What's the reason we don't spend the $8 mill?

[GP]

Aren't we like $8 million under the cap?

Can someone please explain why it seems the Texans don't spend their remaining cap money?

Is it just a way to stay safe with our star players in case they want extensions, and bigger contracts, etc.?

I just scratch my head over this. That's a lot of money to go out and grab someone who could help us.

Personally, we need either an OLine or Dline guy immediately.

The Oline is very schizo from game to game.

The Dline has poor depth. Travis Johnson is about the only Dlineman who we can guess won't be getting injured by the second game.

We're looking good at QB, RB, WR, TE (We've got 15 TE's), DB, LB, K, P, Special Teams. Only thing left that I can see as being a weak link is both the Oline and Dline.

Anyway. Just wondering why we seem to be tight fisted with the cap money. Maybe there's a good reason. If anybody knows, please sound off.

[ArlingtonTexan]

There a is an available free agent thread if you page down some. The players available are one year stop gap types that a team gets when someone gets hurt or has no other option. Personally, i don't think either unit is at that point yet.

[281]

Maybe because we don't want to end up like the Tennessee Titans?...

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by gpshafer_1976

Aren't we like $8 million under the cap?

Can someone please explain why it seems the Texans don't spend their remaining cap money?

Because it’s April.

The season is a long way away. David Carr has a cap hit of $7,066,160 this year and is in his option year so he gets a large bonus, so I don’t know how flexible we have to be under the cap to accommodate it. It’s not how fast you spend your cap money; it’s how intelligently you do it. That number will change between now and the start of the football season.

* David Carr is in the option year of his rookie contract. If the option is exercised, Carr's contract extends through 2008 and he is due a pro-rateable $8,000,000 bonus. Base salaries for the next three years would be $5.25 million in 2006 and 2007 and $6 million in 2008.

Keith's cap page at hpf

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonTexan

There a is an available free agent thread if you page down some. The players available are one year stop gap types that a team gets when someone gets hurt or has no other option. Personally, i don't think either unit is at that point yet.

What he said, plus if there aren't good players to use the money on then we would be better off restructuring future money to be paid to have it count this year, thereby freeing up money later on. For reference see what the Vikings did to build up a huge available cap this year and make lots of moves. One way or another, the cap will/should get used up.

[barzilla]

I would say wait until June 1st to see who is available. There is no reason to spend money for the sake of spending money. I will be disappointed if we enter the season without any free agent signings, but right now we just need to sit back and wait. Let's spend the next month in a half getting those rookies tied up.

[TexansTrueFan]

geez we still have like 3 months left, i dont think we should rush into signing a bunch of no good players, just because we have 8 million in cap space.

[DocBar]

Just cuz ya got it doesn't mean ya gotta spend it. I'm not a big fan of spending cap money just cuz ya have it. If a player is out there that fits your needs and budget, go for it. Don't just spend for the sake of bringing in a "name" player or FA on the downside of his career as a stop gap. If you've drafted wisely and spent wisely, you can coach average players to greatness by adapting your system to your player's strengths and making the sum of their talents greater than the individual talents.

[THEFUTURE]

the second you spend til your cap is full, is when your in trouble, cuz then the next year, most likely you will be over the cap, especially since so many contracts are back loaded

[DocBar]

Originally Posted by THEFUTURE

the second you spend til your cap is full, is when your in trouble, cuz then the next year, most likely you will be over the cap, especially since so many contracts are back loaded

This cannot be over-emphasized. The only garaunteed money NFL players get is the signing bonus. That is why they are often so large. Teams backload contracts so they can stay cap-friendly and release the player when the big paychecks are due. Ummmm....see the Texans D for further info on the subject.

[TexanTom]

I'm no salary cap expert but as I understand when you sign players to extensions during the season, as long as you do it before a certain date, you can prorate their new signing bonus starting that season as long as you have the cap room to do it. So if you've got 5 million dollars of cap space midseason and you want to sign some players to extensions (Domanick Davis, Chester Pitts, Seth Wand) you can take advantage of your cap space this year and prorate the bonus over an extra year. There is some point in the middle of the season where this is no longer allowed (don't remember when). I think I read that this is one of the tricks the Eagles use to keep their cap numbers lower. They signed 4 players to 5+ year extensions at the end of October/beginning of November last year.

