chris98251 wrote:The thing to watch for is how ownership tries to wrangle the extra cap money in roll over spending as to make it look good but be cheap like the Bengals have always been.
Part of the CBA says that each franchise must begin (I forget the start date for it) to spend a certain percentage in actual dollars each year. This is not "cap dollars" but actual spent dollars over a fiscal year. I believe after accounting, if a team is under the amount, there is a fine, based on that amount and it is doled out in some fashion.
I just looked it up and here is the link to the CBA and I pasted in the relevant section for team spending. If you go to the link you can also find information about league wide spending and anything else you want to know about the CBA
Section 9. Minimum Team Cash Spending:
(a) For each of the following four-League Year periods, 2013–2016 and
2017–2020, there shall be a guaranteed Minimum Team Cash Spending of 89% of the
Salary Caps for such periods (e.g., if the Salary Caps for the 2013–16 and 2017–2020 are
$100, 120, 130, and 150 million, respectively, each Club shall have a Minimum Team
Cash Spending for that period of $445 million (89% of $500 million))
(b) Any shortfall in the Minimum Team Cash Spending at the end of a
League Year in which it is applicable (i.e., the 2016 and 2020 League Years) shall be paid,
on or before the next September 15, by the Team having such shortfall, directly to the
players who were on such a Team’s roster at any time during the applicable seasons,
pursuant to the reasonable allocation instructions of the NFLPA.85
(c) Nothing contained herein shall preclude a Team from having Cash
Spending in excess of the Minimum Team Cash Spending, provided that the Team complies with the accounting rules of the Salary Cap set forth in Article 13.
(d) If the NFL agrees, or a final judgment or award is entered by the System
Arbitrator, that a Team has failed by the end of an applicable League Year to make the
payments required to satisfy a Team’s obligations to pay the Minimum Team Cash
Spending required by this Agreement, then, in the event the Team fails promptly to
comply with such agreement, judgment or award, the NFL shall make such payment on
behalf of that Team (such funds to be paid as salary directly to the players on such Team
at the direction of and pursuant to the reasonable allocations of the NFLPA).
http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/collective-bargaining-agreement-2011-2020.pdf