Money is the Key

[Harry]

The biggest job Keim has this off-season is not as simple as FA vs. the draft. Before anything good happens the Cards have to restructure their cap. The Cards face a massive number of key free agents with a minimal amount of flexible money. They will have to choose their FAs carefully if they want to contend next season. There are a few key contracts that can be restructured. They will need to select draftees who deliver useful, immediate productivity. They must avoid draftee projects. This will, in many ways, be the most challenging off-season Keim will face. All this is with major questions about the coaching staff and the Cards franchise QB.

There have been numerous questions about Keim himself. Those questions will get dramatically answered in the next few months. It would seem the odds are stacked against Keim. With it appearing 2 of the Cards’ West competitors may change QBs. There will be opportunity to move well beyond both. Keim will have to move swiftly and decisively to take advantage. Keim is walking a tightrope with a high level of potential disaster. This will either be his finest moment or his final moments. There is very little middle ground left to him.

 

[az jam]

I feel that they can manage the cap to free enough money to resign some key players like TE Ertz & RB Connors. The key will be what other free agents will they sign and also the draft. I have more confidence in Keim getting decent free agents than his draft picks which have been awful. I think they should sign Kyler to a long term contract and concentrate on building the offense around him.

 

[BritCard]

I read somewhere they can restructure something like a max of $80m if they went nuts, but that a reasonable number would be around $40m.

$40m would be more than enough when you factor in backloading deals.

The problem is, it just kicks the can down the road. Every time you restructure it makes it harder again the next year.

Edit, here it is (How are the Giants $25m over the cap with a rookie deal QB and garbage roster?)

Team	Effective Cap Space ▾		Simple Restructure	Possible Cap Space		Maximum Restructure	Possible Cap Space
Dolphins	$55,532,293		$34,336,596	$89,868,889		$56,954,914	$112,487,207
Chargers	$48,904,292		$40,805,361	$89,709,653		$67,800,745	$116,705,037
Jaguars	$47,305,019		$22,005,393	$69,310,412		$55,808,190	$103,113,209
Bengals	$43,047,734		$29,366,864	$72,414,598		$59,598,278	$102,646,012
Jets	$35,113,630		$33,595,170	$68,708,800		$69,865,124	$104,978,754
Colts	$34,301,904		$52,811,255	$87,113,159		$82,086,994	$116,388,898
Broncos	$31,787,469		$45,794,436	$77,581,905		$74,553,070	$106,340,539
Seahawks	$31,540,761		$24,221,671	$55,762,432		$60,680,565	$92,221,326
Commanders	$27,019,313		$37,071,367	$64,090,680		$70,293,410	$97,312,723
Steelers	$25,393,681		$38,821,393	$64,215,074		$63,132,157	$88,525,838
Bears	$19,486,428		$45,790,228	$65,276,656		$67,737,237	$87,223,665
Browns	$18,691,440		$18,204,572	$36,896,012		$70,168,870	$88,860,310
Raiders	$15,481,357		$44,984,366	$60,465,723		$85,261,955	$100,743,312
Eagles	$9,868,647		$32,119,349	$41,987,996		$36,991,266	$46,859,913
Lions	$9,317,706		$53,059,817	$62,377,523		$74,767,690	$84,085,396
Chiefs	$8,234,968		$59,009,665	$67,244,633		$90,120,891	$98,355,859
Panthers	$6,842,162		$33,656,309	$40,498,471		$75,858,753	$82,700,915
Patriots	$5,006,114		$28,841,483	$33,847,597		$66,987,884	$71,993,998
Texans	$4,373,835		$44,209,228	$48,583,063		$71,586,186	$75,960,021
Ravens	$3,685,262		$26,152,199	$29,837,461		$70,596,093	$74,281,355
Buccaneers	($1,320,253)		$69,437,649	$68,117,396		$84,244,228	$82,923,975
Cardinals	($3,862,583)		$44,236,730	$40,374,147		$84,833,340	$80,970,757
Bills	($9,577,620)		$37,529,380	$27,951,760		$81,674,496	$72,096,876
Titans	($11,018,374)		$67,456,337	$56,437,963		$101,467,518	$90,449,144
49ers	($11,468,300)		$37,025,124	$25,556,824		$86,702,645	$75,234,345
Falcons	($13,235,044)		$25,419,252	$12,184,208		$67,397,830	$54,162,786
Vikings	($20,360,213)		$48,551,817	$28,191,604		$86,597,559	$66,237,346
Rams	($22,269,169)		$72,476,552	$50,207,383		$105,707,333	$83,438,164
Giants	($24,779,036)		$43,359,066	$18,580,030		$87,332,302	$62,553,266
Cowboys	($25,380,471)		$74,197,216	$48,816,745		$91,910,104	$66,529,633
Packers	($42,822,135)		$39,599,734	($3,222,401)		$87,190,295	$44,368,160
Saints	($79,986,975)		$101,417,471	$21,430,496		$119,103,402	$39,116,427

