re: Nasty Nick Fairly done?

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there's no "settlement" that's going to be less than his "guaranteed" part of his contract. 8 or 9 mill i believe but i'm not a capwiz.

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Actually, for retired players, there is the so-called "Barry Sanders rule."

Basically, the signing bonus is upfront money for performance in future seasons. If Fairley retires, the Saints can collect the signing bonus back. Now deals can be worked out or the Saints can decide to eat the money, but if the money is returned, there should be a salary cap credit for the team.

So, I think it would be fair for the Saints and Fairley to agree to a return of $6,000,000 for the future years under the signing bonus in exchange for his base salary ($1,000,000) and this year's portion of the signing bonus ($2,000,000). All in all, Fairley would have been paid six million for 1 year's worth of games for the Saints while the Saints get some refund from the contract.

I could give a more concrete answer but I don't feel like reading the CBA again.