FanHouse SalaryCap

I love NFL football, but I don't like figuring out salary cap stuff and its effect on contracts. So, as a service to both you and me, I've enlisted Keith Weiland of HoustonProFootball.com to explain most everything Texans salary cap.

The interview is even worth a read even if you are more interested in NFL salary cap issues in general and less about the Texans.

SS: What is the best information you have about the Texans salary cap situation?

KW: Unless you're someone who has direct access to league records, the best salary cap information available to anyone is quite often questionable. I have maintained a salary cap estimate for the Texans at HoustonProFootball.com for a few years and all I can guarantee anyone is that it's wrong somewhere on that page, and probably in more than one place.

Much of the data that doesn't come from the NFLPA comes from the media, and the data provided by the media is only as good as the data they've been given (and frankly, understand). The league and its teams are rather reluctant to release salary cap information, even to reputable media outlets, so often times the dollars reported come from the agents, and who can completely trust them, right?

So the question that every Chiefs' fan is dying to hear right now is, how much money do the Chiefs have to spend this offseason?

Pete Yasinskas of the Charlotte Observer has gotten a head start on the guessing game. He projects the Chiefs to be at about $7 million above the cap, which would rank them 27th in the league.

This is where Chiefs' fans immediately reach for the panic button. Relax. These numbers mean pretty much nothing. There is really no way to project how much money the Chiefs or any team will have available to spend until the free agency officially launches.