Are the Redskins the next NY Yankees?
Unlike baseball the NFL splits TV revenues, so this tends to keep the teams more even in terms of revenue. Last week I looked at the different amounts of cap space each team had; and found a number that didn't even come close to hitting the cap. A few were bumping right up against the limit. Now lets take a look at the actual revenue (total money taken in) and net income (total revenues less expenses) of the teams. This gives some insight into who has money to spend and which teams are already at their fiscal limits. Here are the gross revenues of all the teams:
| Team | Revenue |
| Vikings | 195 |
| 49ers | 201 |
| Cardinals | 203 |
| Falcons | 203 |
| Colts | 203 |
| Jaguars | 204 |
| Lions | 204 |
| Bengals | 205 |
| Raiders | 205 |
| Bills | 206 |
| Rams | 206 |
| Chargers | 207 |
| Saints | 213 |
| Jets | 213 |
| Giants | 214 |
| Chiefs | 214 |
| Seahawks | 215 |
| Titans | 216 |
| Steelers | 216 |
| Packers | 218 |
| Browns | 220 |
| Panthers | 221 |
| Bucs | 224 |
| Bears | 226 |
| Broncos | 226 |
| Ravens | 226 |
| Dolphins | 232 |
| Eagles | 237 |
| Texans | 239 |
| Cowboys | 269 |
| Patriots | 282 |
| Redskins | 327 |
Even with revenue sharing, the Washington Redskins are taking in 50% more than the teams in the smaller and even medium markets. The sale of luxury boxes in the nations capital or cities that have corporate headquarters is much easier than somewhere like Minnesota. One surprise for me was the revenue of Green Bay which I would have expected to be a small market low revenue franchise.
It is also interesting to take a look at net income, a franchise might have big revenue that is then offset by large expenses and be in the same spot as a 'frugal' franchise. The net income also gives an idea of how much more is available to spend on player salary and still have the organization break even.
| Team | Income |
| Lions | -3 |
| 49ers | 4 |
| Seahawks | 9 |
| Chiefs | 12 |
| Bills | 12 |
| Steelers | 14 |
| Colts | 16 |
| Chargers | 19 |
| Browns | 19 |
| Vikings | 19 |
| Broncos | 19 |
| Falcons | 19 |
| Cardinals | 20 |
| Saints | 21 |
| Bengals | 22 |
| Packers | 22 |
| Panthers | 22 |
| Ravens | 23 |
| Titans | 25 |
| Jets | 26 |
| Rams | 26 |
| Raiders | 27 |
| Jaguars | 28 |
| Cowboys | 31 |
| Eagles | 33 |
| Bears | 34 |
| Dolphins | 36 |
| Bucs | 39 |
| Patriots | 39 |
| Giants | 41 |
| Texans | 44 |
| Redskins | 58 |
This last number is what I'm calling 'Cap Gap'; this is the cap room that the team has available with their net income subtracted; this is the amount of cap that the team can't use even if it wanted to because they just don't have the income to support that large a payroll. The larger the cap gap; the less competitive you would expect the team to be. Any team with a negative 'Cap Gap' could hit the cap with payroll and still make money. Looking at these figures you can see why the Cowboys might take on another big salary; while Detroit would need to dump it. If the Collective Bargaining Agreement is not renewed, the teams with the most negative values would be able to spend that money on salaries. The Redskins would be in a good position to become the New York Yankees of the NFL.
| Team | Cap Gap |
| Redskins | -65 |
| Patriots | -36 |
| Panthers | -27 |
| Colts | -26 |
| Texans | -24 |
| Rams | -22 |
| Eagles | -21 |
| Bucs | -20 |
| Giants | -20 |
| Cowboys | -18 |
| Ravens | -17 |
| Falcons | -15 |
| Cardinals | -14 |
| Bears | -13.7 |
| Jets | -9 |
| Broncos | -8 |
| Packers | -7 |
| Raiders | -7 |
| Dolphins | -5.1 |
| Vikings | -4 |
| Browns | -2 |
| Chiefs | -2 |
| Jaguars | -1 |
| Bengals | 2 |
| Chargers | 2 |
| Steelers | 3 |
| Seahawks | 4 |
| Saints | 5.5 |
| Titans | 12.5 |
| Bills | 14.6 |
| Lions | 21 |
| 49ers | 24.9 |
Finally it occured to me that 'dollars in payroll'/wins isn't a bad way to measure the effectiveness of a front office. So how many dollars in payroll did each win cost. Here I have included the first part of the 2008 season as well as all last season for regular season games only. The lower the millions per victory, the better the front end management is doing.
