Some Advice?

[Skarecrow]

Bonuses are bad. Bonuses are the easiest way to get yourself some ugly cap penalties if you need to release or trade the player.

I'd rather pay the player a bit more per year with no (or smaller) bonus, than give them a lower overall contract with a large bonus. That way, I have options.

[kwpit79]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skarecrow

You don't need a first round pick for a great WR in the English 09 class. You can get Jamarrion Bellows in the 3rd (sometimes 4th) round, and he's awesome.

I may be wrong but I thought you can get him in the sixth?

[Mike3207]

Quote: Originally Posted by kwpit79

I may be wrong but I thought you can get him in the sixth?

You can get Bellows in the 6th, 7th and sometimes as a undrafted free agent.

[Skarecrow]

Quote: Originally Posted by mrs844224

You can get Bellows in the 6th, 7th and sometimes as a undrafted free agent.

Sorry, I must have been thinking of LaRon James

[cloudedskate]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skarecrow

Sorry, I must have been thinking of LaRon James

You can get LaRon James in the 4th or 5th.

[sketch22]

Bonuses aren't that bad if you give them to the right players. For instance if you have to resign your a player that is going to be a long time starter than giving him a big bonus isn't a bad idea at all. It can even help you control you cap because it helps to stabilize the year to year value of the contract.
For example in a 6 yr 60 mil contract the lowest bonus might be 6 mil and the highest 15 mil. Now the first contract would pay out 1 mil a year in bonuses and the rest in salary. However the salary for the first year is probably going to be a pretty small cap hit, but by the end the hit can be prohibitive if you commit a lot of money to other players without planning ahead.
Now if you were to sign the player to a contract with the 15 mil bonus you would pay out 2.5 mil every year in bonuses which will make the first year more expensive but lower the back end of the contract and keep a more stable cap.
Bonuses aren't extra money added to the contract, they are just guaranteed money equally divided over the years of the contract.
I hope that helps. If you have any questions or just need some clarification feel free to ask. I know i can ramble sometimes.

[LordTC]

I only give slightly higher bonuses as a last resort, especially with players who may start to decline due to age during their contract.

Ideally you want to be able to trade away anyone with 1 year left on their contract for value in picks/younger players. Sometimes if someone starts to decline you may want to trade them earlier while you can still get value.

If this player has say a $30 million bonus on a 6 year contract and 4 years later you need to trade them away that's still a $10 Mil Cap Penalty. If you keep the bonuses down you can save the cap hits.

[camelworm]

Quote: Originally Posted by cloudedskate

You can get LaRon James in the 4th or 5th.

I was able to pick him up as an undrafted free agent.