Speaking of Cap Room

[Rohirrim]

Will the Broncos consider cutting Rod Smith? He's the highest paid player on the team. I like Rod more than anyone. He's given his all to the Broncos and deserves his name on the ROF. But can the Broncos afford to pay him $5.5 mil. for 52 catches next year? Will Mike ask him to retire? Thoughts?

[Clockwork Orange]

If I'm not mistaken, Rod has restructured his deal more than once. So I don't know what the cap implications of cutting him would be.

On a personal note, I don't want to see that happen and I'd rather they just pay him the $$ for one more year and let him go out on his own terms. I believe he's earned it.

[freak6]

I think Rod should restructure for the benefit of the team, especially if there is someone we have targeted that will be a difference maker, and we need the money to get the guy signed.

[Florida_Bronco]

If I'm not mistaken, Rod has restructured his deal more than once. So I don't know what the cap implications of cutting him would be.

On a personal note, I don't want to see that happen and I'd rather they just pay him the $$ for one more year and let him go out on his own terms. I believe he's earned it.

I agree. Rod has re-worked that contract a couple times (I believe) and I think he's earned the right to be paid.

[Dudeskey]

Even if it means cutting plummer after June 1 to pay Rod, I say let him get a nice last chunk of jack before he retires... Rod's earned it.

[Broncoman13]

Rod has earned the right to go out on his own terms. He's restructured for the benefit of the team a few occassions. If he wants to get paid this last sum of money so that he can retire "at ease" then the team should pay it and chalk it up to a great player in our most memorable years.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Keep Rod but restructure his bonus so it is spread over years. We can eat a couple million in dead cap room for 3-4 years to thank him for his great service.

[watermock]

Keep Rod but restructure his bonus so it is spread over years. We can eat a couple million in dead cap room for 3-4 years to thank him for his great service.

You can't really do that. God only knows what the cap hit would be. He needs to reduce is salary, not just move it yet again.

How do you restructure a contract for a 37 year old WR?

[Florida_Bronco]

He needs to reduce is salary

No, he doesn't.

[watermock]

Rod has been more than happy to restructure every time...hell..I'll take guaranteed money every time.

More likely candidates might be Nalen, Lepsis, Wilson, Champ or Javon, even Jay.

[watermock]

No, he doesn't.

Sorry, this isn't a Rod Smith lovefest...he's not worth his salary, period. He has a huge nest egg stored...he's a real chipmunk...he has to be signed to a smaller contract...god only knows what his remaining SB is...

Herc help me.

We put him on vet min.,..he's still making a mill...and he gets all that SB out there. I don't know the details, but I know we owe him a ton because he's redone multiple times. He needs to take number 3 salary.

[Florida_Bronco]

Sorry, this isn't a Rod Smith lovefest...he's not worth his salary, period.

He was worth more than his salary back when he had back to back 100 catch seasons, but took less for the benefit of the team.

Rod has made many sacrifices for the team, and now it's time to pay the man his money.

[sirhcyennek81]

They will probably restucture his contract, shrink the $ involved and remove years so its a 1 or 2 year deal.

:Broncos:

[DB84FAN]

when he did what he did... he was paid and now he is getting paid for doing very little. thanks for the great years, but time to restructure again. not worth the salary...

[Elway 4 Life]

He needs to stay and play until HE wants to leave and then we need to hire him as a coach of some sort.

[ludo21]

He deserves EVERY penny.

If they can somehow make some of his money guaranteed, then im all for that to lower the cap hit.

But he is the ALL TIME Bronco behind Elway. Guy is the face of the franchise through these tough years after Elway.

Rod is the man, no reason not to keep him and pay the man for ALL he has done for this team.

[Rohirrim]

I don't know. There's no player I respect as much as Rod Smith, but I also know that Shanahan has a very cold, business eye when it comes to the Broncos. How can he justify paying a #3 WR more than anyone else on the team? I really wonder if he'll do that.

[bpc]

Rod will restructure turning this into a roster bonus, providing us cap relief.

[SonOfLe-loLang]

Problem is, Rod, as a third/fourth receiver would probably have to play special teams. Can he do that? My money says hes still a bronco next year for leadership alone. His play has clearly slipped

[BroncoFiend]

Expect Rod to take a pay cut to his base salary. Any restructuring he did in the past was money that was converted into signing bonus and was paid immediately, therefore, there is no threat to him losing money he has earned in previous years.

[Requiem]

I don't give a **** if you all think he deserves it or not; 37 year old #3 wide receivers don't get paid 5.5 million dollars; 27 year old elite wide receivers that are #2's don't get paid that much. Reduce.