| Team | Mill/Win |
| Titans | 4.9 |
| Patriots | 5.7 |
| Packers | 5.9 |
| Cowboys | 6.1 |
| Giants | 6.3 |
| Jaguars | 6.4 |
| Steelers | 6.6 |
| Chargers | 6.8 |
| Bucs | 6.9 |
| Bills | 7.4 |
| Colts | 7.9 |
| Browns | 8.3 |
| Bears | 8.7 |
| Redskins | 8.8 |
| Saints | 8.9 |
| Cardinals | 9.2 |
| Vikings | 9.2 |
| Seahawks | 9.4 |
| Eagles | 9.5 |
| Broncos | 9.5 |
| Texans | 9.6 |
| Panthers | 10.1 |
| 49ers | 12.4 |
| Bengals | 13.1 |
| Ravens | 13.8 |
| Lions | 14.0 |
| Falcons | 14.0 |
| Jets | 14.1 |
| Chiefs | 15.1 |
| Raiders | 16.0 |
| Rams | 22.4 |
| Dolphins | 28.3 |
There you have it, the Titans management is racking up wins at a rate five times less than the Dolphins. Ultimately this analysis makes me hope that a new CBA does get done, because if we remove the cap I think that we will be well on the road to establishing salary based dynasties in the NFL.
0 recs |
20 comments
|
Comments
As your last post on salary cap showed,
spending money doesn’t reflect wins. I think the CBA is a good thing but i dont think losing it would be THAT bad for the league. If youre smart with your draft choices you can overcome almost any salary disparities.
We're gonna dazzle you with our super play.
by soulSD on Oct 22, 2008 9:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
That is about where I am
I don’t think we will see the inequalities that you see in baseball; and even there you have to admire the Rays beating out the Yankees with a payroll that is one fifth the size. The lowest payroll in football is the Titans at around 80 million, It’s hard to imagine a four hundred million dollar payroll any time soon. I don’t want to overstate the issue.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 22, 2008 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me clarify
By beating out the Yankeee you mean: Finishing far behind them for 10 years to get to the point where they had enough cheap productive talent so that they could finish ahead of them for 1.
Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.
by Wonko on Oct 22, 2008 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Absolutely
It takes a lot of skill to do that on the comparative shoe string; once every ten years sounds pretty good next to the Cubs; hell back when I was an avid Padre fan I would have taken that in a heartbeat. Small market teams get rifle shots of one maybe two years when they can assemble talent that develops with maybe a few well chosen free agents. That there is such a competitive disparity is part of the reason I don’t have much interest in baseball any more.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 22, 2008 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It is yet to be seen how many times
they will finish ahead of them in the upcoming years. But as of now they look to be competitive for at least 2 more years. So 3/13 years is pretty good to me considering they are in the AL EAST.
We're gonna dazzle you with our super play.
by soulSD on Oct 23, 2008 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pretty bad
You meant pretty bad. 23% is a solid F in my book. And a 10% with the potential for 23% is even worse. And let’s be clear I’m not entirely blaming the Rays for not studying. I’m blaming the Yankees and Red Sox for banging the teacher.
Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.
by Wonko on Oct 24, 2008 12:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No Salary Cap
I’m going to cherry pick some years and numbers here, but here’s what the non-salary cap era means to me. From 1971-1995 8 different teams won the Super Bowl. Only one of those teams (1985 Chicago Bears) didn’t repeat. That’s 25 Super Bowls, 8 champions.
From 1996 to 2007 9 different teams have won the super bowl with only 2 of them repeating. That’s 12 Super Bowls, 9 champions.
Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.
by Wonko on Oct 22, 2008 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just the cap?
Prior to 1993 there was no free agency; teams couldn’t poach other teams talent and players were pretty much stuck with the team they signed with. Unless you can show a strong correlation between a high payroll and dominant teams, I think there are other factors besides the cap at work in earlier years. Also with league expansions, there simply are more teams that can potentially win now compared with earlier years.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 22, 2008 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Still without a cap a rich team would be able to pay their way out of having people walk away in free agency. Removing the cap wouldn’t mean that only the super rich teams would win but it gives them a far better chance to secure every major player that walks into free agency.
by archon095 on Oct 22, 2008 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough
I’m not arguing that it will have no impact, just less severe than what you have in baseball.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 22, 2008 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty sure that with free agency it will be baseball with wealthier players
Revenue sharing may keep a team at higher base payrolls, but teams that have enough money to spend more on payroll will do it. Now since the rosters are capped a 53 players, it’ll mean that they will pay their players more than what the lower payroll teams do. Players drafted to these lower payroll teams will use the big contracts as starting points for their deals when they are about to hit free agency and the lower payroll teams will be priced out. So you’ll end up in a situation where the lower payroll teams will no longer be able to hold on to their top players. Of course, like in baseball, players will be bound to their drafted teams for the first 6 years, so you’ll see lower payroll teams try to make runs with younger cheaper players and then trade them for draft picks before they reach free agency.
Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.
by Wonko on Oct 23, 2008 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also,
something that i feel has been overlooked in this argument is the impact of coaches. In the NFL it is far more likely (than other sports) that a weaker (less talent) team can compete with a stronger team based on game planning and strategy. Combine that with a short 16 game regular season and you have a lot more level playing field, even without the CBA or Cap.
