Cowboys' moves create $23 million in space

[burmafrd]

Last year for all his squawking about it Spencer had to love the tag since NO ONE would have offered him that kind of money.

THIS year he really would not like it because there is certainly some GM that will throw $10 million a year at him.

Now tag and trade is about the only reason we should do it.

[Frozen700]

holding onto spencer for another 10 mil...1 year deal?

Let him go

[Ren]

Spencer is a good LB and i'd love to keep him if we where still a 3-4 team, but i'm not sure he'd make a good DE pass rushing is not his strenght. I think it would be in everyone once best interest if we part ways

[Jarv]

Tag and trade would be my route, that way we get something for him and the cap hit is gone.

[DFWJC]

Originally Posted by erod

Cutting free will ADD a ton of money on our cap number in a bad way. It's better to keep him in terms of the cap.

Cutting Free reduces our cap by 7 mil.

I don't think we can use the cap space until > Jun 1, so there's no benefit in cutting him before the draft and FA....from what I understand.

[TwentyOne]

Originally Posted by erod

But if you cut him, it'll hurt the cap bigtime. I'm fine with it, too, but you gotta create more cap space or we're back over the cap again.

It's cheaper to keep him, unfortunately. And that's what Jerry will probably do.

If we cut Free prior June 1st we will save $4 mill against the cap 2013 and $9mill the following three years.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showpo...5&postcount=17

[TwentyOne]

Originally Posted by cowboysooner

First, I hope we tag Spencer. He has played at an elite level the past 2-3 years regardless of pure sack numbers. A good percentage of his rushes result in pressures and he is in on a very good number of turnover plays. He has been an elite run stopper. The one weakness is actual sacks (not pressures) against tackles. He would get about 9-10mm multiyear on the open market so to pay him $10.6 is not a bad deal for 1 year. It also gives us the ability to trade him for a pick possibly to the Browns who need 2 edge rushers and have a gob of cap space.

Spencer didn't play at an elite level the last 2-3 years. You can give the argument last year he played at that level but at the same time someone could argue that he just looked so well because he was surrounded by backups most of the time. Shame on him if he hadn't looked good in that kind of environment.

I really doubt he'll get 9-10 mill/a. That's Mario Williams kind of money and he's a proven DE. Spencer played OLB at the NFL level and had basically one really great year. Anyways ... Handling the Spencer situation is a tricky one i have to admit.

[cowboysooner]

Originally Posted by TwentyOne

Spencer didn't play at an elite level the last 2-3 years. You can give the argument last year he played at that level but at the same time someone could argue that he just looked so well because he was surrounded by backups most of the time. Shame on him if he hadn't looked good in that kind of environment.

I really doubt he'll get 9-10 mill/a. That's Mario Williams kind of money and he's a proven DE. Spencer played OLB at the NFL level and had basically one really great year. Anyways ... Handling the Spencer situation is a tricky one i have to admit.

Mario got very nearly 100mm. He got around 16 mm per year with 50 mm guaranteed. Spencer is making a huge number of tackles and tfl and is a very productive guy. Spencer will get at least a woodly deal.

[TwentyOne]

Originally Posted by cowboysooner

Mario got very nearly 100mm. He got around 16 mm per year with 50 mm guaranteed.

That's not true.

Mario Williams salary was aprox $9 mills in 2012 and will be arround $11mills in 2013.

It will climb to $17mills in 2014 but i think they will rework that deal once 2014 comes by. Just because the Salary cap will stay constant throu 2014.

His guranteed money wasn't 50mills. He got a signing bonus of $19mills Dollars. Everything else is not guaranteed. In fact he has alot of options and workout bonuses in his contract.

Originally Posted by cowboysooner

Spencer is making a huge number of tackles and tfl and is a very productive guy. Spencer will get at least a woodly deal.

You can't compare tackling numbers of an 3-4 OLB and an 4-3 DE. Usually 4-3 DE get payed when they are great pass rusher but strong against the run also. Later is the reason why Williams gets that kind of money

[bkight13]

Originally Posted by DFWJC

Cutting Free reduces our cap by 7 mil.

I don't think we can use the cap space until > Jun 1, so there's no benefit in cutting him before the draft and FA....from what I understand.

Cutting Free now would clear almost 3m, after June 1st another 4m would kick-in. Cutting Connor would free up 3m and Spears 2m. Add that to the 4m already under the cap and that's 12m.

That's enough to tag Spencer, but not by much. Romo would have to be extended to make any other moves when FA starts OR Spencer would have to be re-signed or traded in the week between March 5th and March 12th. Unfortunately it seems like too many moving parts. If they haven't signed Spencer to a new deal by now they probably never will.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Originally Posted by TwentyOne

That's not true.

Mario Williams salary was aprox $9 mills in 2012 and will be arround $11mills in 2013.

It will climb to $17mills in 2014 but i think they will rework that deal once 2014 comes by. Just because the Salary cap will stay constant throu 2014.

His guranteed money wasn't 50mills. He got a signing bonus of $19mills Dollars. Everything else is not guaranteed. In fact he has alot of options and workout bonuses in his contract.



You can't compare tackling numbers of an 3-4 OLB and an 4-3 DE. Usually 4-3 DE get payed when they are great pass rusher but strong against the run also. Later is the reason why Williams gets that kind of money

"I'm ecstatic, very excited. I can't wait for the opportunity," Williams said Thursday after signing a six-year deal potentially worth $100 million. "There's no pressure. I've played against great quarterbacks. And I'm looking forward to playing against these quarterbacks, chasing them down and making things happen."

Williams' deal, which includes $50 million in guaranteed money, is the richest ever given to an NFL defensive player.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/76...mario-williams

He is guaranteed $50m.

Spencer and Coleman were our best run defenders and whats with the red hat purple dress thing?

[gimmesix]

Originally Posted by Ren

Spencer is a good LB and i'd love to keep him if we where still a 3-4 team, but i'm not sure he'd make a good DE pass rushing is not his strenght. I think it would be in everyone once best interest if we part ways

Actually, he was a pretty good pass-rushing DE in college with 10.5 sacks his senior year. But I would franchise him precisely because we don't know what kind of DE he'd be on this level.

It would give us one year to find out and decide if he's worthy of a long-term deal.

If we cut him, then we are either relying on former college ends Jason Hatcher and Tyrone Crawford, who have more question marks at end, picking up one in FA (which won't be cheap) or spending our valuable first-round pick on one.

[LatinMind]

With Romo, Free, and Connor Dallas could end up with 15-17 mil with Free and Connor released.

[Woods]

Originally Posted by LatinMind

With Romo, Free, and Connor Dallas could end up with 15-17 mil with Free and Connor released.

and if they do go ahead and restructure Ratliff and Scandrick, like they have indicated, that could free up another few million.

and then there is Spears as well . . . .

[Beast_from_East]

Originally Posted by LatinMind

With Romo, Free, and Connor Dallas could end up with 15-17 mil with Free and Connor released.

Exactly.

This is why Stephen Jones laughts at anybody that says Dallas doesnt have any cap room.