When you bring up the Falcons’ salary-cap situation, president Rich McKay has a flashback.
He starts spinning a yarn about salary-cap hard times from his days in Tampa Bay when they didn’t have enough room to fill out the practice squad.
That was salary-cap hard times. The Falcons project to be $24.3 million over the cap, in the midst of a search for a new general manager.
McKay doesn’t see that as a problem. However, it has been a topic with the candidates.
“Yeah, we’ve talked about salary cap in both the interviews that we’ve done so far on GMs and what their thoughts and plans would be,” McKay said Monday. “I wouldn’t say anybody expressed concerns about it. They certainly are aware of it.”
The Falcons will have until 4 p.m. March 17 to get under the cap. That’s the start of the new NFL business year. Currently the cap projects to be around $176 million.
For now, the Falcons’ top six salary-cap numbers for 2021 belong to quarterback Matt Ryan ($40.9 million), wide receiver Julio Jones ($23.05 million), defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ($20.8 million), left tackle Jake Matthews ($20.2 million) and defensive end Dante Fowler ($18.6 million) and middle linebacker Deion Jones ($12.6 million).
The Falcons could save $23.3 million by cutting their top five players with the most potential salary-cap savings in safety Ricardo Allen ($6.2 million), Jarrett ($5.3 million), left guard James Carpenter ($5.3 million), defensive end Allen Bailey ($4.5 million) and Fowler ($3.3 million). You can bump than number down to $18 million because they are not cutting Jarrett, who went to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and will be a key rebuilding block for the new regime.
So, that would still leave the Falcons a more manageable $6.3 million over the cap. They could restructure some other deals and prorate some bonuses to squeeze under the cap.
“One of the things that I think (owner) Arthur (Blank) noted that -- and I know you all on this call know this, but you should realize what an opportunity it is for us to get to interview all these people,” McKay said. “You learn so much, and there’s so much brought to the table on, for instance, an analysis of why we’re here.”
Part of the interviews have centered around solutions to the salary-cap issues.
“It’s nice to get a fresh set of eyes from the outside that looks at your team and says, what about this and what about that?” McKay said. “And so I think that that’s going to go on.”
The Falcons believe they can get better and manage the salary cap.
“It will be in discussion from the standpoint of strategy around it, as opposed to the word ‘concern,’” McKay said. “I know based on the articles I’ve read, people are writing, but I’m not sure I’ve heard that from the candidates.”
Blank said that Ryan and Jones were not off-limits. But cutting them would exacerbate the problem with the salary cap. Even designating them as post-June 1 cuts would be harmful to the cap and leave a massive hole of dead money.
The Falcons have $7.8 million in dead cap space in 2021 from cutting Demsond Trufant, offensive lineman Jamon Brown and cornerback Jordan Miller.
As the Falcons contemplate any changes to their roster driven by the salary cap, they are learning about their team from candidates they are interviewing.
“The advantage to the number of candidates that we’re talking to is we’re getting not only an independent evaluation of our roster and what have you, but these are from general managers and coaches that have competed against us,” Blank said.
“It’s one thing to get somebody else from the outside, but it’s quite something else when you get it from somebody who actually had to do all the advance work, the pregame stuff and getting ready to compete against you and then having competed against you in the current year or very close to the current year.”
Blank seems to welcome the critiques from the candidates.
“(They are) sharing with you not only just things that you see through your eyes, which can be a little bit rose-colored like we have with our own children, but somebody from the outside looking in saying, ‘You know what, we saw some other things that we think are real pluses or maybe things that need to be addressed sooner,’” Blank said.
The Falcons will have to do some additional maneuvering to re-sign unrestricted free agents such as Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo and cornerback Darqueze Dennard. They’ll have to make another major move if center Alex Mack wants to continue playing. The six-time Pro Bowler made $9 million last season.
Defensive end Charles Harris ($2.7 million) and safety Keanu Neal ($2.6 million) are at the end of their rookie contracts. Running back Todd Gurley made $5.5 million from the Falcons this season and appears headed to free agency.
It’s unknown if Mack wants to continue playing.
“That’s a conversation I would have to have with Alex,” Ryan said. “That’s one of those things, we have to see where his head’s at. He’s (had) a tough couple of weeks with concussion, then being able to come back and then (get) COVID. Certainly not the way he’d like to end the year, but he’s had a great run here.
“He’s been an awesome teammate, and I’ll see where his head’s at for the future, but that’s a decision that’s fit for him and his family.”
Falcons’ 2021 draft position
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Houston)
4. Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
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