Releasing Collins would be stupid

[CowboysFaninHouston]

if we can trade him, then I can understand. you get something of value in return.

but releasing him....his dead cap is $14M, his salary cap is $15M. he would be worth keeping for that difference, even on the bench if necessary. why release him unless there is something personal about wanting to release him.

now, the only thing I can think of is Stephen "the accountant" Jones, wants to save cash. and not actually pay 15M, but from a cap management perspective it makes zero sense. Dallas was one of the lowest cash spending teams in the league. this would be a total business move and not a football move.

 

[thunderpimp91]

You may be right, but to play devils advocate here fans have been calling for Jerry to churn the roster, change the culture, etc for years now. You have a guy who the last two years has played just around 600 snaps because of both suspensions and health issues. I bet there is a reason why teams seem interested in trading for him, but that has cooled off considerably, likely because teams have done their homework on the player.

 

[Stash]

if we can trade him, then I can understand. you get something of value in return.

but releasing him....his dead cap is $14M, his salary cap is $15M. he would be worth keeping for that difference, even on the bench if necessary. why release him unless there is something personal about wanting to release him.

now, the only thing I can think of is Stephen "the accountant" Jones, wants to save cash. and not actually pay 15M, but from a cap management perspective it makes zero sense. Dallas was one of the lowest cash spending teams in the league. this would be a total business move and not a football move.

Youre on yo something about things being ‘personal’. Between a reported questionable work ethic to injuries and suspension, The organization is done with him.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

When has this organization EVER shied away from doing something stupid?

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

He must have done something that has rubbed everyone the wrong way if they're so eager to get rid of him even if they get nothing in return.

 

[Bullflop]

Removing a cancer isn't something that's optional -- if there's a malignancy, it becomes a necessity. For once, Stephen sees something other than a financial concern to be devoted to. The Cowboys are considering their team's character concerns and integrity in this matter. It's high time, imho.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Youre on yo something about things being ‘personal’. Between a reported questionable work ethic to injuries and suspension, The organization is done with him.

1000%........we've covered this

 

[Hawkeye0202]

He must have done something that has rubbed everyone the wrong way if they're so eager to get rid of him even if they get nothing in return.

this^^^^^ try quite a few somethings (lol)

 

[droopdog7]

There is a difference between cap space and real money. Cutting him saves real money.

 

[Vtwin]

if we can trade him, then I can understand. you get something of value in return.

but releasing him....his dead cap is $14M, his salary cap is $15M. he would be worth keeping for that difference, even on the bench if necessary. why release him unless there is something personal about wanting to release him.

now, the only thing I can think of is Stephen "the accountant" Jones, wants to save cash. and not actually pay 15M, but from a cap management perspective it makes zero sense. Dallas was one of the lowest cash spending teams in the league. this would be a total business move and not a football move.

Assuming there are legitimate reasons to move on from a player, keeping that player strictly for financial reasons is exactly the wrong way to build a winning team and a winning culture.

 

[Sandyf]

If not traded then I look for him to be a post June 1st cut where we get $10 million cap space, enough to sign the rookies and have a bit left over for the in season signing if needed.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

There is a difference between cap space and real money. Cutting him saves real money.

that's my point, if that, its an accounting/business move and not a football move. we tend to make a lot more business moves than football moves, which leads us to where we are..

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

There is a difference between cap space and real money. Cutting him saves real money.

agreed. that was my point. its a business move. but is it a football move?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Assuming there are legitimate reasons to move on from a player, keeping that player strictly for financial reasons is exactly the wrong way to build a winning team and a winning culture.

but cutting him for financial reasons, when we can keep him. question is if I wasn't clear, does he have more value to us for a $1M difference in salary cap.

 

[Aven8]

Well if

He must have done something that has rubbed everyone the wrong way if they're so eager to get rid of him even if they get nothing in return.

missing drug test and than bribing the dude seems pretty damn shady to me!

 

[conner01]

Youre on yo something about things being ‘personal’. Between a reported questionable work ethic to injuries and suspension, The organization is done with him.

The suspension and his play when he came back are a huge factor
I suspect there is more to both than fans know

 

[Bobhaze]

I think the #1 reason Collins is trade bait or the subject of being released: He’s unreliable.

Here’s what I mean- Collins has played 7 seasons and due to either injury or suspensions has missed 23 games. His suspension last year and what led to it is an example of his lack of commitment to the team. If a player missed the equivalent of a season and a half of games in 7 years, why spend big money on THAT? He is talented for sure, but talent alone isn’t enough.

