How does a Suh franchise tag have a $26M cap hit?

I heard on Mike and Mike that it's the franchise number for DT's or 120% of his last year salary...something like that. And 120% of his last year salaray is $26MM.

I could be way off on that as I don't really get the salary cap and what counts against it, but that's what I heard on the radio this morning.

Ahh, that would make sense.

Just found this: LINK

Suh had a $22.4M cap hit in 2014, but never hit the cap for more than $12M in any previous year.

It is pretty crazy how poorly this was managed by Detroit.

quote:

---

It is pretty crazy how poorly this was managed by Detroit.

---

How do you figure? It's not like they don't have an excellent chance to re-sign him if they want.

quote:

---

I heard on Mike and Mike that it's the franchise number for DT's or 120% of his last year salary

---

I always thought that it was the average of the top 5 players at that position, but I don't know why I thought that. I'm far from a capologist. (obviously).

quote:

---

I always thought that it was the average of the top 5 players at that position, but I don't know why I thought that. I'm far from a capologist. (obviously).

---

Yeah, maybe I worded it poorly, but...

"the franchise number for DT's" = "the average of the top five earners at that position"

NFL compensation system is so screwed up. All the way down to the non-guaranteed contracts.

Practice squad players are paid less than the league minimum for a player on the 53-man roster, but they are not struggling. For 2014, the practice squad salary minimum is $6,300 per week. Teams may pay more than the minimum, and they will typically try to keep players who may sign with another team's 53-man roster by paying them more than the minimum.

Each year the NFL minimum salaries increase by $15,000, up to $435k for a rookie in 2015. A player’s minimum salary is determined by his years of experience (YOE), ranging from 0 to 10 or more.

When qualified, a player with more than two years of NFL experience can earn his total minimum salary, but have a cap figure that reflects two years of experience – or in 2014, $570,000. The contract must be for only one year, and must not contain combined bonus money (signing, roster, workout) that exceeds $65,000.

For instance, Shayne Graham recently re-signed with the New Orleans Saints on a 1 year $955,000 contract. With more than two years of experience (12), and a 1 year contract, Graham qualfies for the cap hit benefit. His 2014 cap figure will be $570,000 in New Orleans.

Well he first signed an albatross contract as a rookie coming into the league

Then the Lions just kicked the can down the road with all his guarantees until it came to last season and It made him impossible to tag

quote:

---

It is not very surprising how poorly this was managed by Detroit.




Detroit gonna detroit

---

What detroit has done is no big deal nor a sign of incompetence. That was pretty much their best option. What the cap hit would be is irrelevant; it's theoretical so it doesn't matter. They don't really want that psycho anyway.

quote:

---

What detroit has done is no big deal nor a sign of incompetence

---

Notice how no one decided to explain how it was handled poorly.

They didn't have much of a choice...Suh restructured a couple times to help sign FAs...they kicked the can down the road, but having three massive contracts on their books hasn't really gotten in the way of signing players or building a competitive roster. If anything, the front office has done a great job balancing all of that.

Suh was going to earn a massive contract at some point...not sure how they dropped the ball here.