 

[football karma]

The problem is, it just kicks the can down the road. Every time you restructure it makes it harder again the next year.

yes, but thats also true for all of the NFC playoff teams

 

[kerouac9]

Would you say that Cash Moves Everything Around Me?

Keim hasn't faced a roster-building challenge like this since Arians left and we had no solutions at QB. We saw what happened there.

 

[cardpa]

Restructuring is an easy solution however unless I'm mistaken, the players involved also have to agree with restructuring their contract. Yes. I understand the player risks getting cut however any player worth restructuring must have value so if a player decides no restructuring if he is cut his probability to latch on to another team is probably pretty good and maybe the player wants out and is using the restructuring as a tool to get released or to collect a nice payday if he ends up staying with the team.

 

[BritCard]

Restructuring is an easy solution however unless I'm mistaken, the players involved also have to agree with restructuring their contract. Yes. I understand the player risks getting cut however any player worth restructuring must have value so if a player decides no restructuring if he is cut his probability to latch on to another team is probably pretty good and maybe the player wants out and is using the restructuring as a tool to get released or to collect a nice payday if he ends up staying with the team.

These restructures are good for the players. They don't change their contract in any way other than to turn yearly cash into bonus which can then be spread over future years.

Means more cash upfront for players.

 

[slanidrac16]

The thing Keim will do best is the line of crap he’s going to try and feed us.

 

[Cards Czar]

I read somewhere they can restructure something like a max of $80m if they went nuts, but that a reasonable number would be around $40m.

$40m would be more than enough when you factor in backloading deals.

The problem is, it just kicks the can down the road. Every time you restructure it makes it harder again the next year.

Edit, here it is (How are the Giants $25m over the cap with a rookie deal QB and garbage roster?)

