs that have a lot of money, it’s not their fault, but this is the disparity.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.