Packers Sign Finley

[Lurker64]

So now, does TT tag Wells? Flynn? (Doubt Flynn, but thought I'd throw it out there)

You can't tag Wells, since there's no Center tag designation, you would be paying him with the OL tag which means he'd be getting paid like an elite LT, which no center is worth.

So they're tagging Flynn or nobody.

[ND72]

"word" has it...and granted this is from reading too much during the day, if they tagged wells, that would be like between a $9 and $15mil tag, they take the average of guards and tackles to give to centers I guess...but one "scout" said today he's heard conversations of Thompson making feelers if someone would trade for Flynn.

I'm just the messenger. Sometimes though, as I found at christmas, you get a card, half burned, in a zip lock baggy from USPS saying "We Care". So I might not be right.

[Lurker64]

From what I've heard (largely from from a recently retired professional scout from another team who posts on another message board) that there are people elsewhere on the league who are very high on Flynn.

It would not be entirely surprising to see something like Flynn+#28 for #8/#9 with Miami (Miami and Carolina flip a coin to see who drafts 8th).

[Farley Face]

From what I've heard (largely from from a recently retired professional scout from another team who posts on another message board) that there are people elsewhere on the league who are very high on Flynn.

It would not be entirely surprising to see something like Flynn+#28 for #8/#9 with Miami (Miami and Carolina flip a coin to see who drafts 8th).

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

[Lurker64]

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

You save $5m by cutting Driver, you save $5.7m by cutting Clifton, you save $2.75m off the cap by guaranteeing Woodson's roster bonus, you have $6.2m carried over from last year. That should be enough.

That should be enough right? I mean, you can resign these people after you get Flynn out the door, since that $14m guaranteed goes away once he's someone else's property (and there's no way they tag Flynn without having a handshake deal in place to trade him.)

[gbgary]

tom silverstein...

$5.75 million in '12 and $8.25 million in '13

[Patler]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."


EDIT - My old eyes are failing me. I read the italics of the quote as $5.15, but now I see it as $5.75. So slightly more than the franchise #, but I still think they are asking him to prove himself.

[Lurker64]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."

I think 2012 is "a little more than the TE tag" and 2013 is "a little less than the WR tag" as a means of splitting the difference on the dispute that would arise were Finley to be tagged.

2012 tag number for TEs is $5.4m and for WRs it's $9.4m.

[Patler]

I think 2012 is "a little more than the TE tag" and 2013 is "a little less than the WR tag" as a means of splitting the difference on the dispute that would arise were Finley to be tagged.

2012 tag number for TEs is $5.4m and for WRs it's $9.4m.

Ya, I misread the italics of the quoted numbers. See my edit comment in my post.

[Lurker64]

Ya, I misread the italics of the quoted numbers. See my edit comment in my post.

I agree with your ultimate point that this is a "prove it" contract. Possibly timed in such a way to let the Packers tag and trade Flynn. I wouldn't be surprised if this was motivated by another team (possibly Miami?) extending feelers to TT asking after Matt Flynn in trade.

[Farley Face]

You save $5m by cutting Driver, you save $5.7m by cutting Clifton, you save $2.75m off the cap by guaranteeing Woodson's roster bonus, you have $6.2m carried over from last year. That should be enough.

That should be enough right? I mean, you can resign these people after you get Flynn out the door, since that $14m guaranteed goes away once he's someone else's property (and there's no way they tag Flynn without having a handshake deal in place to trade him.)

Thanks Lurk. You just motivated me to study the top half of round 1! Although, while he did do the Corey Williams sign and trade I'm thinking this deal might fall outside the TT comfort zone (or maybe I'm just projecting my own apprehension). Lots of risk when you consider he may get a two this year for Flynn or a Hasselbeck-like trade up in round 1 when he knows he'll get a third or fourth rounder a year later in a compensatory pick for letting Flynn walk untethered. Intriguing stuff either way and I appreciate your take.

[Scott Campbell]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."


EDIT - My old eyes are failing me. I read the italics of the quote as $5.15, but now I see it as $5.75. So slightly more than the franchise #, but I still think they are asking him to prove himself.

If year 2 isn't guaranteed, then you're right.

[Lurker64]

If year 2 isn't guaranteed, then you're right.

I really don't think the Packers would guarantee the entire contract. Nobody does that.

[smuggler]

^They probably guaranteed about 8 million of it. Next season, they can renegotiate out a longish contract (if TT wishes) and take that 2013 number down (at the very least it would be 4 million, though, plus the prorated signing bonus amount of the next contract)

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

They aren't responsible for being under the cap until the end of the season. It's like in Back to the Future 3: When we get to the end of the season, that $15mil won't even be there!

[Gunakor]

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

They aren't responsible for being under the cap until the end of the season. It's like in Back to the Future 3: When we get to the end of the season, that $15mil won't even be there!

Aren't they responsible for being under the cap at all times?

If you mean they aren't responsible for being under next year's cap until the end of the 2011 league year, you're right but none of Finley's new money counts against 2011's cap. His new contract doesn't begin until the 2012 league season begins since the contract years are 2012 and 2013. So to tag Flynn they'd still need to clear 14 million against the 2012 cap, and Finley's new money would indeed count against that cap as well. They'd have to find that 14 million somewhere else. Once Flynn is traded that 14 million would be cleared off the books and Ted could spend that money elsewhere, but it must be available from the time Flynn is tagged until the time he is traded.

I think Lurker got it right, and it can be done that way. The Cliftons and the Drivers can be resigned after Flynn is traded should Ted choose to do so.