So, the Ravens Offered Mac $12 Million

No. It only means there appears to be an agreement with a contract IF McNair is traded or released.

But none of this tells us how much of that money was guaranteed or how much is paid in base for years two and three.

For all we know, he gets the $11 mil signing bonus and just something in the range of $1-$2 mil per year with nothing guaranteed beyond '06.

Assuming a three-year deal, that would mean something in the $4 - $6 mil a year against the cap.

If the Titans were to do the very same thing, that would throw the cap figure around $8.5 - $9 mil a year when you divide the cap of $13.5 mil he has now by three seasons.

If the Titans offer the same deal, we are talking about freeing $14.5 mil in '06.

 

Let me try this again now that I've had some coffee. My amount was cap savings from the $23.5 mil figure McNair is currently on the books for now. $13.5 in restructured cap + $10 for base/bonus for '06.

It appears the Ravens are willing to pay a signing bonus of $11 mil and pay a base of $1 mil in '06. Assuming it goes up a little for the next two years, we are talking a three-year deal around in the $15 - $18 mil range but the hit on '06 for them is less than $5 mil.

Let's say the Titans do the same thing.

That $13.5 on the books gets spread over three seasons which is $4.5 mil a year. Add that to the $5 for the new contract and you have a total of $9.5 towards the cap in '06 (vs the $13.5) or a savings of $4 mil in '06 if you cut McNair because the full $13.5 mil will go against the '06 cap (which is $14 mil less than what he is currently scheduled to count against the cap if the contract isn't reworked at all).

 

I don't know if the Titans would want to match that deal if they intend Young to start in '07. If McNair is off the books, that $13.5 mil of cap is gone next year.

Starkiller can jump in here but let's play out the numbers:

McNair is resigned to a three-year deal with an $11 mil bonus, a $1 mil base in '06, a $1.5 mil in '07 and a $2 mil in '08 which totals $15.5 mil.

In '06:
Current cap: $4.5 mil
Pro-rated SB for new deal: $3.6 mil
Base: $1 mil

TOTAL for '06: $9.1 mil against the cap. (If we release him, the cap hit is $13.5 mil)

In '07 the cap hit goes up to $9.6 and it is $10.1 in '07.

Total cap hit for the three years is $28.8 mil which is more than double what you have in the $13.5 if you release McNair now.

I don't see the Titans willing to pay a backup QB $5.1 mil in '07 and $5.6 mil in '07 which means there is likely no way the Titans would offer that much signing bonus.