Telesco interview 1090

[Panama]

One option no one is really considering is keeping virtually everyone. There are only two locks in my mind - Cox and McClain will be cut. Everyone else could theoretically be retained. We aren't really in a spot where we need to make cuts to get under the cap. We can make enough room for rookies with very few moves.

Telesco can feel that they just need to add on a bit to the guys we have on the roster. Not saying I agree necessarily, but that could be the way we go for this upcoming year. In 2015 all these veteran contracts come off the books.

Just not true.

Actually, yes, I've been hearing the same thing. I remember reading something in the UT about a month ago stating that our cap situation next year actually won't be too bad. Is there a reliable source for cap figures that show our situation being so dire?

[oneinchpunch]

UT:

The Chargers are playing their best football of the season. But they’re doing it too late.

So it’s not too early to write this column.

The players and coaches will focus on now, and even among the personnel folks there is a reluctance to look beyond this Sunday. But they know 2014 is about to begin without them still playing, which means it’s time to think about next season.

And for the Chargers, it’s a good time to move on.

The team has at least $11 million (and as much as $27 million) in cap commitments sitting on its books that it can readily turn into cap space.

Some of those contracts, they almost certainly will jettison. Others require difficult decisions, and the factor that might not figure least in those determinations revolves around how soon they believe a more successful future will arrive.

Do you pay Jarret Johnson $4 million because you think his ability and veteran presence will help make a difference between being mediocre and earning a postseason berth? Do you let Jeromey Clary and his $4.55 million salary go, or do you restructure his contract because you think he will continue to provide crucial physicality at right guard?

These are among the questions facing Tom Telesco, who is about to no longer be a first-year general manager, Mike McCoy, who is about to no longer be a rookie head coach, and Executive VP John Spanos, who is comfortably situated in a big new office and firmly entrenched as one of the team’s football decision makers.

Now, while he performed well in his first solo foray into free agency –- Derek Cox notwithstanding -- Telesco seems wholly committed to building through the draft. That means the Chargers might not need all that money they could wring out of the roster.

But they would like to re-sign linebacker Donald Butler, and they may look ahead to extending some other players like Corey Liuget. They may not need to sign as many complementary players as they did this past spring, but they have a lot to do, and the draft can’t provide all their needs.

Money won’t be an issue in trying to get it done.

Back in February when they were looking at the possibility of restructuring contracts, they figured they did not need to in large part because they had cap relief coming in 2014.

That relief is not readily explained without accounting for the purging of some salary.

The Chargers are slightly more than $1 million over the cap for 2014, which reportedly is set to increase to 126.3 million.

But several veteran players are reaching the end (expensive portion) of their contracts.

It is difficult to see the Chargers keeping wide receiver Eddie Royal at $4.5 million ($6 million cap number) or fullback Le’Ron McClain at $2.5 million ($3.3 million cap number). The combined cap savings by jettisoning those two would be $7 million.

Additionally, Cox seems certain to be cut after one year, which would save the Chargers $4.25 million in 2014 (they can push $2.6 million of his cap hit to ’15).

Further, Dwight Freeney and Malcom Floyd not returning from injury would be a blow but also would clear about $6 million from the books. A 34-year-old linebacker coming back from a quadriceps injury is a lot to bank on, though the Chargers could pay Freeney’s $500,000 roster bonus in March and hope for the best. There is no indication whether Floyd can come back from the neck injury that ended his season in September.

The Chargers might also look to restructure the salaries of right guard Jeromey Clary, who is due $4.55 million ($6.25 cap number). And while they seem inclined to pay center Nick Hardwick's $3.4 million base salary and $1 million roster bonus after he had a Pro Bowl-worthy year, there remains the possibility he could walk away from the game after 10 seasons, leaving a gigantic hole but clearing $4.4 million in cap space.

Restructuring the contracts of Philip Rivers ($16.66 million cap hit) and/or Eric Weddle ($10.1 million cap hit) are also options.

As for Johnson, $4 million in salary ($5.5 million cap hit) is a lot to pay a 33-year-old linebacker coming off a season in which he missed five games to injury. But Johnson is beloved in the locker room and is especially influential amongst the team’s young linebackers.

It should all make for an interesting winter and spring.

It is commendable how well the new regime did remodeling this roster this year, patching it together almost well enough to make it a playoff team, even as they knew their rebuilding project would extend to ’14 and beyond.

