John Carlson released

[mosscarter]

where do we stand salary cap wise? is it more the middle of the pack, top, or bottom as far as money available to spend? i just read a chart but i really didn't understand the gist of it.

[Pondering Her Percy]

where do we stand salary cap wise? is it more the middle of the pack, top, or bottom as far as money available to spend? i just read a chart but i really didn't understand the gist of it.

We are actually at more than I thought. We have ~$37 million. Check it out here: http://www.spotrac.com/cap-tracker/nfl/

[mosscarter]

you are right that is't bad at all, just puts out of the top 5. i was curious i know its early but i haven't heard anyone talking about any real targets out there. it would be nice to get a good corner and lb, but there are 2 great safeties out there too.

[JD_Fiction]

I'm surprised that Byrd and Ward didn't get tagged and i hope that we bring them in and try to sign one of them.. As for the TE position i would like to see them target Crockett Gilmore in the later rounds.

[jackal]

One touchdown in two years ...
no wonder he got cut

[PurpleHalo]

Most absurd signing Speilman has probably ever made.

[chicagopurple]

I guess you could make that statement if you are excluding absurd DRAFTS....reaching for Ponder was pretty absurd.

[Purple bruise]

I guess you could make that statement if you are excluding absurd DRAFTS....reaching for Ponder was pretty absurd.

Two absurd drafts? He has been "fully" in charge of the last two drafts ONLY and has has done extremely good in most people's opinions that know anything about professional football.

[Funkytown]

His original contract was a doozy, no doubt, but Carlson is a talented player. Talent wasted.

[radar55]

Its about time....he never should have been signed in the first place. Hopefully they will do the same with Cook and Guion.

[KSViking]

Cook's a FA.

And who's playing DT and LB if you cut Guion and Greenway? Chase Baker and Larry Dean? mid-late round rookies?

This isn't Madden where you can just sign all the FAs.

I woudln't cut Greenway. Try at restructuring, see if there is an opportunity there. However, Free Agency is around so that the players can choose to go to where they are offered the most money, or think that a place is the best fit for them, depending on goals. With our current cap space, and adding to that if Guion is cut, and Greenway restructured, we would have a decent amount of money to lure some good free agents. And, at least in Guion's case, I would wager we could find someone better for cheaper, or at the very least, better for the same price.

[J. Kapp 11]

I woudln't cut Greenway. Try at restructuring, see if there is an opportunity there. However, Free Agency is around so that the players can choose to go to where they are offered the most money, or think that a place is the best fit for them, depending on goals. With our current cap space, and adding to that if Guion is cut, and Greenway restructured, we would have a decent amount of money to lure some good free agents. And, at least in Guion's case, I would wager we could find someone better for cheaper, or at the very least, better for the same price.

This situation is shaping up to be very similar to the Kevin Williams situation, in that both Greenway and the Vikings have incentive to restructure.

From Greenway's perspective, the alternative is to get cut and make nothing. The Vikings don't owe him another dime, even though his contract calls for a base salary plus workout bonus of $6.5 Million in 2014 and $7.1 million in 2015. Greenway has already been paid his entire $8 million bonus, so he's completely out of guaranteed money. And while I'm sure he'd love to be paid the $13.6 million left on his contract, such a salary would put him in the upper echelon of outside linebacker pay, which he's clearly not worth. Surely Greenway knows there isn't a chance in hell the Vikings will allow his current contract to play out. It seems very likely that if he won't agree to restructure, the Vikings will cut him after June 1, and he'll get jack squat in free agency.

However, the Vikings also have some incentive to keep Greenway around. Even though he's clearly not as good as he used to be, he's the only viable option at LB right now. He's also a locker room leader and a good guy in the community.

So restructuring is a win-win. Greenway would earn himself another signing bonus, maybe $2 million or so, and while he'd be paid less than whats remaining on his current contract, that's better than nothing. From the Vikings' point of view, if they signed him to maybe $2 million to $3 million in salary per year plus the signing bonus, they'd keep the only viable option they have at LB and save maybe $5 million to $6 million in cap space over the next two seasons.

[saint33]

We already have plenty of cap space though. We're not gonna spend 37m in one off-season. That's how you become the Redskins.

We don't have to spend 37 million to replace Guion. As was said before, if we could sign a guy for the same price, if not less than Guion makes, and get better production, why wouldn't you? Guion needs to be released, he is making far too much for his lack of production on the field.

[KSViking]

We already have plenty of cap space though. We're not gonna spend 37m in one off-season. That's how you become the Redskins.

We have 17 players that as of right now are not on the team. You will have to spend some money to replace those players. I would never suggest we spend all our money on big name players whos salaries will be crippling us in a few years, however signing 1 or 2 top prospects, and getting some above average guys to replace some of the less than stellar players we have had over the past couple of years would definitely help the team in the right direction. So assuming we have 8 picks this year? That still leaves 9 people that we have to replace. And that is only if all 8 of our picks make the team. Stetching the 37 Million over 9 players, with the assumption that we will try to land 1 or 2 guys that could get close to 10 mil a year. Now it doesn't seem like the number is so awefully big. At least in my eyes.

1. QB Matt Cassel
2. QB Josh Freeman
3. RB Toby Gerhart
4. WR Joe Webb
5. WR Jerome Simpson
6. TE John Carlson
7. OL J'Marcus Webb
8. OL Charlie Johnson
9. OL Joe Berger
10. DE Jared Allen
11. DE Everson Griffen
12. DT Kevin Williams
13. DT Fred Evans
14. LB Desmond Bishop
15. LB Marvin Mitchell
16. LB Erin Henderson
17. CB Chris Cook

[dead_poet]

We have 17 players that as of right now are not on the team. You will have to spend some money to replace those players. I would never suggest we spend all our money on big name players whos salaries will be crippling us in a few years, however signing 1 or 2 top prospects, and getting some above average guys to replace some of the less than stellar players we have had over the past couple of years would definitely help the team in the right direction. So assuming we have 8 picks this year? That still leaves 9 people that we have to replace. And that is only if all 8 of our picks make the team. Stetching the 37 Million over 9 players, with the assumption that we will try to land 1 or 2 guys that could get close to 10 mil a year. Now it doesn't seem like the number is so awefully big. At least in my eyes.

1. QB Matt Cassel
2. QB Josh Freeman
3. RB Toby Gerhart
4. WR Joe Webb
5. WR Jerome Simpson
6. TE John Carlson
7. OL J'Marcus Webb
8. OL Charlie Johnson
9. OL Joe Berger
10. DE Jared Allen
11. DE Everson Griffen
12. DT Kevin Williams
13. DT Fred Evans
14. LB Desmond Bishop
15. LB Marvin Mitchell
16. LB Erin Henderson
17. CB Chris Cook

Don't forget we also need to sign rookies.