Would having no salary cap/floor actually benefit the Jaguars?
With the player’s union looking like it will decertify if a new labor agreement can’t be reached, it will mean the death of the salary cap system for the time being. As the video I posted a few days ago noted, a league wide salary cap without union approval violates Federal Anti-Trust legislation.
Hypothetically speaking, if the union does decertify and the league goes on without a salary cap, how would that affect teams like Jacksonville? Would it cause the team to become the Kansas City Royals of the NFL? Would the Cowboys and Redskins be able to spend like crazy and simply buy up every Super Bowl? Not really.
First off, contrary to popular belief, a salary cap and revenue sharing aren’t tied in together. Despite Jerry Jones’ complaining, it would take a major force for the NFL to no longer divide most revenue equally between all 32 teams. TV money is still the biggest single revenue generator for ball clubs, and teams like Jacksonville will fight to keep that status quo.
The salary cap didn’t ever stop teams from going out and signing big contracts. Think about all of the high dollar free agents the Redskins have signed over the years. How has that turned out for them? Not to mention that the cap can be manipulated in who knows how many ways. Remember when the Skins managed to squeeze in $100 million in free agent contracts in 2000, despite a cap of just $63 million?
With the new CBA, salary cap hell became non-existent. What happened to the Jaguars and Titans would never happen again thanks to an ever increasing cap. That’s how teams like the Colts managed to not get decimated with back loaded contracts.
Looking at the uncapped year in 2010, it showed that being a thrifty spender isn’t a death sentence. The Chiefs, Jaguars, and Buccaneers all spent less on players than had their been a salary floor in 2010. The Chiefs won their division, the Jaguars led theirs until another late season collapse, and the Bucs won 10 games in the most difficult division.
Football players have a much shorter lifespan than their baseball counterparts. Albert Pujols will in his early 30’s, and yet is considered to be hitting him prime. If he was a football player, most would be concerned about his age. It’s alot easier to keep players around when you know they will only be getting one other major payday.
At the end of the day, the draft is still king. Look at the rosters of the Packers and Steelers. Besides Charles Woodson, you won’t see another major free agent signing between either team. Everyone else was either drafted or an occasional street free agent.
That is what the Jaguars have to do. They have to hit on their draft picks and then keep them signed long term.
