Here is an updated list for all 32 teams in the NFL, as of today (Sunday, December 8, 2013) according to the NFLPA's League Cap Report website.
The figures are listed below in order of most cap space to least cap space:
For the sake of reference, I'm also listing them in alphabetical order:
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As can be seen above, the Giants are $132,418 under the cap as of today. This ranks them 31st in the entire league. Only the Rams have less cap room than the Giants do (they are only $17,718 under the cap). If only one more player goes on I.R. for the Rams, then they'll have to make more room under the cap.
If the Giants sustained another two injuries at the present time that necessitated a player going on season-ending Injured Reserve, they could handle it cap-wise (provided that one of those two players who go on I.R. has a salary split like Brandon Jacobs or Terrell Thomas do). Another condition must be that the players who replace them have no accrues years of experience. This is why we see most in-season transactions that have to do with additions to the 53-man roster involve players with 1-3 accrues seasons of experience, especially for cap strapped teams like the Rams and Giants.
The Giants will have a healthy amount of cap room this coming off-season. This season's leftover cap room will carry over into next year's. We'll found out what that exact number is after the regular season, provided the Giants don't make the playoffs, which looks pretty likely to happen in the next week or two. Last season, the Giants carried over exactly $1,000,000 from their 2011 season "cap leftovers" into the 2012 salary cap pool.
This year's number promises to be significantly smaller than that. As mentioned above, the Giants are only $132,418 under the cap now according to the NFLPA's figures (keep in mind that the only truly 100% accurate figures are kept by the NFL Management Council, and they hardly ever are leaked). Incentives are going to factor in to the money left over at the end of the season to determine exactly how much is going to be carried over into the 2014 season's salary cap pool, so it's probable that even less than that $132,418 figure will carry over into the 2014 season's total.
Here they are listed below:
- Note:
- Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs) are highlighted in yellow.
- The players with voidable years in 2014 are highlighted in orange.
- Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) are highlighted in green.
- I didn't include Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFAs) on this list because they aren't a big enough factor into salary cap decisions (certain players with 2 accrued seasons towards free agency).
- As can be seen, out of the 33 players on this list above, there are 24 UFAs (highlighted in yellow).
- 5 of these players who are UFAs are on season ending Injured Reserve now.
- The only players who have realistic chances to be re-signed by the giants next year are Stevie Brown and Aaron Ross (Rogers is too old and injury prone, while Adams and Scott are nothign more than camp fodder at this point).
- There are 2 players (highlighted in orange)--Webster and Myers--who have voidable years.
- It's doubtful that Myers & Webster will be on the team next year (especially Webster), as not bringing them back will result in a total of $4.25 million in cap savings: $1 million for Webster, and another $3.25 million for Myers.
- There are 7 RFAs (highlighted in green); all of these players will have to be tendered by the Giants if they intend to keep them in 2014. Listed below are last year's RFA tender rates:
- What the Giants do with their 7 RFAs tender-wise is going to be fascinating.
- 2 of these 7 impending RFAs are on season ending Injured Reserve: Hynoski & Cordle.
- They may or may not be tendered.
- Hynoski will probably be brought back to have a training camp battle with John Conner for the FB position (the Giants will only keep one heading into the 2014 season opener); the odds are against Hynoski based on Conner's excellent performance at the position thus far with the club.
- I suspect that Hynoski might just be signed to a deal similar to to the one Bear Pascoe signed last year; Pascoe wasn't tendered as a RFA, even though he was eligible to be one. Instead, the Giants and Pascoe agreed to a one-year deal that was less than the lowest tender amount, but higher than his previous year's salary (click HERE to see).
- If Hynoski beats out Conner, then the carrot at the end of the stick for him makes sense to be a roster bonus, if he doesn't the Giants just cut bait on him, and eat the small amount of bonus money that he would be signed for ($65 K to $80 K).
- The other 5 RFAs are not all locks to be back next year, as they would all have to be tendered by the team first.
- Right now, my guess is that of these 7 (Hynoski, Cordle, Jernigan, Brewer, Williams, Herzlich, & Paysinger) only Williams and Brewer will only definitely be tendered.
- It would make sense to tender them at their original round tenders--the lowest.
- Last year, this figure was $1,323,000.
- Jacquian Williams was drafted in the 4th round in 2011, and James Brewer was drafted in the 4th round that same year. A second round tender might be considered for Williams though (the 2nd round tender amount last year was $2,023,000).
- In my opinion, Herzlich isn't worthy of being tendered at all.
- Paysinger probably does though, but it's not a surety (a Pascoe type of deal might also make sense with him).
- Cordle is an interesting case; he battled and improved enough to warrant a roster spot next year, but do the giants feel that he's worthy of taking up about $1 million in cap room because of it (almost double his cap number of $555,000 this season); the Pascoe treatment also seems logical for him in 2014.
