The Redskins were rumored to be planning a halt to the start of the 2013 Free Agency period, this started a lot of buzz about what the team would do, Was it a bluff? Does “the Danny” have something up his sleeve? With all the talk of the “Logo” and the Redskins name being under attack by those that say it’s offensive. Word leaked the Redskins had something cooking… In the end even the NFLPA wanted in on some of the action. The same NFLPA that could have prevented all of this (and had a stronger collusion case), had there not been a looming election.
The Washington Redskins were hit with a $36 million cap penalty on the eve of the start of the 2012 free agency period, That team in Texas got hit with a $10 million hit and they appear to have moved on. The Redskins on the other hand, haven’t really said anything. A few years ago I wrote about the Redskins not working within the NFL’s Salary Cap, simply because they could move the number however they want.
After all the changes since those articles, you still here about “Cash over Cap” and “ back loaded deals”. Fortunately for Redskins Nation, it not how Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan do business. That was the Vinny C. way of doing things. We knew Haynesworthlessness was gonna get paid, we knew giving Adam Arch, Brandon Lloyd, and ARE damn near identical contracts that totally overpaid the trio, we knew Zorn would be fired when he had know idea he should be looking for a landing spot.
As fans of the greatest team on the planet, that has had nothing but bad luck since JKC was the owner, we’ve suffered for so long we’ve gotten to the point that we’ll justify anything that is pro B&G. The truth is the Redskins were warned not to dump money into the uncapped year, but that’s what they are said to have done. A few teams dump money into the uncapped year. NONE of them were punished, three teams moved “cap” money into the uncapped year, ALL of them were punished, the Saints punishment was not sharing in “Mara’s loot”, and that team to the west of them that plays in the NFC east lost five million in cap space for two years. No wonder the only people wanting to stand with the Redskins are the people that put them where they are.
The biggest dumping not penalized was the Peppers’ contract with the Bears, it’s everyone that follows this tomfoolery bases for why the Washington Redskins shouldn’t have been punished. Before we move on let me state the Bears weren’t punished because… they did what they were told not to do, to the letter. They gave Peppers $6 million in signing bonus to be spread out over the length of the contract (just like all teams do), but the dropped twenty million into base salary that year. In a capped year that would have been a base of $6 mil;lion (or less) and signing bonus of $20 million (or a yearly cap hit of five million plus). The Washington Redskins, the Saints and that team in Texas, didn’t spend any money.
All three teams took upcoming (or payments now due) and converted them into signing bonuses, these restructured deals paid the players cash but it wasn’t new money… and each deal include player buy out options. They knew what they were doing and got caught. If somebody needs to be the fall guy all fingers would point at the Vice President of Football Administration Eric Schaffer.
Eric Schaffer the defacto contract man… the number cruncher… the capolgist. Now you should understand why no one s pointing the finger at him.
Vinny told him to pay these guys stupid money while the Four Letter Network was reporting the Redskins cap was so bad they’ed be lucky to field 22 rookies… he did it. Vinny said “throw the fat boy a $100 million deal, but we need to keep Hall regardless what he wants” Eric did it and moved on. When the Mike and Bruce show came to town, Schaffer did what he has done for the six or seven years (name a coach that has lasted six year). They told him to clean up the mess Vinny made as we gut this roster and rebuild on the run. Eric Schaffer said ‘”I can do that”. Then he did it. And here we are.
The Redskins didn’t break the stated rules however while staying within the stated rules they exploited the hell out of what the rules were meant to prevent. Eric Schaffer did what the team asked him to do and it pissed some of them off. So they attacked him where he lives (player contracts and the salary)
This is not where they (whoever they are) want to fight. Schaffer has been through at least four regimes working for a owner that fires more people that Donald Trump, and has been getting a paycheck from “the Danny” for more than a decade. Case in point would be last free agency eve, for the first twenty-four hours it was a $36 million dollar hit, after the weekend past he got word it would be split over two years. In between he signed Pierre Garcon,, Josh Morgan, and were linked to other big name free agent targets. They did all this after retaining the players the wanted to keep. I’m not sure if Schaffer was told to do it or he if he was flipping off the Commish in his own way, but Adam Carriker’s was one of the first contracts negotiated after the start of the 2012 league year and was structured in the identical manner as the two re-structured contracts they were punished for during “Capgate”.
Personally I think it was a “flip off” and Eric hasn’t looked back.
Really he does what he’s told to do… that’s why he gets paid the big bucks. Granted he should have been paid more when he followed the orders of a idiot, actually he should have been paid even more for cleaning up the idiots mess.
With just over 24 hours before the tree agency market opens the Washington Redskins are reportedly $3 to $4 million over the cap, won’t be major plsyers in the market and don’t have the cap space to retain their own free agents, are just about finish re-signing the RFAs talking to their URFAs and the agents of players that can fill needs on the roster.
The Washington Redskins are “over the cap” yet they have re-signed Paulsen, Young, Kory L., Rob Jackson and Nick Sundberg, with more to come before free agency starts.
As far as this cap penalty goes I say until someone explains to Eric Schaffer that he can’t take the rules literally, they can’t expect the Redskins to be truly hindered by cap penalties… and until that time no one can point the finger at Mr. Schaffer.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Bernie Marshall