Ahhh, Salary Cap Room

**okikcfan** · 02-06-2009, 09:29 AM

Go ahead and assemble that free-agent wish list, Chiefs fans. Dream big, because salary-cap room won’t be a problem.
And with new coach Todd Haley finally in the fold, he and general manager Scott Pioli can go to town.
A quarterback like New England’s Matt Cassel? Pioli knows about him firsthand.
A linebacker like Arizona’s Karlos Dansby? Haley watched him in practice every day of the season.
The Chiefs would be able to sign both those players and then some like Carolina’s pass-rusher Julius Peppers. Research by The Kansas City Star shows the Chiefs have salary-cap commitments of about $85.6 million, or about $37 million less than the projected NFL limit of $123 million.
The Chiefs could clear plenty more cap room without much pain. Patrick Surtain, the fourth cornerback, has the team’s highest salary-cap figure at almost $9.8 million. A player’s cost against the salary cap includes a player’s base salary plus various bonuses.
Releasing Surtain, who is due a $7 million salary, would save the Chiefs an additional $3.8 million against their cap.
Two other aging veterans who also may not figure in to Kansas City’s plans, linebacker Donnie Edwards and quarterback Damon Huard, are also among the Chiefs’ highest-paid players.
The Chiefs don’t have many prospective free agents of their own. Nine of their players don’t have a 2009 contract, and the only one the Chiefs would probably view as urgent to retain is safety Jarrad Page.
Page would be a restricted free agent, giving the Chiefs the right to match any offer he would receive as long as they offer him a one-year contract.
The Chiefs might also view backup safety Jon McGraw, a potential unrestricted free agent, as a valuable player because of his special-teams skills. McGraw in 2008 concluded a two-year contract that paid him $645,000 last season.

**chiefnut** · 02-06-2009, 12:55 PM

the lions went ; 7-9, 12-4, 5-11, 9-7, 10-6, 9-7, 5-11
including a division championship, and a conference title game, a 32td passing season out of mitchell

yeah they were much worse than the 2-14 CHIEFS

**jmlamerson** · 02-06-2009, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by chiefnut

the lions went ; 7-9, 12-4, 5-11, 9-7, 10-6, 9-7, 5-11
including a division championship, and a conference title game, a 32td passing season out of mitchell

yeah they were much worse than the 2-14 CHIEFS

But you keep forgetting that RB is a young man's game. It's almost never worth it to sign a RB past 30 to a lucrative deal. Matt Forte has more value than LJ, not because of his accomplishments, but because his legs are fresh. LJ has two to three years, maybe, before he breaks down entirely, no matter how good his line is.

He just isn't worth it.

**dbolan** · 02-06-2009, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by yashi

LJ is not the RB he was pre-416 carry season, history tells us that.....The OL is most of the equation in the running game, but a great RB will find ways to perform regardless.

Remember Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Their lines were hooooorible (insert Bill Walton emphasis).

10-4 on your "great RB" assessment.

**dbolan** · 02-06-2009, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by chiefnut

the lions went ; 7-9, 12-4, 5-11, 9-7, 10-6, 9-7, 5-11
including a division championship, and a conference title game, a 32td passing season out of mitchell

yeah they were much worse than the 2-14 CHIEFS

Nut...Don't forget that they had Barry Sanders and a couple of pretty damn good recievers in Herman Moore and Johnny Morton and a return guy by the name of Mel Gray.

But, their line did suck and they admitted it. I rememebr them saying that all they try to do is "try to stay with a block" long enough to "LET" Barry make it happen.

Again..I also have to mention Walter Payton. He was durable and ran like a mad man with a sorry team until the mid 80's.

**chiefnut** · 02-06-2009, 01:36 PM

you can't mention L J in the same sentence with Barry Sanders and Walter Peyton. come on thats like including Trent Green with John Unitas and LENNY DAWSON.

**texaschief** · 02-06-2009, 02:09 PM

My list:

DE- Terrell Suggs
OT- Stacey Andrews
OG- Jari Evans
OLB- Leroy Hill (Dansby is going to a New York team)
MLB- Jonathan Vilma
S- Oshiomogho Atogwe
CB- Nnamdi Asomugha

There's no way they all fit under the cap... but that's my list.

**KristofLaw** · 02-06-2009, 02:34 PM

If there were a way to bring in McNabb... forget the ca$h $pent, the combined leadership of McNabb and T.G. would be great for our offense. On D. I firmly believe all we need is again leadership combined with alot more depth.... guys I think we are alot closer than we realize. Otherwise I would still go with D.Carr or B.Leftwich... not to take over the position but for depth and if they outright win the position... then it's their's.

**jap1** · 02-06-2009, 04:54 PM

Im not saying LJ is a great person, or whether or not we should keep him (thats for others to decide). You can call him an a-hole for disrespecting women (at least he isnt drinking and driving on a regular basis like other people that people on this board cant get over).

But when it comes down to facts, LJ averaged 4.5 ypc. He was tied with 3 other backs for 9th in the league in ypc. To me, YPC is a much more telling stat than total yards. Yeah, S.Jax had 200 more yards on the season. He also had 60 more carries than LJ.

I still think he has value. On our team? Probably not because he has burned too many bridges. I just hope we dont play against him next year because he will likely get over 100 yards with a decent line in front of him unless our D becomes a top 5 D next year.

**prough91** · 02-06-2009, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by jap1

Im not saying LJ is a great person, or whether or not we should keep him (thats for others to decide). You can call him an a-hole for disrespecting women (at least he isnt drinking and driving on a regular basis like other people that people on this board cant get over).

But when it comes down to facts, LJ averaged 4.5 ypc. He was tied with 3 other backs for 9th in the league in ypc. To me, YPC is a much more telling stat than total yards. Yeah, S.Jax had 200 more yards on the season. He also had 60 more carries than LJ.

I still think he has value. On our team? Probably not because he has burned too many bridges. I just hope we dont play against him next year because he will likely get over 100 yards with a decent line in front of him unless our D becomes a top 5 D next year.

I was thinkin' about that the other day. How bad would it be if he went to the Raiders or Broncos and came in and rolled up 250 yards on us?