IT IS WHAT IT IS
The Patriots are returning in 2014 with a stable roster mix of veterans and newer players. It’s a team that made it to the Conference Championship Game with some key starters on IR that are expected to return. It’s a team the fans of many other teams would have been happy to have last year and this year. What is doesn’t have is a lot of Salary Cap room to make major additions. The available cap figure is always a moving target as players come and go and contracts are restructured but there is an approximate starting point to keep in mind before throwing out ideas of franchise tags and big free agent signings.
The Patriots current financial season starts close to here:
| (A) ESTIMATED 2014 CAP | $ 126,000,000.00 |
| 2013 CARRYOVER | $ 4,000,000.00 |
| (B) MAX CAP SPENDING | $ 130,000,000.00 |
| DEAD MONEY | $ (8,500,000.00) |
| AVAILABLE TO SPEND | $ 121,000,000.00 |
| (C)PRACTICE SQUAD AND DRAFT | $ (5,000,000.00) |
| (D) IR and IN SEASON REPLACEMENTS | $ (8,000,000.00) |
| CURRENT TOP 51 CONTRACTS | $ (118,000,000.00) |
| SHORT FOR SEASON | $ 8,500,000.00 |
(A & B) the estimated 2014 cap figure subject to change
(C) money that will be spent this season
(D) based on the teams prior history of the cap space it starts the season with
Wilfork, McCourty, & DT Issac Sopoaga come to mind as ways to erase the shortage and find a few extra cap dollars and there will be a few more moves we can only guess at now. What isn’t there is money commit 10 million to a franchise tag or a similar amount to acquire someone like Larry Fitzgerald. If you think this team is going to mortgage the future for short term gain you haven’t been paying attention.
Robert Kraft has never promised you a Lombardi Trophy. He has said on numerous occasions that his long term intention is to field a team that’s competitive every year. You can expect some cutting and restructuring to bring back Talib and Edelman but not close to anything that will risk the long-term health of the team.
What you see is close to what you get in 2014. You have to learn to be happy you have it. Expect 12-4 or better – Division Title – Deep Playoff Run – sweep of division foes.
A general big picture overview of a team will never provide the insight of a dedicated fan of the team so to complete our article we asked one for his thoughts.
northshoreman: “””Vince Wilfork will sign an extension to free up 10 million in cap room because he is a Patriot way type of guy. Belichick will just coach up some more undrafted free agents to fix the rest of the problems. No worries……. “””
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