As their second phase of construction is set to begin, they have financial flexibility.

[Boltjolt]

Actually, yes, I've been hearing the same thing. I remember reading something in the UT about a month ago stating that our cap situation next year actually won't be too bad. Is there a reliable source for cap figures that show our situation being so dire?

I guess you didn't see Acees latest then. I think he was reading my posts on this, and I posted the teams salaries for next year who are under contract. Not sure what else you need.

EDIT , OIP posted it above first, unless you want to read it without it being pasted.

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/19/chargers-salary-cap-room-acee/

Message by Nexus 5

[BoltBalls]

Acee said in that article that "Money won’t be an issue in trying to get it done." and "As their second phase of construction is set to begin, they have financial flexibility." which means to me that it isn't such a dire cap situation. I agree with releasing Royal and McClain, and restructuring Clary, Rivers and/or Weddle will also give us extra room. What worries me is if Hardwick decides to retire, then we have serious issues with the OL to deal with.

[SDFan]

[Panama]

I guess you didn't see Acees latest then. I think he was reading my posts on this, and I posted the teams salaries for next year who are under contract. Not sure what else you need.

EDIT , OIP posted it above first, unless you want to read it without it being pasted.

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/19/chargers-salary-cap-room-acee/

Message by Nexus 5

Yup, just read it posted above. But it's funny, as I was reading it, I was thinking, "See, I told you so!" It's amusing how we can both read the same article and draw such completely different conclusions.

As their second phase of construction is set to begin, they have financial flexibility.

Yeah, they have to let some players go. We all know that. But it's nowhere near as dire as you and others seem to want to think. We all agree that Royal, McClain, and Cox are almost certainly gone, right? Well, that's $11.25M in cap savings right there, so if we are about a million over the cap those three cuts alone would put us $10M below. Extend Clary, and possibly rework Rivers and/or Weddle, and voila! Even more cap space!

But cut Freeney and JJ and suddenly there's a hole in the roster which we aren't likely to be able to replace without spending a lot more than we would have paid those two veterans. As others have said, it's neither a smart football move nor a smart financial move. We have the financial flexibility to let those two play out their contracts.

Thank you to you and OIP for pointing me to a source with actual reliable figures to verify what I've been saying.

[TTK]

What worries me is if Hardwick decides to retire, then we have serious issues with the OL to deal with.

Hardwick could change his mind any day but listening to him being interviewed recently, it sure doesn't sound like he is even thinking of retiring.

[oneinchpunch]

The Acee article proved me right once again.

[sandiego17]

That's funny.

Its true that Acee is a brilliant, objective man. He doesn't let personal feelings affect his work. Very JayParisesque in that way.

[Formula 21]

All the worry about the cap hit in letting Geather and Meachum go, and it meant nothing.

[thelightningwill]

1. QB
2. DL

3. OL

Word

[Boltjolt]

Yup, just read it posted above. But it's funny, as I was reading it, I was thinking, "See, I told you so!" It's amusing how we can both read the same article and draw such completely different conclusions.



Yeah, they have to let some players go. We all know that. But it's nowhere near as dire as you and others seem to want to think. We all agree that Royal, McClain, and Cox are almost certainly gone, right? Well, that's $11.25M in cap savings right there, so if we are about a million over the cap those three cuts alone would put us $10M below. Extend Clary, and possibly rework Rivers and/or Weddle, and voila! Even more cap space!

But cut Freeney and JJ and suddenly there's a hole in the roster which we aren't likely to be able to replace without spending a lot more than we would have paid those two veterans. As others have said, it's neither a smart football move nor a smart financial move. We have the financial flexibility to let those two play out their contracts.

Thank you to you and OIP for pointing me to a source with actual reliable figures to verify what I've been saying.

Its all im saying. It isnt "dire" and never said it was but to have some room to just sign our rookies, they will need to release some players and thats what ive been saying. Some players will get released. It was stated that we can just keep everyone and not add FA's and we will be fine and that is not true. There will be some changes, there always is.

Rinehart is not under contract for next year for example......we need a OG and if Troutman steps in, great and he most likely will, then we need some depth behind him but we wont be able to resign Rinehart if we dont let anybody go,........ and then you have to account for injuries and be able to sign some replacements during the season which is how we ended up with Freeney.