clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Everyone wants to get paid, but who will?

Jason La Canfora examines Brandon Lloyd's contract in depth and it appears that he'll be a Redskin for some time. He also has this to add:

There will be the usual round of restructurings to create more cap space overall (the Class of 2004 all are scheduled to start getting massive base salaries starting in '07, which means some guys will have to re-do their deal to stay).
I thought that now is as fine a time as any to examine who those restructured contracts might belong to on our current roster. I'd love some reader input, so here are my predictions (without knowing the specifics of their salaries) based on my understanding of our cap situation brilliantly organized here.

Mark Brunell -- Mark Brunell has about 6 million in guaranteed signing bonus money but is set to make over 6.5 million next year alone. There's no way this front office will pay him 6.5 large just to ride the pine, so expect a contract renegotiation to take place (or else he's out of town). I don't think this team has any interest in paying a backup QB 25 million in salary over the next 4 years.

Cornelius Griffin -- Griff turned 30 this Sunday so to him I say happy birthday! Your present is that your salary septuples from 600,000 to 4.2 million per year. Your nearly 8 million guaranteed signing bonus remaining makes a strong bluff possible should our front office try and play hard ball with you, but hopefully we can meet halfway with Griffin who is getting older and injured; he's already missed two games this year. Couple that with some surprisingly good play from rookies Kedric Golston and -- to a lesser degree -- Anthony Montgomery, and I don't know if the Redskins can afford to pay Griffin 6.2 million next year.

David Patten -- I can't figure out why, but Patten's cap hit goes from 1.8 mil in 2006 to 3 million in 2007. His salary increases by less than 200,000 so I don't know how to account for that change. Still, I doubt Patten will remain a Redskin if he is the 2nd highest paid receiver on the team. Next year he'll cost us about as much Antwaan Randle-El and James Thrash combined.

Clinton Portis -- I'm just kidding. I do want to alert Redskins fans to the fact that CP's salary will go from around 600k a year to 3.5 mil next year (and 5 mil the year after that, and 6.5 mil the year after that, and 7.7 mil the year after that... and 8.7 mil the year after that). I doubt the front office will play hard ball with CP as he's the face of the franchise, though the production of Ladell Betts does give them more bargaining room. I don't know if that makes a difference. He's guaranteed 12.5 million if we cut him next year so... you do the math.

Casey Rabach -- his salary jumps nearly 2 million next year. With 4 million guaranteed he's still in a good position (as he'd cost the team less next year in cap space and his salary doesn't go up again until 2011); I don't predict him having to restructure but it is a possibility.

Chris Samuels -- I only mention him because he's our highest paid player. Next season he is set to cost the franchise 8.6 million, which is a huge sum of money. His "pro rated signing bonus" is listed at over 4.5 million which cannot possibly be right. If it were that would mean he has 22.5 million in guaranteed moneys coming his way, making him essentially uncuttable and immune to negotiations. If any readers can inform me why his pro rated signing bonus is so high, I'd appreciate it.

Shawn Springs -- I think he will definitely have to renegotiate. His salary goes from 750k to nearly 5 million next year, and he's got 7.5 million in guaranteed moneys coming his way should we cut him. This means we'll either pay him 7.5 million next year to stay, or take the 7.5 million cut next year but save ourselves 4 million in regular salary we'd owe him. Given the fact that he hasn't finished a full season since 2000, and is having a hard time staying on the field this year, I just don't see the Redskins making him the 2nd highest paid player on the team. His regular salary comes out to around 16 mil over the next three years, a huge cost for an injured player.

Marcus Washington -- Big pay raise in 2007 goes from 600k to 4 million. He has a good 2 mil a year signing bonus to protect him (worth 6 million total in dead space if we cut him), so he might be one of the players who gets a pay raise. He's also one of the best defenders we have.

Renaldo Wynn -- His salary doubles from 1 to 2 million in 2007. He's a backup DE set to cost us 4 million next year, yet he only has 1.5 million remaining in guaranteed moneys protecting his salary. I think he'll renegotiate and I do hope he stays. I like Renaldo Wynn.

Those are the players I think might be asked to negotiate their contracts, though I could be waaaay off or missing someone. I'd love to hear my reader(s)' opinions on any of the above.