Question for the salary cap experts

[Nick Manning]

Let me preface this by saying this is a question that could be answered had I done some google research, but I'm far too lazy--so fuck off.

Do signing bonuses count against the cap? I'm not sure if they do or not in the NFL, but I remember one year where Peyton got something like a $34.5 million dollar bonus, and I thought it didn't count against the cap. Might be wrong, though.

If that's the case, could this be a viable option as a loophole for a hard cap?

If that's not the case, then disregard.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

There's really no such thing as a "signing bonus" in the NBA. Nearly all contracts are fully guaranteed.

[Nick Manning]

There's really no such thing as a "signing bonus" in the NBA. Nearly all contracts are fully guaranteed.

I know that is the case now, but if a hard cap was instituted maybe some would find a way to circumvent the system. This is obviously all hypothetical, but so is the 2012 season itself