Team	Effective Cap Space ▾		Simple Restructure	Possible Cap Space		Maximum Restructure	Possible Cap Space
Dolphins	$55,532,293		$34,336,596	$89,868,889		$56,954,914	$112,487,207
Chargers	$48,904,292		$40,805,361	$89,709,653		$67,800,745	$116,705,037
Jaguars	$47,305,019		$22,005,393	$69,310,412		$55,808,190	$103,113,209
Bengals	$43,047,734		$29,366,864	$72,414,598		$59,598,278	$102,646,012
Jets	$35,113,630		$33,595,170	$68,708,800		$69,865,124	$104,978,754
Colts	$34,301,904		$52,811,255	$87,113,159		$82,086,994	$116,388,898
Broncos	$31,787,469		$45,794,436	$77,581,905		$74,553,070	$106,340,539
Seahawks	$31,540,761		$24,221,671	$55,762,432		$60,680,565	$92,221,326
Commanders	$27,019,313		$37,071,367	$64,090,680		$70,293,410	$97,312,723
Steelers	$25,393,681		$38,821,393	$64,215,074		$63,132,157	$88,525,838
Bears	$19,486,428		$45,790,228	$65,276,656		$67,737,237	$87,223,665
Browns	$18,691,440		$18,204,572	$36,896,012		$70,168,870	$88,860,310
Raiders	$15,481,357		$44,984,366	$60,465,723		$85,261,955	$100,743,312
Eagles	$9,868,647		$32,119,349	$41,987,996		$36,991,266	$46,859,913
Lions	$9,317,706		$53,059,817	$62,377,523		$74,767,690	$84,085,396
Chiefs	$8,234,968		$59,009,665	$67,244,633		$90,120,891	$98,355,859
Panthers	$6,842,162		$33,656,309	$40,498,471		$75,858,753	$82,700,915
Patriots	$5,006,114		$28,841,483	$33,847,597		$66,987,884	$71,993,998
Texans	$4,373,835		$44,209,228	$48,583,063		$71,586,186	$75,960,021
Ravens	$3,685,262		$26,152,199	$29,837,461		$70,596,093	$74,281,355
Buccaneers	($1,320,253)		$69,437,649	$68,117,396		$84,244,228	$82,923,975
Cardinals	($3,862,583)		$44,236,730	$40,374,147		$84,833,340	$80,970,757
Bills	($9,577,620)		$37,529,380	$27,951,760		$81,674,496	$72,096,876
Titans	($11,018,374)		$67,456,337	$56,437,963		$101,467,518	$90,449,144
49ers	($11,468,300)		$37,025,124	$25,556,824		$86,702,645	$75,234,345
Falcons	($13,235,044)		$25,419,252	$12,184,208		$67,397,830	$54,162,786
Vikings	($20,360,213)		$48,551,817	$28,191,604		$86,597,559	$66,237,346
Rams	($22,269,169)		$72,476,552	$50,207,383		$105,707,333	$83,438,164
Giants	($24,779,036)		$43,359,066	$18,580,030		$87,332,302	$62,553,266
Cowboys	($25,380,471)		$74,197,216	$48,816,745		$91,910,104	$66,529,633
Packers	($42,822,135)		$39,599,734	($3,222,401)		$87,190,295	$44,368,160
Saints	($79,986,975)		$101,417,471	$21,430,496		$119,103,402	$39,116,427

As of today the Cardinals will have a unoffical available cap for 2023 - $133.3 M and for 2024 - 202.6M. This will change but it shows that you can get players now and still have available funds in the future.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

The biggest job Keim has this off-season is not as simple as FA vs. the draft. Before anything good happens the Cards have to restructure their cap. The Cards face a massive number of key free agents with a minimal amount of flexible money. They will have to choose their FAs carefully if they want to contend next season. There are a few key contracts that can be restructured. They will need to select draftees who deliver useful, immediate productivity. They must avoid draftee projects. This will, in many ways, be the most challenging off-season Keim will face. All this is with major questions about the coaching staff and the Cards franchise QB.

There have been numerous questions about Keim himself. Those questions will get dramatically answered in the next few months. It would seem the odds are stacked against Keim. With it appearing 2 of the Cards’ West competitors may change QBs. There will be opportunity to move well beyond both. Keim will have to move swiftly and decisively to take advantage. Keim is walking a tightrope with a high level of potential disaster. This will either be his finest moment or his final moments. There is very little middle ground left to him.

If he can fix this mess he created I'll be super impressed? I have plenty of doubts. Idk whether we need more scouts or more scouts that know what they're doing that can get into the ear of MB? Keim just misses way more than he hits on the draft, I know there's FA to build help build a team but it starts with the draft & he's horrible at it imo. Heck, it's been said several times that Jerry Sullivan wanted to draft Justin Jefferson badly but Keim didn't listen obviously. Imagine our offense with Justin Jefferson last season?

 

[cardpa]

As of today the Cardinals will have a unoffical available cap for 2023 - $133.3 M and for 2024 - 202.6M. This will change but it shows that you can get players now and still have available funds in the future.

Not real numbers if you will. Realize these numbers are based against who is under contract for these years and in 2023 only 17 players are under contract yet chew up over half the cap space and in 2024 only 9 players are under contract.