Over at ESPN.com, John Clayton discusses the lower 2011 salary cap (even if the owners and players work it out soon, there should be some lost revenue which would keep the cap lower). And then he looks at the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings because they are two of the seven teams over a hypothetical cap of $120 million. From ESPN:
Green Bay Packers -- The Packers really don't have a cap problem, particularly if they move linebacker Nick Barnett. Cutting or trading him saves the team about $4.4 million. They can save close to $4.5 million if right tackle Mark Tauscher doesn't come back. The Packers are $62,000 under the cap.
Minnesota Vikings -- The Vikings are $5.148 million over, which will make it tough for them to keep Bernard Berrian. Releasing him would save around $3.7 million. Adrian Peterson is in the final year on his contract with a salary of $10.72 million. He wants a long-term deal, and if the Vikings accommodate it would free up a lot of cap room.
Two very good reasons why I don't expect either Barnett or Tauscher back, though Tauscher could come back at the veteran minimum as a backup. Plus they need some cap room to sign their draft picks.
The Vikings have bigger problems, but it's manageable. I'm not sure why they'd want to keep Bernard Berrian after last season anyway.
The entire article is interesting, especially the salary cap mess the Cowboys have gotten themselves into.