Monday is only a barrier to negotiating changes in their 2008 salaries, and thus have it affect the 2008 cap. They have until the last day of the regular season to renegotiate various bonus provisions and have some or all of it apply to the 2008 salary cap.
For example, we have seen many teams including the Packers, push cap excess from one year into the next by using last week of the season renegotiations with lower roster players (the Packers used Craig Nall a couple times) to provide performance bonuses that they know will not be reached, but which are of the "likely to be earned" categories that require the bonus to be counted against the current cap. When not actually earned, the cap dollars are added to the next season cap for the team.
They could do the same in reverse, so to speak, by giving Jennings one for 2008 that they fully expect he will earn. It would count immediately against the 2008 cap.
Up to the end of the regular season, they can also negotiate a signing bonus for the new contract and have a portion count against the 2008 cap.
However, in the long run, it really doesn't matter, because most of any leftover cap dollars from this year will be bounced ahead to next year anyway, so the cap space will not be "lost" regardless.
For example, we have seen many teams including the Packers, push cap excess from one year into the next by using last week of the season renegotiations with lower roster players (the Packers used Craig Nall a couple times) to provide performance bonuses that they know will not be reached, but which are of the "likely to be earned" categories that require the bonus to be counted against the current cap. When not actually earned, the cap dollars are added to the next season cap for the team.
They could do the same in reverse, so to speak, by giving Jennings one for 2008 that they fully expect he will earn. It would count immediately against the 2008 cap.
Up to the end of the regular season, they can also negotiate a signing bonus for the new contract and have a portion count against the 2008 cap.
However, in the long run, it really doesn't matter, because most of any leftover cap dollars from this year will be bounced ahead to next year anyway, so the cap space will not be "lost" regardless.


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