[Garcia Bronco]

People need to leave Rod Smith and his money alone. He's not dead...and he's not old. If the GOAT can play until he's 40 something...then our GOAT can do the same. His play hasn't slipped either. He's still a great blocker and he can make tough catches too. He doesn't have the speed anymore, but that's nothing some hardass traing won't cure.

[Ron Mexico]

He was worth more than his salary back when he had back to back 100 catch seasons, but took less for the benefit of the team.

Rod has made many sacrifices for the team, and now it's time to pay the man his money.

He's my favorite player and your heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, NFL Football is a business. Rod knows that as well as anyone. If he wants to stay, he'll take less. I'd hate to see him go, but Montana to KC, Rice to Oakland, Brown to Tampa Bay, etc. Rod will always be a Bronco, but the business end is unavoidable.

[Lestat]

we need to keep Rod, whether it means paying him or restructuring, he's a positive force on the team & it's likely without a career year this is his last


so let him call his own shots, he's earned it more than anyone on the team & then we can move him into a coaching position(lord knows he'd make an awesome WR coach after a few years)

[Smiling Assassin27]

sorry, nobody's above the team. rod is the last real link to the glory days and one hell of a soldier. he sacrifices stats and notoriety for wins and you can't ask more than that. but if this team can get better (and we all know it HAS to in order to win a division, let alone a superbowl), and cutting rod or asking him to restructure is an option, then shanny's got an obligation to seriously entertain that option. it comes down to value of players. if shanny deems jake as more valuable than rod after jake takes a paycut, then he's gotta pull the trigger. sentimentality is for the oakland raiders.

that said, i don't think rod goes anywhere this offseason.

[ColoradoDarin]

Reduce his salary for this year (and next if he wants to play next year). Pat can pay him some extra jack when he becomes our WR coach when he hangs the cleats up.

[KipCorrington25]

He'll get restructured or yeah, they would find a nice way to move him out... He'll get "resigned" so to speak.

[watermock]

Sorry, you pay him minimum this year...he will still make a cool million.

You don't restructure 5.5 million.

[Florida_Bronco]

He's my favorite player and your heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, NFL Football is a business. Rod knows that as well as anyone. If he wants to stay, he'll take less. I'd hate to see him go, but Montana to KC, Rice to Oakland, Brown to Tampa Bay, etc. Rod will always be a Bronco, but the business end is unavoidable.

As true as that is, you have to have some degree of loyalty, especially to top tier/long time players like Rod Smith. If you don't, it will affect your fanbase and your appeal to alot of free agents.

Now if they can convert some of his cash into a bonus or whatever that gives us cap room and still pays him, I'm all for that.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Problem is, Rod, as a third/fourth receiver would probably have to play special teams. Can he do that? My money says hes still a bronco next year for leadership alone. His play has clearly slipped

Wecome Son. I have met your "dad" several times. He's a great guy.

As for Rod, give him a new contract at say $1.5 for 5 years with a $7 million bonus. Bonus gets spread over the 5 years. When he retires, you have a million a year in dead money tll the end of the 5 years. No big deal and he is worth every penny.

Besides, since almost no one else thinks the Broncs need to draft a WR, who will play the 3rd receiver that will be in the game 50%+ next year.

[eddie mac]

Rod will restructure turning this into a roster bonus, providing us cap relief.


Roster bonus is not prorated BPC which would mean it all hits in the season it's awarded.

The Rod situation is an intriguing one. I've no idea how much bonus money he has left considering he's restructured so many times to bail the team out.

If he does return for one more season in 2007 the Broncos would take a decent sized cap hit next year (dead money) if they were to restructure his deal now instead of asking him to take less money which is completely different. His contract officially ends at the end of the 2008 season, so 2 years left.

[cmhargrove]

I think Cutler will make Rod look young again. Rod should have at least 1 if not 2 more productive years. If you look back on game tapes, he did lose some speed this year, but hhe runs great routes and is consistently open on 10-20 yard routes, especially for someone with an arm like Cutler.

His leadership is key to not making the next generation a "me" generation of Broncos. I like the fact that we don't have a team of mouth flapping selfish a-holes. For that reason alone, we keep Rod - and John Lynch as others have discussed as well.

Put Rod in the slot, he could easily have 50-60 catches a year. He deserves his money, but I would look for him to restructure as well for the good of the team.

[2KBack]

Yeah, I think Rod can still play at a high level personally. The whole offense sputtered this past year, and that's not all on Rod. I think it will still be a battle in camp for the starting spots.

