What are the odds Cam proves worth $22 mill in 2024?

[Greg Lloyd]

His contract was back loaded from day one...hence why his base salary this year is 16 mil. Now that he is due to get the bulk of his contract payed out people want him to take a pay cut or lose the final year of his contract pay. When teams show loyalty to players, maybe then I will fault a player for not being loyal...until that happens, take every last dollar and keep pushing for guaranteed contracts.

Do you still think Cam "made concessions" for re-doing his contract? (Shaking my head is disbelief). Unbelievable. Where did the other $6 mill of his contract go? Did they fail to pay it? LMFAO.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Looking at roster construction by going player by player and deciding if they are "worth" their average salary is silly. All that matters is that you get the best team you can under the cap.

Is Cam overpaid now for his production? I say no. But even if the answer is yes, that is more than negated by paying the QBs almost nothing.

Yeah, Cam should do the right thing and cut his own salary. Just as soon as the steelers voluntarily give raises to rookie contract guys like Freiermuth, Pickens, Warren, Joey Porter Jr. etc.

This defense is hot garbage without Cam right now. I'd love to know the cheap pro bowl caliber DT the steelers could get to replace him.

If you are trying to field the best team you can under the cap wouldn't overpaying for an aging vet's production, be an obstacle to that?
yes, we pay the QBs very little so that should equate to having more room to spend on other solid starting players (say a C or WR or RT), but if you overpay a vet for past production, you negate the benefit of those cheap QB contracts.
Everything move/contract plays a part in forming the best roster possible.

You simply can't field the best team possible, even with cheap QBs, if you are massively overpaying another player for past production. Maybe the D wouldn't look like hot garbage without Cam (as you say) if he were to take that haircut and bring in a solid rotational DL behind him to give him a breather since he is a bit long in the tooth say something like 15-16 million (which is more than fair) then allocate 6-7 million more to his backup. We could probably land a pretty solid rotational DL with that coin.

 

[Steeler Pride]

Do you still think Cam "made concessions" for re-doing his contract? (Shaking my head is disbelief). Unbelievable. Where did the other $6 mill of his contract go? Did they fail to pay it? LMFAO.

You don't consider a rear loaded contract a concession? LMFAO

 

[SCSteeler4life]

No way he is worth 22 million anymore. It's a business we have made the same mistakes in the past keeping our greats way past their prime.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

His contract was back loaded from day one...hence why his base salary this year is 16 mil. Now that he is due to get the bulk of his contract payed out people want him to take a pay cut or lose the final year of his contract pay. When teams show loyalty to players, maybe then I will fault a player for not being loyal...until that happens, take every last dollar and keep pushing for guaranteed contracts.

Also a great point- the player perspective, and have to side with player in the end. You've convinced me, pay the man!!!

My above response to tape was in reference to looking at things from the management perspective and cap management. From one side it doesn't make so much sense to overpay as many teams treat their players like nothing more than a product it is nice to see the MoY get his due even if it is not great cap management.

Will we win SBs mismanaging the cap? Probably not, but who we kidding, Mike ain't even winning a playoff game much less a SB. May as well pay Cam since the at least he's winning an award.

 

[diver]

If you are trying to field the best team you can under the cap wouldn't overpaying for an aging vet's production, be an obstacle to that?
yes, we pay the QBs very little so that should equate to having more room to spend on other solid starting players (say a C or WR or RT), but if you overpay a vet for past production, you negate the benefit of those cheap QB contracts.
Everything move/contract plays a part in forming the best roster possible.

You simply can't field the best team possible, even with cheap QBs, if you are massively overpaying another player for past production. Maybe the D wouldn't look like hot garbage without Cam (as you say) if he were to take that haircut and bring in a solid rotational DL behind him to give him a breather since he is a bit long in the tooth say something like 15-16 million (which is more than fair) then allocate 6-7 million more to his backup. We could probably land a pretty solid rotational DL with that coin.

Those are fair points. I just think at this point there is no pressing need to have the discussion about cutting his salary. I don't think his salary would be a detriment to signing somebody if they want to. Where it might get interesting is post draft and June cuts. Maybe more of a higher tier guy gets cut loose that can really help the team at a position of need. Then you would think they have to discuss it. I think this would be a more appropriate discussion then or in August if he is sitting there at that number.

Another thing though, what if they determine there is really no one else out there deserving a bigger deal. Do they cut his salary or push it down the road just for the sake of it? Maybe they are waiting a bit just to see how things shake out.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Those are fair points. I just think at this point there is no pressing need to have the discussion about cutting his salary. I don't think his salary would be a detriment to signing somebody if they want to. Where it might get interesting is post draft and June cuts. Maybe more of a higher tier guy gets cut loose that can really help the team at a position of need. Then you would think they have to discuss it. I think this would be a more appropriate discussion then or in August if he is sitting there at that number.

Another thing though, what if they determine there is really no one else out there deserving a bigger deal. Do they cut his salary or push it down the road just for the sake of it? Maybe they are waiting a bit just to see how things shake out.

That was just a cap management/management perspective, not mine in particular
I'm all for paying him, he earned it...he's paid it forward several time now its his due
I'm with Steeler Pride and look at it through the player's lenses.