The first ability every NFL player must have is REALIABILITY.

 

[Creeper]

I don't know what reasons the Cowboys might have for wanted to get rid of him so badly that they would just release him for no compensation but this has come up suddenly, not after the season, but just before free agency. I had not heard any complaints about Collins the way we heard about complaints about Cooper. There must be something they know that has not been made public. I also think he has trade value so it is surprising no one has come forward with a reasonable offer.

No matter what anyone may feel, this is a business transaction. So the Cowboys should not do anything rash. Trading him now will get them some compensation but frees only $1.3 million in CAP money. Given the player Collins is, $1.3 million is not enough of a save to cut him for financial reasons. So trading him for less than he is worth would be dumb. Of course they can designate him a June 1 cut and save $10 million this year, but that money is not freed until June 1. By then free agency and the draft are over and rosters are pretty much set. CAP room is less of an issue at that time.

Rather than designating him a June 1 cut, and getting nothing for him, why not keep him and trade him after June 1? As we get closer to the season his trade value will increase. An injury to a RT on another team will increase the demand for Collins. Collins is a very capable RT and he will have value to another team suffering an injury to a tackle.

If there is no other unknown issue forcing the Cowboys' hand, I would not get rid of him. I don't trust Steele just yet and I am concerned without Collins the Cowboys don't have a backup plan for when Tyron Smith gets hurt again. Further, we have no idea if the Cowboys will find a LG in the draft, and if not, then there is still the possibility that Collins moves to LG - although maybe the Cowboys asked him to move and he declined. Maybe that is why they are trying to trade him. But still, I would let him compete with Steele and if he loses that battle then let him seek a trade to the Cowboys satisfaction. I understand the Cowboys not wanted to pay a backup RT $15 million against the CAP.

But just releasing him would be a bad business decision. It would be like owning a stock and burning your shares instead of selling them because you own another stock that is performing better.

 

[Bobhaze]

I don't know what reasons the Cowboys might have for wanted to get rid of him so badly that they would just release him for no compensation but this has come up suddenly, not after the season, but just before free agency. I had not heard any complaints about Collins the way we heard about complaints about Cooper. There must be something they know that has not been made public. I also think he has trade value so it is surprising no one has come forward with a reasonable offer.

No matter what anyone may feel, this is a business transaction. So the Cowboys should not do anything rash. Trading him now will get them some compensation but frees only $1.3 million in CAP money. Given the player Collins is, $1.3 million is not enough of a save to cut him for financial reasons. So trading him for less than he is worth would be dumb. Of course they can designate him a June 1 cut and save $10 million this year, but that money is not freed until June 1. By then free agency and the draft are over and rosters are pretty much set. CAP room is less of an issue at that time.

Rather than designating him a June 1 cut, and getting nothing for him, why not keep him and trade him after June 1? As we get closer to the season his trade value will increase. An injury to a RT on another team will increase the demand for Collins. Collins is a very capable RT and he will have value to another team suffering an injury to a tackle.

If there is no other unknown issue forcing the Cowboys' hand, I would not get rid of him. I don't trust Steele just yet and I am concerned without Collins the Cowboys don't have a backup plan for when Tyron Smith gets hurt again. Further, we have no idea if the Cowboys will find a LG in the draft, and if not, then there is still the possibility that Collins moves to LG - although maybe the Cowboys asked him to move and he declined. Maybe that is why they are trying to trade him. But still, I would let him compete with Steele and if he loses that battle then let him seek a trade to the Cowboys satisfaction. I understand the Cowboys not wanted to pay a backup RT $15 million against the CAP.

But just releasing him would be a bad business decision. It would be like owning a stock and burning your shares instead of selling them because you own another stock that is performing better.

Here’s the “secret” reason: He’s unreliable. Missing 23 games due to injury and/or suspension is a bad investment. The trade hasn’t happened because most NFL teams already know this. Collins is talented, but he has played a full season only 2 of his 7 seasons. If you’re going to lose him that often, why is he so”valuable”?

 

[Vtwin]

but cutting him for financial reasons, when we can keep him. question is if I wasn't clear, does he have more value to us for a $1M difference in salary cap.

I'm not in the room so I can only speculate but there seems to be a lot of smoke around him regarding a few important intangibles. Sometimes addition by subtraction is a thing and if the goal is a winning team and winning culture then the financial considerations have to take a back seat. There can be intangible benefits to cutting the losses that don't show up on the balance sheet.

T.O. would be an example of this.