P. Ram Restructures!

Players are happy to restructure contracts when the overall value of the contract remains the same, and the length of the contract remains the same. It just means that instead of getting their money in the form of salary throughout the season, they get that same amount of money all up front in one lump-sum bonus payment. They don't change the contract, they just change when they get paid, which affects the way you allocate the bonus to the cap.

It's a good point on Samuels, he doesn't want to sign an extension at this point because he knows he's better than how he's done in the past couple seasons. I'm sure the Skins are pushing to extend him out to like 2010 and sign him to a Jon Jansen type contract. Samuels probably doesn't want to committ long term, because he thinks he's better than Jansen; and since Samuels has been to the Pro Bowl before and thinks he can get back there, he wants to prove it before he signs a long-term deal. I can't say I blame him, it's in his own best interests. But that said, I'd much rather have Jon Jansen than Chris Samuels if you forced me to choose, despite Jansen never making it to the Pro Bowl. The dude's got a passion for the game and you can tell that other players look up to him. I think if the Skins can't extend Samuels in the coming weeks, I think they have to cut him. He's good, and he'd be missed, but at that price I'm sorry, I'd have to cut ties and let Molinaro give it a go.

Of course, also don't forget that Vaughn Parker is quite a talent, and if he can get into shape he wouldn't be a bad insurance policy.

All that said, I hope Samuels gets extended and sticks around. He is real good and we need him. But he's no Jon Jansen in my eyes, and he's not worth a cap hit of $9 million a year.

Someone asked why players don't automatically restructure. Here's the problem with doing it every year:

If you contantly put off base salary increases into the future for the sake of a signing bonus in the current year, you wind up in the situation that Chris Samuels is in now. He restructured twice and piled up a huge payday in 2005/6. And now the team wants him to forego that big payday to take a signing bonus and extned further into the future. At some point, it becomes disadvantageous for a player to keep piling up money in a final year or two because he is unlikely ever to see that money because the team will cut him as a "cap casualty". So after a point, the player who restructures is helping to cut his own throat.

As I understand it, this is a big part of Chris Samuels' reluctance to redo his deal. He did it twice before and this is the time when he is supposed to get all the money he deferred for the good of the team in past years. That's what he was told. Now, the team wants him to take less one more time...

He wont be taking less though. If he simply redid his deal taking most of his salary as SB this year it would be no point because it would just make his masive cap number in 2006 even bigger. He has to be looking at an exention again with a big upfront payment the only question is where is he going to get the best money... here with Mr Money Bags Dan Snyder or in FA?

He wont be taking less though. If he simply redid his deal taking most of his salary as SB this year it would be no point because it would just make his masive cap number in 2006 even bigger. He has to be looking at an exention again with a big upfront payment the only question is where is he going to get the best money... here with Mr Money Bags Dan Snyder or in FA?


That could be their line of thinking. They could be saying, this is the year Ramsey has to prove himself; if he does, we resign him to a long term deal in teh offseason, which we can then backload. If Ramsey has a bad year, I hate to say it, but he could be let go, making that cap number not as big of a deal. I wouldnt be in favor of letting Ramsey go, but if you think of it that way, it defintley makes sense.

I just read on ESPN that Steve McNair is going to be a cap casuality.

If you think Samuels is due a big payday then check out McNairs, hes due 7.5 Million dollars this year.....and $$$$$50 MILLION next year. FIFTY FREAKING MILLION DOLLARS FOR ONE YEAR. talk about back loading

I was just about to post that very thing good job SC, it's Gibb's at his finest bringing people together for team unity, all for 1 and 1 for all, perhap's Gibb's finest coaching quality.

Somethign that is very hard to do with a team that has sucked for over ten years. Hes doing what the Patriots do, but its much easier to convince someone to stay for cheaper to play on a team thats in the superbowl everyyear.