Money Money Money Money

March 5th is coming up as opening day for the non salary capped season.  Will this be the undoing of football?  Not likely.  Sports fans are notoriously forgiving when it's convenient for them - just ask the Philadelphia Beagles.  The changes will include dropping the maximum and minimum spending guidelines.  This could be bad news for small market teams such as Jacksonville and Cinncinati if they aren't willing to spend the money.

The other big change is that players who used to be unrestricted free agents after four years become restricted free agents until their sixth season.  Basically this means as a restricted free agent the player first receives a starting bid from his current team.  He then has a limited time to shop himself around and collect offer sheets.  The offer sheets tell what the salary offer is and what the team is willing to trade, usually draft picks, in exchange for the player.  The current team then has a "first right of refusal," meaning they pay the higher amount but don't let the other team have him, or they agree to the offer sheet and the player walks away.  All in all this change is slapping the restricted tag on 212 players who would have otherwise been restricted.

The constraint that I like is that the eight teams to make the divisional playoffs cannot add any free agents unless they lose them.  It's one-in-one-out.  And....it must be a relatively equal money deal.  A punter can't leave as a free agent for minimum salary and be replaced with Julius Peppers.  The rules are a little less stringent on the teams who didn't go to the championships, but they are still restrictive and that makes me glad.  Who wants to see the same teams win year after year?  (I, for one, look forward to seeing New Orleans become the .500 team they are again next year)

In the end, the younger players are getting jipped out of controlling their own destiny.  Certainly teams with big ego owners will go after a few glitzy players just so they can see their faces on summer's monotonous 24 hour news.  These acquisitions don't usually pan out anyway.  (Sorry Jason Taylor)  I'm sure if there's some way to take advantage of it Jerry Jones will try.