Your quote that I initially responded to was the following ...
"I think at this point people should know the cap doesn't really mean anything."
I am pretty tolerant of posters opinions (unless they state them as facts) but I have difficulty with that one. The Salary Cap is a real thing. While teams manage the cap, the good teams (the ones with good rosters) need to make tough decisions. Sometimes those decision turn-out to be wrong, and there's a negative impact.
To minimize the challenges of the NFL salary cap is Naive in my opinion. To disregard it is Ridiculous.
I never said it wasn't real. I'm saying its something that's there but really doesn't have an affect on teams getting players. We've seen it before. Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Aaron Donald (twice), Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Andrew Whitworth, Rob Havenstein, Matt Gay, Allen Robinson.
Every single one of these guys got second contracts and AD (twice) and some even got BIG money deals. And every offseason before those guys got signed/re-signed, we kept hearing "oh they are right up against the cap", or they only have 3 players that eat most of the cap", "or they have no funds".
How has that EVER affected the team signing their draft classes? Or getting FAs? Just last year, last year alone 2 players got a combined over $110 mil contracts, and one of them is already gone. Do you think they don't have a means to figure all that out?
And yes, I disregard it because ive seen in the past it had ZERO affect on this team's ability to field a competitive team. NONE. That's MY viewpoint on it. Again, i know it's there. I know it's purpose. But again, to me, its not something that is some crippling variable everyone makes it out to be.
Which is why this whole trade Van Jefferson thing is so weird to me. You have a good, youngish WR that had a good season just a year ago, drafted in the 2nd round. It's exactly what everyone clamors for their team to do and trading him gets you what? Some JAG thats more likely to be a gameday inactive but you cap is somewhat better?
I guess what I'm saying is I'm not in favor for getting rid of productive players for FO bean counter issues.