Higgins can still negotiate with other teams right? The rules are the rules. I don’t blame the Bengals (not the billionaire but the city’s team) for using those rules to their benefit. Investing draft capital and money into a player and using the rules to their benefit is what smart teams should do. Being cap strapped because a player (who is always injured) wants a massive pay raise is bad business.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/st...-cap-questions-32-teams-contracts-cuts-trades Which Texans contracts could be restructured to make room for OL additions? The Danielle Hunter and Nico Collins deals that were signed last offseason are built to be reworked, and simple restructures of those contracts could net the Texans nearly $22 million in cap space. And if they wanted to, they could get more than $10 million by restructuring Tytus Howard's deal, too, and nearly as much if they wanted to do a restructure of Laremy Tunsil's contract. Those players represent the four biggest 2025 cap numbers on the team, so they're the easy targets for restructures that convert salary into signing bonus and buy Houston some cap room. They also could clear a bit with the expected extension for star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
I used spotrac's team management program (currently in Beta): https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/manage/_/team/hou I was up to ~$55M in cap space by restructuring Howard, Tunsil, Nico, & Hunter (+ designating Mason as post June 1 cut & processing Diggs). I did a fake offseason with some proposed trades + signings + re-signings + cuts. I think I got to a fairly solid 53 man squad (including draft picks) and had $7M in space still
We don't want to get carried away making cap space this season at the expense of the next two. Stingley, Stroud and WAJ will require mucho grande over the next two seasons.
"There will be a new system in place so there will be a learning curve." BDN today on the Caley hire. Seems like a big duh, I'm a mouse moment. But it's the 1st time I've heard them say this straight forward.
You use the cap space to extend Stingley. Also you could use the Eagles model of high signing bonuses with low base salaries to get around the cap.
Texans could end up with 50 mil in space with restructures and Sting's extension by the time free agency starts...60 mil if they cut Mason...70 mil if they also cut Autry
[Bleacher Report] NFL Insiders: Joey Bosa 'Likely' to be Cut by Chargers; Set to Make $25.36M in 2025
If that's right and we can sign a Guard in FA for the long term then the draft would get a lot more exciting.
They can sign an OG in FA, they've got the cap space or can create cap space to add 3-4 starter level players.
Great point. That was the case last year with players getting 3 million more than the projected contract, like a Hunter Henry and Dalton over here. It definitely killed the Saquon Barkley negotiations with Nick not wanting to go over his set limit. But I like the idea of Fries traveling across the country stopping in Houston to catch the Chargers game and deciding to come play with us after the crowd erupted. Also counting on guys that played for Nick and Demeco wanting to play here than Cincy. Ben Solak from ESPn wants us to get Zack Martin. I just threw up.
First attempt (well, not really) at a 2025 mock off-season (pre-combine edition) Used: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/manage/_/team/hou Bold = new free agent Italic = re-signed Underline = trade Bold underline = draft pick (round) $ = restructure QB Stroud // Mills // Jimmy G (2 years, $8M [3.5, 4.5, $2M SB, $4.5M gtd]) RB Mixon // Pierce // Jaydon Blue (7) (KR) FB British Brooks X-WR Nico$ // Hutch Y-WR Emeka Egbuka (1) // TuTu Atwell (PR) (2 years, 9$M [4.5, 4.5, $3M SB, $6M gtd]) Slot WR Metchie Y-TE Schultz // Jordan F-TE Stover // Keene (RFA - 1 year, $3.82M) Tender Quitriano to see if somebody will give us a 5th // if not, cut LT Tunsil$ // Fisher LG Bitonio (1 year, $6M) // Scruggs Trade Kenyon Green + 2026 5th to CLE for Bitonio + 2026 6th C Patterson // Brady Christensen (3 years, $8.1M [2.7, 2.7, 2.7, $3M SB, $4.7M gtd]) RG Dillon Radunz (3 years, $7.5M) [2.5, 2.5, 2.5] [$3M SB, $4.5M gtd] // Broeker Cut Shaq Mason as post June 1 RT Howard$ // Tender Zachary Thomas to see if somebody will give us a 6th, if not, cut LDE WAJ // Joseph Ossai (2 years, $5M w/ 2 yr PO [2.5, 2.5, $2M SB, $3.5M gtd]) LDT Autry // Darius Alexander (4 or 5) RDT Settle // Togiai RDE Hunter$ // Samson Ebukam (1 year, $2M) // Horton LB Al-Shaair // To'o-To'o // Hansen (RFA - 1 year, $3.82M) LB Harris // Hewitt (2 years, $5M [2.5, 2.5, $2M SB, $3.5M gtd]) // Hill CB Sting // rookie CB Lassiter // Ross NCB Pitre // Bryant (2 years, $4M [2, 2, $1M SB, $2M gtd]) SAF Ward // rookie SAF Bullock // Stewart (2 years, $7M [3.5, 3.5, $2M SB, $4.5M gtd]) K Ka'imi (better be practicing in the arctic) // P Tommy T // LS Weeks (going for the record) $6.7M in cap space Not in love with Broeker (I hardly know her!) so could see another vet addition or rookie in that spot If Ebukam not cut by Clots or signed to another team, keep Byrd as an edge Did not extend Sting, but I think he gets his new deal and could lower his cap hit for 2025
