Hey, remember what we said about the Redskins having a shade over $31 million in cap space to spend this offseason?
Seems like that’s not going to be the case after all.
Cowboys lose $10 million in cap space, Redskins lose $36 million in space. Can split it over 2012 and 2013 any way they want. More at ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2012
Pro Football Talk has a partial explanation for why this is happening:
[T]he NFL instructed teams not to use the uncapped years as a way to dump money in order to ensure that cap numbers in years with a salary cap would be lower.
And there’s currently a rumor making the rounds that multiple teams will be smacked for doing just that: using 2010 as a cap dump aimed at either keeping the numbers manageable in 2009 and previously, or in 2011 and subsequently.
It widely was believed in 2010 that the Cowboys and Redskins had worked the system to take full advantage of the absence of a cap.
And it seems that two very familiar figures were behind this mess.
Hearing the way the Redskins restructured Haynesworth and Hall and the way the Cowboys structured Austin, NFL felt abuse too obvious.
— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) March 12, 2012
So there you go. Albert Haynesworth strikes again. 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen does the quick and easy math for you.
Why was the fine for $36 million? #Redskins paid Haynesworth and Hall their bonuses in one lump sum ($21 and $15 MM) during uncapped year.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) March 12, 2012
The blowback from this will be interesting. Remember, one of the talking points in favor of the trade with the Rams for the No.2 pick was the idea that the Redskins could make up for the lost draft picks in free agency. Not so much anymore.
Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more information on the 2012 NFL Free Agency period. For all your Redskins news and notes, be sure to follow SB Nation’s Redskins blog Hogs Haven. And all nuggets from around the league, be sure to visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.