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The bottom line
Posted by Danny O'Neil
No one can accuse Seahawks owner Paul Allen of having alligator arms when it comes to reaching for his wallet.
Only the Cowboys spent more money on player salaries in the five-season period from 2004-2008, according to totals the management council made available to a reporter for the league's official Web site:
| Rank | Team | Millions | Rank | Team | Millions | Rank | Team | Millions | Rank | Team | Millions | |||
| No. 1 | Dallas | $566.89 | No. 9 | Carolina | $516.09 | No. 17 | St. Louis | $502.08 | No. 25 | San Diego | $485.46 | |||
| No. 2 | Seattle | $552.42 | No. 10 | Pats | $513.31 | No. 18 | Miami | $500.56 | No. 26 | Denver | $485.40 | |||
| No. 3 | Washington | $547.37 | No. 11 | Oakland | $513.21 | No. 19 | Giants | $497.63 | No. 27 | Buffalo | $493.71 | |||
| No. 4 | Indianapolis | $532.77 | No. 12 | Ravens | $507.05 | No. 20 | Eagles | $495.75 | No. 28 | Jags | $480.06 | |||
| No. 5 | Minnesota | $526.87 | No. 13 | Browns | $506.43 | No. 21 | Chicago | $495.57 | No. 29 | Titans | $465.29 | |||
| No. 6 | Houston | $522.23 | No. 14 | Ariz. | $505.30 | No. 22 | Atlanta | $493.07 | No. 30 | Packers | $457.16 | |||
| No. 7 | Saints | $518.49 | No. 15 | Detroit | $505.04 | No. 23 | Cincinnati | $491.06 | No. 31 | Chiefs | $451.58 | |||
| No. 8 | Pittsburgh | $516.69 | No. 16 | N.Y. Jets | $502.53 | No. 24 | 49ers | $486.40 | No. 32 | Bucs | $449.00 | |||
| *Source: Jason La Canfora, NFL.com | ||||||||||||||
Now, this brings up some interesting questions. The NFL has a hard cap, called that because teams are not allowed to exceed it. That doesn't mean the teams spend that money, equally, though. That's certainly going to be a point of contention going forward for the players' union.
But what the totals allow us to do is also look at who gets the most for their money, too, asking how much a team paid per victory.
Over the past five seasons, the average cost of a victory in terms of money paid out was $12.57 million. The Seahawks spent $12.27 million for every game they won, which is as close as it gets to average in the NFL.
Now, we'll be doing more with these numbers going ahead, but for now, take a look at how much teams spent in player salaries and bonuses per victory from 2004-2008:
| Rank | Team | Millions spent | Wins | Millions per win | Rank | Team | Millions spent | Wins | Millions per win | |
| No. 1 | New England | $513.31 | 63 | $8.15 | No. 17 | Dallas | $566.89 | 46 | $12.32 | |
| No. 2 | Indianapolis | $532.77 | 63 | $8.46 | No. 18 | Minnesota | $526.87 | 41 | $12.85 | |
| No. 3 | San Diego | $485.46 | 54 | $8.99 | No. 19 | Cincinnati | $491.06 | 38 | $12.92 | |
| No. 4 | Pittsburgh | $516.69 | 56 | $9.23 | No. 20 | N.Y. Jets | $502.53 | 37 | $13.58 | |
| No. 5 | Denver | $485.4 | 47 | $10.33 | No. 21 | Buffalo | $493.71 | 35 | $14.11 | |
| No. 6 | N.Y. Giants | $497.63 | 47 | $10.59 | No. 22 | Kansas City | $451.58 | 41 | $14.11 | |
| No. 7 | Jacksonville | $480.06 | 45 | $10.67 | No. 23 | New Orleans | $518.49 | 36 | $14.40 | |
| No. 8 | Philadelphia | $495.75 | 46 | $10.78 | No. 24 | Washington | $547.37 | 38 | $14.40 | |
| No. 9 | Chicago | $495.57 | 45 | $11.01 | No. 25 | Arizona | $505.3 | 33 | $15.31 | |
| No. 10 | Green Bay | $457.16 | 41 | $11.15 | No. 26 | Miami | $500.56 | 31 | $16.15 | |
| No. 11 | Carolina | $516.09 | 45 | $11.47 | No. 27 | Houston | $522.23 | 31 | $16.85 | |
| No. 12 | Baltimore | $507.05 | 44 | $11.52 | No. 28 | Cleveland | $506.43 | 28 | $18.09 | |
| No. 13 | Tennessee | $465.29 | 40 | $11.63 | No. 29 | St. Louis | $502.08 | 27 | $18.60 | |
| No. 14 | Tampa Bay | $449 | 38 | $11.82 | No. 30 | San Francisco | $486.4 | 25 | $19.46 | |
| No. 15 | Atlanta | $493.07 | 41 | $12.03 | No. 31 | Detroit | $505.04 | 21 | $24.05 | No. 16 | Seattle | $552.42 | 45 | $12.28 | No. 32 | Oakland | $513.21 | 20 | $25.66 |
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
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