[DocBar]

I'm certainly no cap expert. I was just trying to point out why we SHOULDN'T spend cap money just cuz it's there. Waste not, want not...or some dribble like that. Too many FA's sign for big $$$ and end up not only being busts, but busting salary caps.

[throwANDREtheBALL]

I read somewhere that he's going to be released for sure......and the funny thing is that he was saying that he wants to play defensive end.........I'm not sure if that's cuz he's lost 50 pounds since he got hurt or what ?

But anyhow, even if he was 280 pounds, I'd still rather have him on our offensive line than some of the other guys........especially the guy the in the MIDDLE..........(not to say any names).........but, that guy that snaps the ball.

Another funny thing is, I'd probably rather give Turley a shot at Seth Payne's job too, I think Turley's crazy enough to be good on the D-line. But, if we did sign him as a Defensive player, I wouldn't pay him anything more than the minimum salary. And I'd probably put something in his contract stating that if he totally sucks on the D-line then he has to play on the O-line.

Why didn't we just draft ALEX BARRON when we had the chance?

And why didn't we go after DT Anntaj Hawthorne, he dropped to the sixth round, cuz of some POT smoking......hahahaha........what a joke, I think I'd rather have him playing high, than Payne playing on steroids.

We should sign DT Albert Means to a contract, I'd rather have him more than any of the other Undrafted free agents we already signed.........I don't care if he's slow, the guy is huge, and he would definitely fill up some gaps.

[prtfly4awhguy2]

correct me if im wrong, but didnt we sign albert means, or bring him in for the rookie camp or watever to give him a try out?

[281]

He wasn't signed, but he has been invited to try out.

Well we Bills are wondering why Tom Donahoe isnt spending our money too. The only reason we can think up is maybe he is saving it so he can re-sign Nate Clements to a huge deal.

If I am correct then maybe your front office is thinking of doing the same (resigning one of your big names. Maybe Dominick Davis?) Who knows.

[TexanFanInCC]

i say we should get help for the o-line before anything else...

[TheOgre]

How much of that $8 million needs to go towards the rookies? Do we extend someone's contract? Do we sign a FA after June 1? There are man possible causes for this. If we don't find a good player to use some of that cap space on, we can always excellerate some prorated bonus moneys into this year (count against this year instead of later).

[BornOrange]

Originally Posted by throwANDREtheBALL

I read somewhere that he's going to be released for sure......and the funny thing is that he was saying that he wants to play defensive end.........I'm not sure if that's cuz he's lost 50 pounds since he got hurt or what ?
.............

Why didn't we just draft ALEX BARRON when we had the chance?

Turley has significant injury issues at this point in his career. The reason he wants to play defense is because he is physically unable to play on the offensive line because of his shoulder and he thinks it would be easier on the D-Line.

Alex Barron may not have been on the Texans draft board at all because of character issues. There are many who believe he has no interest in playing football. He would skip meetings with teams and apparantly he was the worst interview of the entire combine, with teams coming away doubting his commitment to football.

Barron would have been a disaster. I think it is highly appropriate that St Louis drafted him, because under Martz that team has completely fallen apart.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by throwANDREtheBALL

And why didn't we go after DT Anntaj Hawthorne, he dropped to the sixth round, cuz of some POT smoking......hahahaha........what a joke, I think I'd rather have him playing high, than Payne playing on steroids.

Payne is one of the hardest working players on this team. To accuse him of being a roid-boy is ridiculous. Of all people you would like in here, Turley is the candidate for being a steroid-hound with his dramatic weight loss after he stepped off the field last season. Hawthorne is said to be lazy and soft in addition to being a pot-head. Pot robs your ambition so one goes hand in hand with the other I guess. I'll take Seth Payne over an unmotivated player who can't stay away from a joint or a bong hit right before his job interview.