 

[diver]

That was just a cap management/management perspective, not mine in particular
I'm all for paying him, he earned it...he's paid it forward several time now its his due
I'm with Steeler Pride and look at it through the player's lenses.

Me too. Both entities sign the contracts. If I recall correctly, in the early days of FA in the 90s Dan Rooney made a statement about the fact that he wouldn't ask players to take a cut to get more freedom with the cap because he didn't want them asking to renegotiate for higher pay, either. A contact is a contract. With the way things are, you can't compete that way anymore, so the Steelers like all teams got away from that ideal. So I am all for players getting whatever they can, because when it benefits the team to ask you to take a cut or to be released they will not hesitate.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

You don't consider a rear loaded contract a concession? LMFAO

You just don't "get it." Why is it Cam has a cap space of $22 mill yet is only going to get paid $16 mill? I'll give you a few minutes to figure it out.......

Because he has already been paid the $6 mill ahead of time. NOT REAR LOADED. The cap takes the $ paid in the front and divides it equally over the length of the contract. I give up on teaching you. Have a blast.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Me too. Both entities sign the contracts. If I recall correctly, in the early days of FA in the 90s Dan Rooney made a statement about the fact that he wouldn't ask players to take a cut to get more freedom with the cap because he didn't want them asking to renegotiate for higher pay, either. A contact is a contract. With the way things are, you can't compete that way anymore, so the Steelers like all teams got away from that ideal. So I am all for players getting whatever they can, because when it benefits the team to ask you to take a cut or to be released they will not hesitate.

Well, Dan may have said that but the Steelers didn't stick to it; they have asked players to re-do their deals with a pay reduction involved. They may do it less than avg., but they do it.

 

[Steeler Pride]

You just don't "get it." Why is it Cam has a cap space of $22 mill yet is only going to get paid $16 mill? I'll give you a few minutes to figure it out.......

Because he has already been paid the $6 mill ahead of time. NOT REAR LOADED. The cap takes the $ paid in the front and divides it equally over the length of the contract. I give up on teaching you. Have a blast.

His BASE pay is 16MIL for 2024. What was his base for the previous 3 years...it was a back loaded contract that paid more with each year of the contract. It has nothing to do with the cap.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

His BASE pay is 16MIL for 2024. What was his base for the previous 3 years...it was a back loaded contract that paid more with each year of the contract. It has nothing to do with the cap.

If this has nothing to do with the cap, why is his cap hit at $22 mill in 2024? They threw another $6 mill on it just for fun times?

 

[Steeler Pride]

If this has nothing to do with the cap, why is his cap hit at $22 mill in 2024? They threw another $6 mill on it just for fun times?

You can't be this stupid. Cam gets more money with each year of the contract. THAT IS CALLED BACK LOADING a contract. If he gets cut, he never sees the bulk of the money that he signed for. The cap hit is irrelevant to the fact that his contract was team friendly up front with a higher impact for each additional year.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

You can't be this stupid. Cam gets more money with each year of the contract. THAT IS CALLED BACK LOADING a contract. If he gets cut, he never sees the bulk of the money that he signed for. The cap hit is irrelevant to the fact that his contract was team friendly up front with a higher impact for each additional year.

You obviously don't grasp how signing bonuses work. So be it. Ba bye.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

Look at meeee!!!!!

 

[TDX27]

Cam earned his contract. The Steelers structured his payments that put the highest cap hit at the end. If Cam isn't worth the $22 million cap hit, they can cut him and carry the dead money. They could sign him to a 2-year extension with his $22 million upfront as a signing bonus with minimal salary this year. That is a win-win for both sides. Cam still gets the money owed him and the Steelers get cap relief this year and then dead money of $7 million and change the next 2 years.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Look at meeee!!!!!

Why? What did you do?

 

[BLITZ]

Bacon

 

[Steeler Pride]

Bacon

 

[stillwright]

Cam earned his contract. The Steelers structured his payments that put the highest cap hit at the end. If Cam isn't worth the $22 million cap hit, they can cut him and carry the dead money. They could sign him to a 2-year extension with his $22 million upfront as a signing bonus with minimal salary this year. That is a win-win for both sides. Cam still gets the money owed him and the Steelers get cap relief this year and then dead money of $7 million and change the next 2 years.

OR.................they can tell him they need him to take a pay cut or they will release him. All players earn their contracts and a very large portion of them get cut every year.....that is the NFL.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Look at meeee!!!!!

why, you got some bacon?

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Signing bonuses get spread over the length of the contract. If the signing bonus is $10 mill and the contract is for 5 years, then the cap hit is for $2 mill a year. It's not that complicated.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

Why? What did you do?

Look At meee!!!!

 

[troymania]

I know it's a business however optics are a part of business practice as well. The things done in Pittsburgh on and off the field mitigate his salary. Give the money up front and let it ride. He is the Walter Payton Man of the Year. I'm thinking the man can still play. Rooney can afford to give the big bag upfront. Then sign Tyler Boyd and Conner Williams.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Very little but appears option is to have him not play in 2025 for 10 million.