We're gonna dazzle you with our super play.
by soulSD on Oct 23, 2008 3:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Good Point
I think that is more true if the skill positions are covered. Belichick seems to have lost about fifty IQ points since Brady went down.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 24, 2008 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Excellent article.
As a Titans fan, I was already aware of the team’s relative intelligence—I mean, the second-best player on the team was a 7th round draft choice, and half the starters were cheap, mid-level FA “busts” from other teams—but it’s a bit scary to see that even though the team is relatively well-assembled and well-coached, it could still be totally non-competitive in a few years if the salary cap is allowed to lapse. Because, bottom line, while the state of Tennessee is a pretty nice place, it simply does not and will not ever have the kind of economic capital base that places like NYC, Boston, DC, and apparently Dallas and Houston have.
I personally think this would be a disaster for the League. This year, with NO dominant teams and fewer name brand players having big seasons, TV viewership is WAY UP. Why? Because most every team has a real chance to win most every game. And yeah, maybe we can all sit here and admit that Peyton Manning is a great player, but watching him play will always come second-fiddle to actually watching our own favorite teams play. I mean, great or not, who here would rather see Manning over Rivers? Or even Billy Volek?
We all want to root for OUR teams not some team of the moment. And so, like it or not, parity drives ratings UP.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
Go Titans!
by DannoE on Oct 24, 2008 6:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Hey, thanks
I think the difference is mostly the luxury boxes and the corporate HQ’s or in DCs case the lobbyists that pay huge money for them. I hope they renegotiate it too, even at the current cap, it looks like the Titans can’t afford to use it all. Hey, do you think they are going to bust open the piggy bank and keep Fat Albert?
Also, what is the QB story there, is Collins the man or will they give Young another bite at the apple when he heals up?
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 24, 2008 8:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well...
…first let me say that I still wear my #14 Dan Fouts jersey AT LEAST once a week, every week, even during the Offseason. That said, I miss M. Schottenheimer and the mentality he brought to the Chargers.
Not to skip your questions.
1) No. I don’t think they can afford to in absolute terms, and I’m not sure that ANYONE can afford Albert’s asking price as a percentage of cap space. Big Al is perhaps the best player in football—he is more dominant than either Manning or Brady at his position—and I just don’t see the Titans backing up the Brinks truck and paying him off. For one thing, his historical work ethic hasn’t been the best, and for another, he might actually be so expensive that he forces the rest of your team to be LESS expensive—IF there’s still a cap.
And then, too, it’s a HUGE risk that he’ll start taking plays off again once he gets paaaaaaaaaaid. Moreover, he’s 28 or 29. He has, at most, 3 awesome years left and maybe only one or two. But the man is NOT stupid. He is, in fact, VERY intelligent. So he’s gonna demand a long contract.
The smart thing to do is to offer him a contract with massive incentives. But he almost certainly will not accept that, and why should he? SOMEBODY will guarantee that massive paycheck. But I doubt that somebody will be the Titans.
I’d look for Big Al in Dallas, and then when their season starts to go south, I’d look for folks to start wondering why he’s no longer a dominant force.
2) Good question. I look for VY to come in and compete for the starting job next season—and probably win it outright. Again, the smart play is to let KC go at the end of the year. Then, if VY struggles, well, this is why Chris Simms is on the roster; he is the next Kerry Collins.
If VY pulls it together, then fine. Otherwise, the long-term solution as QB is Chris Simms. Either will work in Fisher’s system, although obviously VY has more upside than almost anyone when he’s playing well. But he’s got to fix a few things, and I for one will never accept him as the starter again until he proves he can pass as well as he can run.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
Go Titans!
by DannoE on Oct 24, 2008 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dallas actually has
cap trouble now, even at the old level, I’m not sure they can handle Fat Albert (that doesn’t sound right); unless they dump some of their other high price talent. Jamal Williams has been pretty durable for us, but he is exceptional, and amazingly well motivated. I did notice in the two games we had last year against the Titans, Haynesworth seemed gassed by the fourth quarter.
Thanks for the update on Young!
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 24, 2008 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the D-Line rotation wasn't really good last year.
Without Haynesworth, they kind of sucked. That meant Big Al had to play almost every down.
This year has been better. The addition of Jason Jones via the draft (2nd Rnd) and the emergence of Kevin Vickerson—along with the departure of Randy Starks for Miami—has been a big all-around improvement. Plus, exchanging RB Chris Brown for RB Chris Johnson has GREATLY improved the Offense’s ability to hold the ball. Brown’s untimely fumbles were terrible last season, especially at the end of the year.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
Go Titans!
by DannoE on Oct 24, 2008 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And isn't Jerry COUNTING on an uncapped year?
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
Go Titans!
by DannoE on Oct 24, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Next year is capped
but I guess if they structure the contract right, maybe he could finagle it; good point.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Chris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Oct 24, 2008 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs



















