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Originally Posted by CrazyCanuck
Here's a look at Brunell's cap hits and "release fees" over the length of his contract. The release fee is the amount of prorated signing bonus remaining at the time.
So for instance, in 2008 the Skins can keep Brunell for a cap hit of $7.833M, or dump him and take a cap hit of $2.867M.
Of course the release fee changes if the player is cut/traded after June 1st, but for simplicity's sake let's assume Brunell would be cut/traded prior to June 1st. Also, I'm obviously assuming Brunell does not rework his contract.
Cap Hit Release Fee
2004 $2,193 $8,600
2005 $3,433 $7,167
2006 $5,433 $5,733
2007 $6,633 $4,300
2008 $7,833 $2,867
2009 $9,033 $1,433
2010 $8,800 $0
Based on the above I would think Brunell is here thru 2006, gone in 2008, with 2007 being a "decision year" based on his play and the team's situation.
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Great work, Canuck!
Looks like you're right about 2007 being the decisive year in Brunell's contract. It seems like Brunell's contract was designed like that specifically because Ramsey's current contract expires after 2006. At that point, if Ramsey hasn't proven himself to Gibbs, the Redskins will likely have begun grooming another young QB behind him, and they could let Ramsey leave, keep Brunell on for 2007 (assuming he's still playing well), while preparing the other young QB to step in for 2008 and beyond.
On the other hand, if Gibbs feels comfortable with Ramsey after 2006, they would release Brunell, re-sign Ramsey to a long-term, starting QB contract, and go from there.
It looks to me like Ramsey is going to push Brunell extremely hard for the starting job this year, and it's possible Ramsey will get some significant playing time this year-- probably due to a Brunell injury. I do believe that Brunell was brought in here to start this season, and possibly next season, but that Gibbs anticipates that Ramsey will start within the next two years.
If Ramsey is the quarterback most of us believe he is, Brunell will be leaving after 2006, at which point his "release fee" will be less than what his cap hit would be if he were still on the roster. I think he'll probably be a post-June 1st cap cut in 2007, which will spread out his "release fee" even more.