Salary Cap Programs and Rose colored classes
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2026 3:53 pm
I think people forget how much salary cap programs destroyed parity in the leagues. Coaches struggled to fill teams and mismanaged funds. Currently you still get your full cap amount each year. With the salary cap programs, teams destroyed their cap for years. There were teams over the cap before the season started the next year.
Realism doesn't mean fun. There is a reason games don't have 100% realism because it sucks.
The reality in the NFL is only 1 or 2 big names ever hit free agency a year. Most of them are very similar to the guys we currently sign in Free Agency boarder line starters and backups. The players Mitch talks about getting all excited about signing during the NFL aren't great players. The top WR signed last year was getting 40 catches a season. That is barely over 2 catches a game. Those guys hit free agency in this league.
It really is adding complexity for the sake of complexity. It also has been proven time and again. Teams good at Gm management exploit it, and teams bad at GM management get screwed. Salary cap programs just extend it out longer and increase the gap.
We also need stable rules. Teams are making choice based on current system constantly making sweeping changes like gutting retirement percentages and this only punishes teams for doing things right under the current system.
Realism doesn't mean fun. There is a reason games don't have 100% realism because it sucks.
The reality in the NFL is only 1 or 2 big names ever hit free agency a year. Most of them are very similar to the guys we currently sign in Free Agency boarder line starters and backups. The players Mitch talks about getting all excited about signing during the NFL aren't great players. The top WR signed last year was getting 40 catches a season. That is barely over 2 catches a game. Those guys hit free agency in this league.
It really is adding complexity for the sake of complexity. It also has been proven time and again. Teams good at Gm management exploit it, and teams bad at GM management get screwed. Salary cap programs just extend it out longer and increase the gap.
We also need stable rules. Teams are making choice based on current system constantly making sweeping changes like gutting retirement percentages and this only punishes teams for doing things right under the current system.