[UKBronco]

Bare in mind Rod had (IIRC) at least 2 concussions this year, and he's had some in the past.

THere comes a point where the mind is willing, but the body simply cannot perform.

I hope that time hasn't come for Rod, but I fear him getting another one and ending up in a wheelchair at age 40.

Whatever Rod does is fine with me, just reduce that cap hit.

[cutthemdown]

Rod has been well payed Broncos owe him nothing beyond what he is worth. He will probably take a paycut to stay with team or retire. You don't just pay a guy because he was a great player. You treat him right by being honest with him but always do what's best for the team. Best for the team is how Rod played he wouldn't expect to be paid 5.5 million unless Broncos thought he was worth it. We need some fresh stars take a few million from Rod and throw it into the kitty. That's smart football mgmt. I don't want to see Rod just cut right before season starts or something Patriot like, but something has to be done with that cap number.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Roster bonus is not prorated BPC which would mean it all hits in the season it's awarded.


If it's guaranteed it is

[RunSilentRunDeep]

Too many of you are missing the point. The Broncos showed loyalty to Rod by going to him repeatedly to restructure. Every time Rod restructures it's a financial windfall for him because he gets his money earlier thus starts earning interest. Sometimes they threw a little extra cash as well. They could have done it with others but they chose Rod. You think Elway was losing money when he restructured? You don’t get paid for what you did in NFL. You get paid for what you’re expected to do in the future. No one knows that better than Rod.

[eddie mac]

If it's guaranteed it is

How's it called a roster bonus then considering you have to be on the roster to get said bonus. Surely a roster bonus isn't guaranteed if a player is cut before he gets it???

[Hercules Rockefeller]

How's it called a roster bonus then considering you have to be on the roster to get said bonus. Surely a roster bonus isn't guaranteed if a player is cut before he gets it???

Yes, I understand the argument and agree with you. Still doesn't change the fact that a guaranteed roster bonus is automatically prorated out and an unguaranteed roster bonus is not.

[bmanhas]

I think this would be a sad day if we had to cut him. But the reality is this is a business and the contracts are backloaded for a reason. The players have already earned the bulk of the contract since they are frontloaded.

I just put it this way. If we saw Jerry Rice get cut by the 9ers, then everything is fair game.

[Barry Ramey]

I would be surprised to see Rod get cut unless it was some sort of cap move an agreement already in place he would re-sign for a cheaper deal. I think Rod play one more season. This team will likely be pretty young next year and I think a guy like Rod is too important, with his work ethic and desire to win.

[ZONA]

Reduce his salary for this year (and next if he wants to play next year). Pat can pay him some extra jack when he becomes our WR coach when he hangs the cleats up.

Agreed - except I would really really lean towards doing that next seaons. Rod is finished as a player guys. He knows it also. Tell him to retire, save us the $ for other players and sign him as a coach and pay him WELL!

[cabronco]

Im sure Rod and Shanahan will sit down and find the best interest for both parties. Rod is not a selfish guy, wants to retire a Bronco and Shanahan thinks the world of Rod Smith and what he's meant and done for the team. It is a cold business for the most part, but there is mutual respect here.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Tell him to retire, save us the $ for other players and sign him as a coach and pay him WELL!

Agree with the sentiment, but Rod will never be a coach at the pro level. When he walks away from playing he will walk away for good. He may coach high school or something, but he could never stand to be around a pro locker room without the chance to be on the field.

[Broncojef]

Rod always knew the deal and kept a straight head. Absolutely no way in hell does he make $5.5Mill this year. like many have said he'll do whats right by the team and talk to Shanny for one last curtain call. Rod might have one more year in the tank and thats about it, even with Cutler throwing on target. As for the dead million bucks for the next 4-5 years I'm glad you aren't the GM either, thats crazy and would hurt the team for years to come. Rod has made his money and been productive, its been a great marriage, but his career is at an end and so are the large paydays.

[Ron Mexico]

As true as that is, you have to have some degree of loyalty, especially to top tier/long time players like Rod Smith. If you don't, it will affect your fanbase and your appeal to alot of free agents.

Now if they can convert some of his cash into a bonus or whatever that gives us cap room and still pays him, I'm all for that.

I'm all for him getting paid, too. Nevertheless, how about the fan base of the 49ers when Montana left? How about Rice? McNair to the Ravens? On and on. Fans do get upset but they still buy season tickets and cheer for their team. The owners run it like a biz because that's what it is.

Believe me, I completely see your point - and in a perfect world, he would get his money. I just think it is unlikely to happen even though he is my favorite Bronco.